Indonesian Historian Reported To The Dutch Police, The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs And The Indonesian Embassy In The Hague Follow The Development Carefully

Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague, Netherlands. (Wikimedia Commons/Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague, The Netherlands)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague, Netherlands continue to follow developments in the reporting of Indonesian historian Bonnie Triyana by the Dutch East Indies Federation (FIN) to the local police regarding the term 'Bersiap' in his statement in the local newspaper.

The article in question is Bonnie's work in the local NRC newspaper entitled 'Schrap de term 'Bersiap' want to die is racistisch' which was published on 10 January.

"That's right. It's been reported a lot," Bonnie briefly told VOI when confirmed, Wednesday, January 2nd.

Regarding the situation, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague, Netherlands are following and observing carefully.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ensures that the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague is following the development of this issue, although it is not yet clear whether the legal process will continue or not.

"The Indonesian Embassy in The Hague continues to follow this issue, including the development of discourse in the Netherlands on the contentious issues. Communication with the Indonesian Embassy continues," explained Spokesman for the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Teuku Faizasyah to VOI.

"It's still not clear whether this disagreement will continue to the legal process. We'll just follow it first," he continued.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague said that until now there has been no official notification from the local authorities regarding this issue.

"So far, the Indonesian Embassy has not received an official notification from the Dutch Police regarding Mr. Bonnie's case. The local media have also not brought up news about this case anymore," wrote Febrizki from the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague via text message when confirmed by VOI.

He was also reluctant to comment further, but ensured that the Indonesian Embassy was ready to provide assistance if this case continued.

"We cannot comment further because there is no official information from the Dutch authorities. If the case continues, the Indonesian Embassy will certainly provide assistance," he said.

Previously, quoting Detik.com, this polemic stemmed from Bonnie's attitude in removing the term 'Bersiap' which appeared in the exhibition of the Free Indonesian Revolution at the Rijksmuseum, where Bonnie was the guest curator of the museum located in Amsterdam.

In an editorial opinion article in the local newspaper NRC entitled 'Schrap de term 'Bersiap' want die is racistisch' and was published on 10 January. Bonnie removed the word 'Get ready' because it was considered racist.

In his view, 'Bersiap period' in general terms refers to the period of violence in Indonesia during the physical revolution period 1945-1947, presenting a narrative about the faces of Indonesians who are primitive, barbaric and fueled by racial hatred, reports CNN Indonesia.

The article drew criticism from a number of parties, including FIN who considered it a forgery of history, and the Dutch media said that FIN officially reported Bonnie on January 13 last.