Brutal Green Beret Action
Feared by Indonesian fighters, the Special Forces Corps (KST) spread death everywhere. The incident continued to haunt Soegih Arto's life. In a clash with the Dutch Special Forces Corps (KST) at Gunung Halu, West Bandung in 1948, his forces were forced. They then retreated to a hilly area.
"We then stayed and hid there," said the former Battalion Commander 22 Djaja Pangrerot.
Feeling lost track, the Green Beret unit then vents its anger on the residents on the hillside. In addition to brutal torture, they also raped young women in the village.
"It still feels clear screams from women who were raped," said Soegih Arto in his biography, I wrote you read: Testimony of Lieutenant General (Ret) Soegih Arto.
Soegih Arto himself claimed he could not do anything. In addition to having fewer troops and losing weapons, he is also more concerned about the safety of hundreds of other villagers (including children and parents) who are being held captive by KST soldiers.
Previously, in 1947, KST (which at that time was still called Depot Speciale Troepen) had also carried out a brutal practice in Wajo, South Sulawesi. After finishing off a unit of the Republic of Indonesia Army (TRI) troops from the Battalion I Regiment III Hasanuddin Division, they then arrested a number of soldiers including his battalion commander: Captain Andi Abubakar who was injured.
Instead of treating the leader of the enemy forces, the DST soldiers cut off the head of Captain Andi and took him to the Enrengkang Market.
"They showed the head of Captain Andi in the middle of the market to weaken the spirit of the struggle of local youth," said Maulwi Saelan, a former South Sulawesi fighter.
Consisting of selected soldiers from various ethnicities (Dutch, Moluccas, Minahasa, Sundanese, Madurese, and Javanese), the troops whose characteristics are green berets (commanders) and red berets (cross air) are known to be ferocious in their actions. With cold, they can kill anyone who is considered the main enemy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Lieutenant J.H.C. Ulrici, one of the KST officers from Eric Company, said that it was an impossibility for his unit to keep prisoners after completing a military operation. They seek and destroy system really applies consistently.
"We hunt for the enemy, specifically to kill," Ulrici said in the August 1965 edition of Haagse Post.
Some Dutch history researchers refer to KST as the Dutch military unit that most committed violations of human rights while in Indonesia, compared to other Dutch military units.
"Yes, we cannot deny that fact: every time they are in a certain place there will always be bad events there," said Remco Raben, a historical researcher from the Netherlands.
A similar opinion was made by historian Gert Oostindie. Even Oostindie believes that everything KST does is certainly inseparable from the figure of Captain R.P.P. Westerling.
"He is always proud of the killings he committed," he told Historia
Westerling's justification was not based solely on the effectiveness and proportionality he had assumed as the commander of the special forces. All these brutal practices actually occur in response to acts of violence outside the bounds committed by the enemy. A kind of shock therapy.
"I killed all the killers who have committed atrocities and of course I will never kill innocent people," Westerling said, quoted by Oostindie in his book Dutch Soldiers in Indonesia 1945-1950, Testimony of the War on the Wrong Side of History.
Westerling's opinion seemed to have become a provision agreed upon by all KST members. Lieutenant Ulrici for example. He called the KST actions a natural thing in a war situation.
"I think we are quite logical. Suppose you find someone who killed your friend by cutting off his genitals and then inserting it into the mouth of your friend's body, would you invite him to drink espresso coffee? Of course not!" said Ulrici in the August 16, 1995, De Groene Amsterdammer edition.
In fact, KST did become a frightening monster for the people of Indonesia during the War of Independence (1945-1949). In addition to South Sulawesi, KST is considered to be responsible for a number of massacres in various places. Dutch historian Anna Lodt mentioned that hundreds (some say thousands) of KST lives were lost in Rengat, Riau, on January 5, 1949.
Indonesian historical sources also recorded a number of atrocities committed by KST. In the General notes (Ret) A.H. Nasution, in early 1948, they had killed around 150 Indonesians in Tasikmalaya.
"That was also added to by hundreds of other victims who fell in Karawang and Cirebon," Nasution wrote in Around the Indonesian War of Independence Volume VII.
On the border of Ciamis and Tasikmalaya, on April 13 and 16, 1948, for no apparent reason, KST soldiers killed around 10 civilians and left their bodies lying in the middle of the road. According to historian Batara Hutagalung, the incident had become a scandal because it was exposed by Major R.F. Schill
Battalion Commander 1-11-RI who was already fed up with the behavior of KST soldiers then complained about the incident to his boss, Colonel M.H.P.J. Paulissen. It is not clear how the outcome of the complaint will be. What was clear in November 1948, Captain Westerling was dismissed from his position as KST commander. In his place, the KNIL Commander General S.H. Spoor then appointed Lieutenant Colonel W.C.A. van Beek.
