april 2002
After 60 years.
The State of The Netherlands... After sixty years.
Almost sixty years have passed since the dramatic events throughout Europe and Asia, and most living war victims and
forced labourers have been or are being more or less adequately compensated by their own governments or the belligerent
party (Germany). But for one: the Dutch Government.
Up till now (2002) the State of The Netherlands have not yet recognised its nationals that were both victims of war and
victims of racism during the Japanese occupation in former Dutch East Indies.
The following compensations have so far been materialised:
- - The Governments of Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Norway and New Zealand paid an
acceptable amount to their nationals who were victims of war during the Japanese occupation;
- - After intensive negotiations with the Dutch Government the Jewish organisations succeeded in materialising a
reasonable amount for the Jewish Nazi victims;
- - The Dutch gypsy Nazi victims (assisted by a lawyer) also succeeded to get compensation from the Dutch Government ;
- - Forced labourers of all European countries are now in the process of getting compensations for their work and working
conditions from Germany and Austria;
- - For the war victims from former Dutch East Indies ‘Het Gebaar’ was apparently good enough. And if the Action Group,
from which our foundation emerged, had not intervened, the Dutch Government would instead have allotted the total sum for
collective projects only !
‘Het Gebaar’ was introduced by the Dutch Government by saying as it were:
‘sorry for having kept you in the cold on arrival in Holland
to build up a new life’.
No compensation
With ‘Het Gebaar’ the former prisoners of war and civilian internees have not yet been compensated at all for the many
long years of suffering in concentration camps and the loss of all possessions, which in many cases were built up by
various generations. How long do we have to accept this neglect?
The results of the ‘Stichting Japanse Ereschulden’ (JES) has reached in their actions against the Japanese State are zero.
Exactly as could have been predicted, since Japan can forever hide itself behind the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951,
with which compensation claims by nations or nationals have been waived.
The Dutch Government was one of the parties to this treaty. So no compensations from Japan for Dutch (and other)
nationals. Unfortunately, in the negotiations with the Dutch Government, JES participated as a member of the ‘Indisch
Platform’, but did not stand up sufficiently as a lobby group for ex-concentration camp victims, for which it was founded
at the time. These negotiations resulted into ‘Het Gebaar’, which is about US$ 1.190 per person. It has not resulted into
the long-awaited compensation!
The members of the Action Group for individual payments felt compelled to establish a new organisation. In July 2001
the ‘Stichting Vervolgingsslachtoffers JAPPENKAMP’ (SVJ) was founded and officially registered. SVJ aims
to only and exclusively promote the interests of military and civilian war victims who spent years in Japanese
concentration camps and/or jails.
Only inequality
‘Stichting Vervolgingsslachtoffers JAPPENKAMP’ is of the opinion that the Dutch State has a liability towards its
Dutch nationals in the former Dutch East Indies, who became the victims of racism, prosecution, robbery, deprivation
of freedom, exploitation, starvation, torture, forced labour, etc. Based on the principles of Article 1 of our Dutch
Constitution, referring to equal rights for all Dutch citizens, SVJ demands the removal of the unequal treatment of
the Japanese war victims in order to establish equality with the Nazi war victims.
The following priorities will be put forward by SVJ:
- a rightful and adequate compensation for those who were in Japanese concentration camps and jails;
- final debt settlement for ex-KNIL military and civil servants who never received their outstanding salary payments,
during the period of Japanese occupation ;
- final pay-out of lost properties (Rechtsherstel inzake Indische tegoeden)
Rehabilitation
With the ‘Stichting Vervolgingsslachtoffers JAPPENKAMP’ a new foundation has come into being. With a greater chance
of positive results. Both the Board and the Support Group consist of persons who were Jap camp victims themselves.
Besides, they are, each of them on its own, long term veterans in law, finance, organisational management, public
relations, ICT and politics. A team that is both committed to the case and to your interests. A team that is set to
obtain at least the same results as the Dutch victims of the Nazis.
To start with, the activities of SVJ are centred around the world-wide promotion of ‘Stichting Vervolgingsslachtoffers
JAPPENKAMP’, and the acquirement of Japanese war victims lists from the former Dutch East Indies, in Holland and in the
rest of the world.
It stands to reason that we need your financial support in order to enable the Foundation to make ends meet. We need
funds for the organisation, mailings, advertisements, etc. and eventually, the law suit against the State of the
Netherlands.
Register now!
The SVJ is calling all Japanese concentration camp victims and/or their next of kin to register with us. The
registration fee has been set at a minimum rate in order to enable everybody who is eligible to register. Besides
you can be a benefactor for any amount you can afford.
Minimal Registration fee: € 35,00 pp or the equivalent in your own currency, made payable to:
ABN-AMRO BANK
Foreign money transfer:
state “our cost”
Swiftcode ABNANL2A
Hilversum, Netherlands
in favour of account nr 40 59 95 903
SV JAPPENKAMP, AMSTELVEEN, Netherlands
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For more information surf the rest of this website, and keep on surfing for regular updates.
april 2, 2002
Lilian Sluijter
Secretary General SVJappenkamp
P.S.
Registration is essential since SVJ can only act as the authorised representative of registered individual claimants.
Hence, fill out the e-mail registration form now!
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