Rawagede: still waiting for Dutch aid money

RNW, 13September 2011, by Michel Maas

(Photo:RNW)      

More: 

• The sole survivor's tale 
• A black page in Dutch history

Theyweren't allowed to call it reparation money or a compensation payment and ithad nothing to do with the 1947 massacre in Rawagede, but at the beginning of2009, the then Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders earmarked€850,000 for Balongsari, a small county in Java, Indonesia. It was developmentaid money and ostensibly had nothing to do with the fact that the village ofRawagede is also in Balongsari County.

On 9December 1947, Dutch troops rounded up and killed an estimated 431 men in theJavanese village of Rawagede. It was one of the worst massacres during the‘Dutch police action’ in the Dutch East Indies just after the Second World War.

It’s almost64 years later and the Dutch government still shies away from anyacknowledgement of guilt or hint of responsibility. It’s purely development aidmoney and not a reparations payment or compensation and it’s not for Rawagede,it’s for the entire county. The €850,000 was supposed to fund a school, amarket and expand the hospital in the village.

Waiting

Some 30months have elapsed since the money was allocated but almost nothing has beenaccomplished. On the outskirts of the village, a rice paddy measuring aroundone hectare has been cleared but the school still hasn’t been built. The localauthorities say the building plans are ready and they’re just waiting for themoney. Sukarman say construction will begin as soon as they get the money. He’sthe chairman of foundation that has already built one school in Rawagede; itstands across the road from the cleared rice paddy and has some 800 studentsalready. Sukarman: “We built that school in just 3 months. The World Bank gavethe money to our local foundation and we could arrange everything directly”.

The Dutchdevelopment aid money is taking a different route: it’s not going to Rawagede,it’s not going to Balongsari, and it’s not even going to the district ofKarawang; it’s going to the interior ministry in Jakarta. The ministry isresponsible for deciding who can build a school and when. The Hague has signedan agreement with the Ministry and a portion of the money was transferred lastDecember. The local authorities have still not received any notification fromJakarta and they still have no idea when, or if, the project will be started.

The Dutchembassy in Jakarta has defended the bureaucratic maze, calling it ‘due care andattention’. Ambassador Annemieke Ruigrok: “All of the projects must have asustainable character and everything has to be carefully calibrated and theindividual projects need to be coordinated with each other. Due care andattention take time.” She added that the ministry is currently “working out thefinal details.”

Microcredit

It’s notclear what "working out the details" means, nor is there any sign of‘coordination’. Even though the local authorities have had their plans readyand waiting for the past 2 years, the ministry still hasn’t made any contactwith them.

Not all ofthe money that was allocated in 2009 is in Jakarta; €254,500 went to the DutchHivos foundation. The organisation has used some of the money to fundmicro-credit loans in Rawagede. Hundreds of people in the village – andhundreds of others in neighbouring villages – have taken advantage of the HIVOS microcredit loans. A total of €106,533 has been lent so far, while the restof the €850,000 is doing nothing for the people of Rawagede.

Hivos hasset a cooperative up and it now has 1247 members. It is supposed to be runningan organic shop and the Dutch foundation has so far funded it to the tune of€50,000. The head of the cooperative, Riyadi, acknowledges that the shop hasn’tyet been set up although a small gas canister business has gotten off theground. According to Riyadi, the €50,000 has been sent spent on operational costsand salaries.

Apology

Severalattempts to get compensation for the victims’ relatives were dismissed on thegrounds that the events took place so long ago that the charges had lapsed. OnWednesday, judges will issue a ruling on a case brought by four relatives ofRawagede victims; they are demanding an apology and compensation.

Theirlawyer, Liesbeth Zegveld, does not believe that the case has expired, sayingthat the Netherlands still handles cases dating from World War Two. If thejudges rule in favour of the plaintiffs, it could have huge consequences forthe victims - and their relatives - of other Dutch ‘police actions’ as theycould also claim compensation.

