Next week, Eindhoven will be the place where the regional Indies commemoration will be held for the first time. This will take place at the memorial site on the grounds of Vitalis in Woensel.
At the Peppelrode location of Vitalis on the Theodor Fliednerstraat is the Indies and Moluccan Memorial. It was placed in 2021 for Indisch and Moluccan parents, who left Indonesia for the Netherlands with their families at the end of the Second World War. With the monument, the children of that time want to thank their parents for their efforts and sacrifices.
Relocation
The memorial will now also be the location for the regional Indies commemoration. This takes place every year on 15 August. In recent years this was in Geldrop, but that has now been adjusted. The reason for the move is that the people involved and the families of the victims mainly live in Eindhoven and not in Geldrop-Mierlo.
During the Indië Remembrance, relatives and those involved reflect on the end of the Second World War in East Asia and all victims from the period 1942-1949 are remembered. Mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem lays a wreath. People who have their roots in the former Dutch East Indies also tell their story during the ceremony. The musical part is provided by the Philips Harmonie.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
Note, added by Greta: after the independence of Indonesia from its former coloniser The Netherlands, three groups of people came (back): Dutch people who had owned or managed possessions in Indonesia, Eurasians, and personnel from the Moluccans who had been in Dutch military service.
When older Dutch generations use the word Indië, they refer to Indonesia, not India.