Feeling lost track, the Green Beret unit then vents its anger on the residents on the hillside. In addition to brutal torture, they also raped young women in the village.
"It still feels clear screams from women who were raped," said Soegih Arto in his biography, I wrote you read: Testimony of Lieutenant General (Ret) Soegih Arto.
Soegih Arto himself claimed he could not do anything. In addition to having fewer troops and losing weapons, he is also more concerned about the safety of hundreds of other villagers (including children and parents) who are being held captive by KST soldiers.
Previously, in 1947, KST (which at that time was still called Depot Speciale Troepen) had also carried out a brutal practice in Wajo, South Sulawesi. After finishing off a unit of the Republic of Indonesia Army (TRI) troops from the Battalion I Regiment III Hasanuddin Division, they then arrested a number of soldiers including his battalion commander: Captain Andi Abubakar who was injured.
Instead of treating the leader of the enemy forces, the DST soldiers cut off the head of Captain Andi and took him to the Enrengkang Market.
"They showed the head of Captain Andi in the middle of the market to weaken the spirit of the struggle of local youth," said Maulwi Saelan, a former South Sulawesi fighter.
Consisting of selected soldiers from various ethnicities (Dutch, Moluccas, Minahasa, Sundanese, Madurese, and Javanese), the troops whose characteristics are green berets (commanders) and red berets (cross air) are known to be ferocious in their actions. With cold, they can kill anyone who is considered the main enemy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Lieutenant J.H.C. Ulrici, one of the KST officers from Eric Company, said that it was an impossibility for his unit to keep prisoners after completing a military operation. They seek and destroy system really applies consistently.
"We hunt for the enemy, specifically to kill," Ulrici said in the August 1965 edition of Haagse Post.
Some Dutch history researchers refer to KST as the Dutch military unit that most committed violations of human rights while in Indonesia, compared to other Dutch military units.
"Yes, we cannot deny that fact: every time they are in a certain place there will always be bad events there," said Remco Raben, a historical researcher from the Netherlands.
A similar opinion was made by historian Gert Oostindie. Even Oostindie believes that everything KST does is certainly inseparable from the figure of Captain R.P.P. Westerling.
"He is always proud of the killings he committed," he told Historia
Westerling's justification was not based solely on the effectiveness and proportionality he had assumed as the commander of the special forces. All these brutal practices actually occur in response to acts of violence outside the bounds committed by the enemy. A kind of shock therapy.
"I killed all the killers who have committed atrocities and of course I will never kill innocent people," Westerling said, quoted by Oostindie in his book Dutch Soldiers in Indonesia 1945-1950, Testimony of the War on the Wrong Side of History.
Westerling's opinion seemed to have become a provision agreed upon by all KST members. Lieutenant Ulrici for example. He called the KST actions a natural thing in a war situation.
"I think we are quite logical. Suppose you find someone who killed your friend by cutting off his genitals and then inserting it into the mouth of your friend's body, would you invite him to drink espresso coffee? Of course not!" said Ulrici in the August 16, 1995, De Groene Amsterdammer edition.
In fact, KST did become a frightening monster for the people of Indonesia during the War of Independence (1945-1949). In addition to South Sulawesi, KST is considered to be responsible for a number of massacres in various places. Dutch historian Anna Lodt mentioned that hundreds (some say thousands) of KST lives were lost in Rengat, Riau, on January 5, 1949.
Indonesian historical sources also recorded a number of atrocities committed by KST. In the General notes (Ret) A.H. Nasution, in early 1948, they had killed around 150 Indonesians in Tasikmalaya.
"That was also added to by hundreds of other victims who fell in Karawang and Cirebon," Nasution wrote in Around the Indonesian War of Independence Volume VII.
On the border of Ciamis and Tasikmalaya, on April 13 and 16, 1948, for no apparent reason, KST soldiers killed around 10 civilians and left their bodies lying in the middle of the road. According to historian Batara Hutagalung, the incident had become a scandal because it was exposed by Major R.F. Schill
Battalion Commander 1-11-RI who was already fed up with the behavior of KST soldiers then complained about the incident to his boss, Colonel M.H.P.J. Paulissen. It is not clear how the outcome of the complaint will be. What was clear in November 1948, Captain Westerling was dismissed from his position as KST commander. In his place, the KNIL Commander General S.H. Spoor then appointed Lieutenant Colonel W.C.A. van Beek.
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