Related Articles:

Rawagede no longer taboo for Dutch veterans

Indonesia Remembers Bloody Dutch Massacre
Indonesian Rights Activists Applaud Rawagede Decision

Dutch court: Compensate Indonesian massacre widows

Court: Dutch accountable for war crimes in Indonesia

May 7th 2011 Rawagede - In memoriam: Sa'ih Bin Sakam†

Dutch documentary on poverty in RI gets Oscar nomination

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 09/13/2011

Adocumentary film made by Dutch filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich on poverty inIndonesia has secured a 2011 Academy Award nomination in the long documentarycategory.

The movie,titled Stand van de Sterren (among the stars), documents the life of Sjamsuddinand depicts various issues including poverty, prostitution and the gap betweenrich and poor, kompas.com reported on Tuesday.

Thenomination is an achievement for the Dutch film industry as this is the firsttime a Dutch documentary film has gained a nomination in this category.

The film ispart of a trilogy, with Stand van de Zon (the shape of the sun) and Stand vande Maan (the shape of the Moon) which Leonard finished filming in Indonesia in2001 and 2004.

Both of hisother films also garnered worldwide acclaim.

Rijsbergen Indonesian national squad coach

RNW, 14 July 2011

Dutch soccer trainer Wim Rijsbergen has been named interim coach of Indonesia’s national team, according to Indonesian media.

The former Feyenoord player was a member of the Dutch national squad in the World Cup in 1974 and 1978. He will be putting the Indonesian team through their paces leading up to their two matches later this month against Turkmenistan in the qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup. He is replacing Austrian coach Alfred Riedl.

Rijsbergen has been in charge of Indonesian club PSM Makassar for the last six months. It is not yet known if he will carry on with the club. He has previously worked as a trainer in Chile, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobego.

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Fired coach threatens action vs. Indonesian FA

Dutch Star Urges More Youth Power in Football

Jakarta Globe, Wimbo Satwiko, June 26, 2011

Former Dutch team captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst, center, coaching young
athletes during a football lesson on Saturday in Jakarta, where he had played
a friendly. (Antara Photo)

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Former Netherlands captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst says Indonesia must improve training programs for young talent if it wants to produce a top-flight football team, particularly improving Merah Putih.

“You need to build a good youth system in the association [PSSI], not the club,” he said during a recent visit to Jakarta for a friendly. “That’s how we started in Holland.

“You need to have a good training program from around 6 or 7 years old until they reach 17 to 18 years old,” he added.

It’s no surprise, then, that Van Bronckhorst, who claims Indonesian ancestry through his Maluku-born mother, has plans to establish a second headquarters in Indonesia for his youth-centered organization.

The Giovanni van Bronckhorst Foundation, based in Rotterdam, has been spearheading projects geared toward helping children and teenagers, including Birth Center Sophia and Van Bronckhorst Academy.

In particular, the football academy — based at his former team Feyenoord’s home ground, De Kuip Stadium — not only schools children on the fine art of field play, but also teaches basic language and math.

It also focuses on helping children with learning disabilities.

“Some kids may want to be footballers, but a majority of them won’t become one,” Van Bronckhorst said. “So providing them with good education and emphasizing health and fitness become more important.

“Those are the things we want to do — build a perfect environment where children can develop properly.

“While helping them with their education, we want to make sure every kid is disciplined. We also want to help them identify their goals in life,” Van Bronckhorst said.

The birth center, meanwhile, was established for mothers who could not afford hospital care.

Van Bronckhorst, who guided the Netherlands to a runner-up finish in last year’s World Cup, also said the development of the sport in Indonesia was severely hampered by the existence of rival leagues, the FIFA-sanctioned Super League and the breakaway Indonesian Premier League.

“You also need a strong league,” he said. “With the current situation where you have two leagues, that will block the development of Indonesian football. In the future, let’s hope there will only be one strong league.”

Such problems came to his attention, Van Bronckhorst said, when he visited Jakarta last week to play an exhibition at Gelora Bung Karno called “Starbol — Unite for Football Indonesia.”

Though the 36-year-old retired from professional football last year, he said he would not stop assisting sports officials both in the Netherlands and his “second home” in giving aspiring athletes a chance to learn.

“That’s why we made this trip and talked to lots of people,” he said. “We want to form partnerships with the local government, companies and hospitals, and find out what people need.

“It’s important to get good partners who want to help out because we can’t do it alone.”

