THE HAGUE: Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Sunday issued a formal state apology to members of the Moluccan community for their decades-long mistreatment by the Netherlands after Indonesia won independence from colonisation.

Many Moluccans, from the so-called “spice islands” in eastern Indonesia, fought for the Dutch colonial army during the post-World War II struggle for independence.

After Indonesia gained independence in 1949, around 12,500 Moluccans were brought to the Netherlands in a state-organised transfer to escape reprisals.

They were supposed to stay only briefly before returning to an independent country, as part of negotiations at the time between the Dutch government and Indonesia.

However, the Dutch reneged on their promise to repatriate them and they were housed in dire conditions, with little attempt to find them jobs or integrate them into broader Dutch society.

Unveiling a monument to commemorate that dark period of Dutch history, a visibly moved Jetten told hundreds of Moluccans gathered in Rotterdam that it was “high time” to apologise.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026