Memorial Day

Like in previous years I payed my respects together with many others, the crowd increase over the years, on Memorial Day at the Indonesian W II monument in Den Haag. My belated aunt was a survivor of the Japanese camps, her mam and brother survived that too, not her father who was transported to the Birma railways for fored labour there.

The number of survivors demishes over the years now as many of them perished of old age, but their offspring commemorates them here and more and more feel the need to pay their respects at this memorial day when speakers present their thoughts over war and peace.

Dutch historian Geert mak was one of today's speakers and he mentionned the trunk in the attic with parafarnalia from his family's past in Indonesia and the scriblets on tiny pieces of papers from his siblings while captured in the Japanese camps. When visiting the War Child Museum in Sarajevo (realised in 2018 there with contributions of them who lived the Yugoslav war as children then) he found similar notes made; full of dreams and fears of the present. Little words and drawings that long for Peace and normality. He wished us to be vigilant as we live in dangerous times now. I thought his speech a welcome word from the heart and aneyeopener.