Van Bronckhorst, a defensive midfielder, started his professional career at RKC Waalwijk in 1993. He later moved to Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona before ending his career at Feyenoord last year. He earned 106 caps and scored six goals for the Netherlands.

Related Article:

Van Bronckhorst: 10-20 years before RI reaches World Cup finals

Van Bronckhorst: 10-20 years before RI reaches World Cup finals

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Wed, 06/22/2011

On the ball: Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, the former captain of the Dutch soccer
team in the 2010 World Cup, speaks to reporters after arriving in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Giovanni, who is half-Dutch, half-Indonesian, is in Indonesia to officially launch his new
charity, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst @all Children of Indonesia, which aims to assist
impoverished children. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)

Former Dutch soccer player Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Tuesday said that Indonesia would need 10 to 20 years before its national team could reached the World Cup finals.

Indonesia needs to build a systematic soccer development program to win a place in the World Cup finals, he said.

“Indonesia is a big country with abundant talent. Should they be trained well, Indonesian soccer will be big,” van Bronckhorst said in Jakarta as quoted by tribunnews.com

Van Bronckhorst was in Jakarta to launch a charity program dedicated to character-building and improving education and health for children.

Van Bronckhorst served as the captain of the Dutch national soccer team in the 2010 World Cup finals, where the team finished second.

On Wednesday, he is scheduled to take part in a friendly game in Jakarta.

Related Article:

Fabregas, van Bronckhorst in Indonesia on Wednesday

Surabaya govt officially recognizes house as Soekarno`s birth place

Antara News, Mon, June 6 2011

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Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA News) - The Surabaya city government at a ceremony on Monday officially recognized a house at Jalan Pandean IV/40 as the birth place of national founding father and first Indonesian President Soekarno.

At the ceremony, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, Soekarno Instutute Director Peter A Rohi and a Soekarno relative, Prof Haryono Sigitm, jointly unveiled an inscribed plaque, witnessed by hundreds of Surabaya city council members and residents.

"Since the start of the reform era, we conducted a thorough study and research. We even did research in the Netherlands. Old history books have also proven that Soekarno was born in Surabaya (rather than in Blitar-Ed). Thank God, we can now officially indicate the place where he was born," Peter A. Rohi said.

In addition, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini also believed that Soekarno was not born in Blitar, East Java.

According to Tri Rismaharini, she had sent a letter to the Central Government to rectify the issue and was optimistic that the government would aprove it.

"We are still awaiting the central government`s response. But in 2010, Bambang DH, the previous Surabaya mayor signed the inscription and sent a letter (expectation) to the central government," Tri Rismaharini said.

In the meantime, the representative of Soekarno`s family Prof. Haryono Sigit, said that Soekarno`s parents once lived in the house concerned.

He also handed over the house to the Surabaya city administration to manage it.

Apart from that, Bambang Sulistomo, son of Bung Tomo, a noted hero from East Java who also attended the ceremony said so far no one had known that Soekarno was at the house on Jalan Pandean.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Justice league

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 03/22/2011

(From left to right) Leiden University’s Jakarta project coordinator
Ward Berenschot, National Planning and Development Agency director
for legal and human rights Diani Sadiawati, University of Indonesia’s
Women and Gender Studies Center chair Sulistyowati Irianto and
Judicial Mafia Taskforce member Mas Achmad Santosa pose for
photos after the launch of a book titled Akses Terhadap Keadilan
di Indonesia (Access to Justice in Indonesia) at Erasmus Huis in
Jakarta on Tuesday.

Wayang with a Touch of Dutch

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/13/2011

There was no Arjuna in sight. The puppet characters appeared in classic European clothing from the 16th century. And the shadow puppet story was not based on the classic epic Mahabharata or Ramayana — but rather the heroic epic of Prince William of Orange.

That particular evening, the audience was given a rare treat — a wayang shadow puppet show with a fresh, contemporary twist.

Painted in classic European clothing from the 16th century, the puppet characters became alive as young puppet master Ananto Wicaksono told the heroic epic story of Prince William of Orange to a packed hall at the Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta.

Closing scene showcases the puppet characters of Prince
 William van Orange (left), his wife Louise de Coligny (right)
 and the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft. JP/ Wendra
Ajistyatama

The Nusantara Museum in Holland had ordered the puppet of William of Orange — or Willem Van Oranje in Dutch — from Javanese puppet maker Ledjar Subroto, Ananto’s grandfather.

