After several defeats early on by the better equipped Dutch army, Indonesian army commanders increasingly resorted to guerrilla tactics. This strategy made it impossible to distinguish between Indonesian soldiers and the local people. As a result, the Dutch military became increasingly distrustful of Indonesian civilians. From their point of view, someone could be a villager one moment and an enemy soldier the next. That attitude can be seen in this photo where Dutch troops frisk Indonesian youngsters.
The Dutch army considered almost all Indonesians suspects. This was one of the many reasons why the Dutch forces in Indonesia became embroiled in a situation where the violence spiralled out of control. The dynamics were a breeding ground for acts of extreme violence: in such a tense environment many Dutch soldiers took the attitude of ‘better safe than sorry’.
Dutch soldiers frisking Indonesian men. Batavia, October 1945. Photograph taken by Netherlands Indies Government Information Service (NIGIS). Or. 27.969, File Number 42, page 26.