Rawagede, Indonesia: After six decades of waiting, relatives of men killed in a notorious massacre during Indonesia's bitter struggle for independence finally got what they wanted: an official apology from the Dutch state.
Tjeerd de Zwaan, ambassador to Indonesia, made the announcement before hundreds of villagers in Rawagede, scene of the December 9, 1947 killings of up to 430 boys and young men by Dutch troops.
The crowd, tense with emotion, erupted in cheers and applause. Tears rolled down the cheeks of surviving widows, now in their late 80s and early 90s, some of whom had started to doubt they would ever hear those words.
"It makes me feel my struggle for justice was not useless," said Cawi binti Baisa, who was 20 when her husband of two years headed to the rice paddy in the morning never to return.
Dutch troops clinging to their retreating colonial empire arrived in Rawagede just before dawn 64 years ago and opened fire, sending sleepy residents scattering from their homes in panic.
The soldiers were looking for resistance leader Lukas Kustario, known for ambushing Dutch bases. When villagers said they didn't know where he was, nearly all the men were rounded up and taken to the fields.
Squatting in rows, with both hands placed on the backs of their heads, they were shot one by one. The apology — more than six decades later — followed a landmark ruling by a Dutch court in September that said the state was responsible for the massacre.
It also agreed to pay €20,000 (Dh98,000) to each of the ten plaintiffs, three of whom have since died, said their lawyer, Liesbeth Zegveld.
But it wasn't immediately clear when or how funds would be distributed.
The presence of de Zwaan at the annual commemoration held at Rawagede Hero Cemetery — where many of the victims were buried in a mass grave — caused a huge, emotional stir.
Big white tents were erected to provide relief from the blazing tropical sun.
"Today, December 9," the ambassador began, "we remember the members of your families and those of your fellow villagers who died 64 years ago through the actions of the Dutch military."
"On behalf of the Dutch government, I apologise for the tragedy that took place."
Several women involved in the case said that was much more important than whatever money they eventually get.