The puppet show was performed in Jakarta and Yogyakarta before being launched in the Nusantara Museum over the weekend.

The story revolves around the battles of Prince William, the proponent of freedom of religion against the Spanish army. The Spanish King, Philip II, declared William an outlaw and promised a reward for his assassination.

The show’s last scene depicted the assassination of the Dutch hero. Balthasar Gerard, a supporter of Phillip II, shot William to death at the prince’s home in Delft.

The contemporary shadow puppet show did not only present a series of serious political banters and war scenes, but also entertained and humored with creative and amusing scenes.

The hundreds of audience members burst into laughter when an old puppet character Jan Klaasen appeared on stage as an intermezzo in the middle of a war.

Jan Klaasen’s funny voice, humorous chat and silly movements became an instant ice-breaker. A Spaniard soldier tried to attack his head to no avail because it was so flexible — it could rotate, turning forward and even backward.

Ledjar said Jan Klaasen was an additional character that was comparable to Punokawan — four royal jokers in the regular puppet shows.

“I inserted the Jan Klaasen character so the audience did not only have to stick to the story, but be entertained by the humor as well,” he said.

Known as the innovator of wayang kancil — leather puppets in animal forms, the 73-year-old Ledjar was internationally known for his novel pieces of the wayang art.

His creations include Wayang Sultan Agung in 1987, a puppet made to depict the struggle of Sultan Agung against the Dutch troops under Jan Pieter Zoon Coen. The puppet was collected by the Westfreis Museum.

Later, he made Wayang Revolusi for the Bronbeek Museum in Arnhem, representing the Indonesian revolutionary figures of 1945. He also created a wayang cartoon based on the Japanese Samurai X comic for the performance of Japanese puppeteer Ryoh Matsumoto in 2002.

Ananto, a student of the Indonesian Institute of Arts in Yogyakarta, said the Nusantara Museum planned to introduce Dutch history to school children through Wayang William.

“The problem [faced by Indonesia and the Netherlands] is the same. Children are reluctant to study history,” he said, adding that wayang was chosen because both countries shared a strong cultural relationship.

The idea to wrap the Dutch history in a wayang story came after officials from the Nusantara Museum watched Ledjar’s Sultan Agung puppet show performance at the Pasar Tong Tong fair back in 2008.

The officials, who saw a Jan Pieter Zoon Coen puppet, were inspired to order the puppet character of William. They were happy to see Ledjar’s creation of the William puppet a year later, saying that the puppet’s image matched the prince’s portraits. Ananto said he researched on the Internet to study the history of William of Orange and watched an original classic movie about him.

“At first, I was thinking of full gamelan for the music, but then I changed my mind because this was a European puppet show. I don’t want to make it an ordinary wayang purwa [traditional puppetry],” he said.

His effort paid off. The Willem puppet show performed in the Erasmus Huis was far from boring.

The music was a collaboration between pop orchestra and traditional gamelan. Some of the conversations in the show, which included an English translation, were even set to opera-esque music, such as during a romantic chat between William and his fourth wife Louise de Coligny.

Ananto, who has been a wayang puppeter since he was four years old, said the Nusantara Museum’s visitors could also watch his 15-minute animated film of the William puppet show in addition to enjoying the real puppet performance.

The museum also plans to tour the puppet show around several cities. Ledjar said the marriage of modern and traditional genres could attract young people.

The most important thing, he added, was to preserve the traditional nuance.

However, nowadays the majority of appreciation for wayang comes from foreign countries like the Netherlands, and little attention is paid to the art form in Indonesia.

Ledjar said no order to make a wayang show about Indonesia’s modern history had come from his his own country.

“You know, there is no interest here in Indonesia. I am concerned about how to encourage our children and young generation to love wayang.”

Puppet master Ananto performs a battle scene during the shadow puppet show at Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta.

20 Indonesian/Dutch players coming to RI for soccer event

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 03/09/2011

Twenty Indonesian soccer players of mixed descent from the Netherlands will arrive in Indonesia this Sunday for a special soccer-related event.

