Queen Máxima of the Netherlands visited the small Dutch town of Alphen aan den Rijn to mark the golden jubilee of the local Moluccan community. In the Moluccan Lachai Roi Church she received a book telling and documenting the history of the Moluccan community.
The Queen was welcomed with dance and music and during a brief service of Thanksgiving in the church she and the royal family were greatly praised. "We are grateful that Your Majesty has taken time out of her busy schedule to be with us this day", Reverend Mustamu said.
The Moluccans originate from the Maluku Islands (the Moluccas) in the Indonesian archipelago. Many Moluccans served in the KNIL, the Royal Netherlands-Indian Army, along with the Dutch who governed Indonesia till shortly after World War II. When the Dutch finally accepted Indonesia's independence in 1949 the native soldiers of the Dutch colonial army found themselves in a difficult position.
The Netherlands wanted Indonesia to be a federal republic, with autonomy for the different islands, including the Moluccas. Indonesia's President Soekarna however had other ideas and Indonesia became an unitary state. In response to this on 25 April 1950 the 'Republik Maluku Selatan' was proclaimed, which turned many Indonesians against the former KNIL-military. As temporary measure the Dutch evacuated 4,000 soldiers and their families - a total of some 12,500 people - to The Netherlands.
Queen Máxima met with some survivors of the first generation of Moluccan immigrants, who at the time were housed in 'temporary' housing and camps all across the country. They faced many hardships, not in the least because of the Dutch climate, their supposedly temporary status, and in many cases lack of education or knowledge of Dutch. In 1965 a group of 80 families were housed in Alphen aan den Rijn, just outside of Leiden. It was their arrival fifty years ago the Queen marked.
© RB
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