The Netherlands is commemorating the Second World War victims in the former Dutch East Indies in various ceremonies across the Netherlands today. A few hundred people attended ceremonies in Amsterdam and Rotterdam this morning. The national commemoration is happening in The Hague this evening. Prime Minister Mark Rutte will attend that ceremony.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema will not deliver her speech on the Dam in Amsterdam on August 15 for the National Indies Remembrance as was initially planned. In a statement released on Instagram on Tuesday, she expressed her disagreement with the decision to invite the daughter of Dutch military officer Raymond Westerling as a guest speaker, leading to her withdrawal.