Former captain of the Netherlands
’ 2010 World Cup team Giovanni
van Bronckhorst

Among them is former captain of the Netherlands’ 2010 World Cup team Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the President’s special staffer for regional development and autonomy, Felix Wanggai, said Wednesday, as reported by antaranews.com.

They will be in Indonesia for 12 days for a program termed “Indonesia is my country”, which is aimed at motivating Indonesian players, Felix said.

All of the players are of Indonesian and Dutch descent and have played in competitions in Europe.

They will arrive in Indonesia this coming Sunday and leave on March 24. They will first go to Ambon before heading to Jakarta and then to Denpasar. During their visit, they will train young players, conduct workshops for local coaches and play in friendly competitions.

“They are also scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," Felix said.

Related Article:

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Ambon celebrates links with ‘Der Oranje’

Gay imam spreads message: "Homosexuality is not sinful"

RNW, 18 February 2011, by Klaas den Tek

(Photo: RNW)

South African Muhsin Hendricks is an Islamic cleric and a gay man.

He runs a foundation called The Inner Circle, which helps Muslims, who are struggling to accept their sexuality. He has come to the Netherlands to spread a simple message: “It’s okay to be Muslim and gay!”

It’s a message not everyone agrees with and the reason why Mr Hendricks is no longer officially a cleric.

Muhsin Hendricks looks a little tired. He is in the Netherlands at the invitation of the Amsterdam branch of gay rights organisation COC and he’s on a punishing schedule. There is enormous public interest in the “pink imam”, as he’s been dubbed.

Sin

But every trace of fatigue vanishes as Mushin Hendricks talks about his faith and his sexuality.

“Being Muslim and being gay are both strong identities. And I think that they are both innate identities for me. So somewhere along the line I had to reconcile the two.”

This was far from easy for Muhsin Hendricks. He was born into an orthodox Muslim family in South Africa. His grandfather was a cleric in one of Cape Town’s most prominent mosques. Mushin discovered at an early age that he was different. He played with dolls rather than cars. He was seen as being feminine and was teased as a result. All this was long before he even knew there was such a thing as homosexuality.

Mushin Hendricks took comfort in his faith, in spite of the fact that many Muslims believe it offers no place to homosexual feelings. Sexual love between two men or two women is prohibited. It is seen as one of the worst possible sins, punishable in some Islamic countries by death.

Sodom and Gomorrah

But Muhsin Hendricks decided to discover for himself what the Qur’an has to say about homosexuality. He pursued his Islamic studies in Pakistan. “It didn’t seem fair for a very merciful and compassionate God to condemn me for something that I didn’t choose.”

Muhsin Hendricks drew a striking conclusion from his studies: nowhere does the Qur’an state that homosexuality is forbidden. Not even in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Mushin refutes the interpretation that God destroyed the cities because men had sex with one another. He argues that the cities’ residents were punished for rape, not for consensual sex between men.

Divorce

The controversial cleric argues that there are even one or two Qur’an verses in which Allah acknowledges the existence of homosexuals. One example is in sura 24, verse 31. “It says that women have to put on extra clothing when they go out in public ... But not in front of those men who have no attraction for women. They must be the gay people,” he laughs.

Despite these discoveries, Mushin still did not feel able to acknowledge and openly express his own homosexual feelings. He married, and he and his wife had three children. Mushin’s wife was aware of his homosexuality but still tried to make the relationship work.

Mushin Hendricks’ knowledge of Islam and Arabic earned him respect in the mosques of Cape Town. But his feelings did not go away. After six years, his marriage ended in divorce and that was the moment when he officially came out of the closet.

Satanist

His mother fainted when she heard the news that her son Mushin was gay. But little by little she is beginning to understand. Some members of the family want nothing more to do with him.

Now Mushin Hendricks has met the love of his life. His partner follows another faith – Hinduism – and has not yet come out of the closet.

Mushin’s work at the mosque came to an abrupt end. His take on the relationship between homosexuality and Islam does not rhyme with the official doctrine. He has been branded a Satanist. Although he has never been physically threatened, he has to endure much abuse and criticism.

Empowerment

“Imams see me as a threat to their worldview and the way they see Islam. I don’t feel they should be threatened. It’s just another view that I would invite them to look at. My view allows queer Muslims to continue being Muslim but also to accept themselves for who they are.”

