Dutch PM apologises for Moluccan soldiers’ mistreatment after Indonesian independence

Rob Jetten acknowledges grief and pain of Moluccan families as crowdfunded monument unveiled in Rotterdam

The Dutch prime minister, Rob Jetten, has formally apologised for the heartless" mistreatment of thousands of Moluccan soldiers who fought for the Dutch colonial army during Indonesia's struggle for independence.

About 12,500 men from a group of Indonesian islands who served in the Royal Dutch East Indies army came with their families to the Netherlands in 1951, many having been given no choice. They thought it would be a temporary evacuation after Indonesia had won independence.