Muhsin Hendricks still sees himself as an Islamic cleric. With his foundation The Inner Circle he tries to help Muslims with their coming out. He gives empowerment workshops to make young people more self-aware. He will also give one here in the Netherlands: over sixty people have already signed up for it.

Visit the Inner Circle website or Facebook page

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

Garuda to Pay Widow Of Munir Rp 3.5b

Jakarta Globe, Ulma Haryanto, February 19, 2011

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The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed by flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and upheld an earlier ruling ordering the airline to pay damages to the widow of slain rights activist Munir Said Thalib, lawyers said on Friday.

Munir died of arsenic poisoning on board a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam in 2004. The poison was administered by off-duty pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2008 for the murder.

In 2006, Suciwati, Munir’s widow, sued Garuda’s management, former executive director Indra Setiawan, vice president of corporate security Ramelgia Anwar, flight operator support officer Rohainil Aini, Pollycarpus and five members of the cabin crew on board the flight.

The Central Jakarta District Court ruled in her favor and ordered Garuda and the other respondents to pay Rp 3.5 billion ($396,000) in damages.

Nurkholis Hidayat, director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) and a lawyer for Suciwati, said this effectively meant Garuda and the others had to pay up “for the losses caused by Munir’s death.”

“And because Garuda lost its appeal to the Supreme Court, even though it may file for an extraordinary remedy against the ruling, that will not stop Suciwati from claiming what is hers.”

Nurkholis said the ruling could be considered partial justice for Munir and his family, “even though during the criminal trial, the courts never touched the mastermind [behind the murder].”

One of the key suspects in the case, former intelligence chief Muchdi Purwopranjono, was acquitted of the murder.

A former commander of the army’s Special Forces unit (Kopassus), Muchdi was forced to step down after Munir, who founded the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), shed light on the elite unit’s involvement in kidnapping dissenters.

Choirul Anam, a lawyer for Suciwati who is also deputy chairman of the Human Rights Work Group and coordinator of the Committee of Solidarity Action for Munir (Kasum), said he had been notified about the ruling on Thursday.

He said the Supreme Court’s ruling should inspire more victims and wronged consumers to file civil suits.

“Especially those who were aggrieved by the aviation industry in Indonesia, which is still far from perfect,” he said, adding the court’s decision “marks a success for consumers in demanding compensation.”

“We hope that Garuda, which has been trying to polish its image, will cooperate with us and obey the verdict without making it more complicated,” Choirul said.

Garuda spokesman Pudjobroto declined to comment on the case, telling the Jakarta Globe the company had not yet received official notification of the verdict.

RI generates Rp 117 billion from Dutch travel expo

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 01/17/2011

Taking part in a six-day travel expo in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Indonesia generated Rp 117 billion (US$ 12.5 million), far below last year’s figure of Rp 200 billion.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry said this year’s figure was a result of transactions obtained by 18 travel bureaus and tourism operators from Indonesia that took part in the Vakantiebeurs (Holiday Bourse), which ended on Sunday evening.

Among participants that attracted a lot of visitors was a spa company. All of its products, including aromatherapy goods, sold out and some visitors reportedly expressed an interest in opening a branch in the Netherlands, kompas.com reported.

Data from the Culture and Tourism Ministry revealed that from January to November 2010, around 142,100 Dutch tourists came to Indonesia. This was far below the number from Singapore (988,500), Malaysia (934,700) and Australia (662,700).

Highest Number of Tourists in Yogyakarta are Dutch

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 28 December, 2010

TEMPO Interactive, Yogyakarta:The highest number of tourists visiting Yogyakarta are from the Netherlands, Setiawan K.E., chief of Yogyakarta Tourism Board announced Monday.

From January to September this year the number of Dutch tourists visiting the area totaled 23,766 people. “Last year, that number increased to 20,366. That means so far the number has increased by 3,400 people or by 16.7 percent,” he said.

The second-highest number of visitors were from Japan (14,650) and France (13,411). The number of Malaysian tourists has dropped to 12,550, from 12,673 people last year. According to Setiawan, more tourists are visiting Yogyakarta to see disaster-affected areas.

ANANG ZAKARIA

Related Article:

Together in Holland, together in Indonesia

Third world title for Dutch swimmer Kromowidjojo

RNW, 19 December 2010

Ranomi Kromowidjojo (Telegraaf)

Ranomi Kromowidjojo has won her third gold medal during the final day of the World Short Course Swimming Championships 2010 in Dubai.

After the 100m freestyle and the 4 x 100m freestyle, the Dutch swimmer from the northern city of Groningen also beat all her opponents in the 50m freestyle in a time of 23.37 seconds, just a little slower compared to the world record (23.25) set by compatriot Marleen Veldhuis. Team mate Hinkelien Schreuder won the silver medal in a time of 23.81. Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, from the Bahamas came third in 24.04.

Photo: Telegraaf / Soenar Chamid

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A supporter brandishing a banner reading ‘Finals,
here we come.' (JG Photo)

Pencak Silat Links Indonesia to Athletes Around the World

Jakarta Globe, Ami Afriatni & Jennifer Jett | December 19, 2010     

Jakarta. The common way of introducing Indonesian culture to foreigners is serving them the delicious nasi goreng or sop buntut.

Harriet Zuidland of the Netherlands, right, fights Tran Thi
 Luyen of Vietnam during her finals match at the Pencak Silat
World Championships on Friday. (JG Photo/Jurnasyanto
Sukarno)  

Or sharing with them stories of how beautiful Bali is or how majestic the Borobodur temples are.

Dutch national Patrick Pronk took quite a different approach in discovering Indonesia.

He got into the martial arts of pencak silat.

“Pencak silat means almost everything to me,” he said.

“When I don’t practice, I don’t know what to do.

“I just sit at home.”

Pronk’s passion for the game led him to Jakarta last week, when he competed in his maiden World Pencak Silat Championships.

He was one of only two Europeans to land a berth in the final, before he lost 5-0 to Indonesian pesilat Sapto Purnomo in the men’s D class (60 to 65 kilograms).

A second Dutch pesilat, Harriet Zuidland, bagged the silver in the women’s 70-75kg.

“I’m happy because I got into the final, but I’m not happy because I didn’t fight my best,” Pronk said.

“I was thinking too much. I almost knew that I was going to meet an Indonesian in the final.”

Pronk got into pencak silat in 2005, when his father took him to the martial arts club Bongkot Friesland in the city of Leeuwarden.

While most of his friends were into football, Pronk said pencak silat appealed to him almost immediately.

“I just love the culture in pencak silat, the people I meet. They’re generally nice and supportive. It’s not just fighting, it’s the style that goes with it.”

Pronk has competed in a number of European events, and his most notable accomplishment so far is his third-place finish in the European championship. He, however, wants more exposure.

“At this moment, the competition in Europe is not very big. We only have five tournaments in Europe the whole year,” he said.

“We’ve been trying to set up more events in the Netherlands. I hope the Netherlands can be the center of pencak silat development in Europe.”

Pencak silat was introduced in Europe in the 1960s by Henri de Thomis, who brought the pencak silat style of Bongkot Harimau to the Netherlands.

Raoul de Thomis, Henri’s son, said that promoting the sport was challenging.

“Kids nowadays are more interested in Internet games. They’re not much into sports anymore,” Raoul said.

To find new talent, Pronk and his fellow Netherlands-based athletes go from school to school to educate the youth about pencak silat, adding it’s not unusual for them to be asked by kids, “What is pencak silat?”

“Of course, it’s not as big as football in the Netherlands,” Pronk said.

“It’s not even as big as kickboxing, because the Dutch are good at kickboxing.”

Even though he considers pencak silat as just a hobby, Pronk, who works as a nurse, says he is focused on improving his skills by training two hours every night five days a week.

“I want to become a world champion, and I’ll try again [at the next world championships] two years from now,” said Pronk, who hopes to one day study under an Indonesian master.

Prabowo Subianto, the recently elected president of the International Pencaksilat Federation (Persilat), said the sport has a solid following in 45 countries.

“It’s such an honor for Indonesia to know that other nations are willing to learn our culture through the sport,” Prabowo said with pride.

“They even want us to send more coaches to these places. Persilat will answer this challenge by holding more coaching clinics in the future.”