Ego documents such as the diaries of Dutch soldiers give a unique glimpse of individual experiences during the war in Indonesia. Many diaries are primarily a record of everyday routine but sometimes the reader chances upon a witness account noted down in passing of a skirmish or even war crimes. It is known that Indonesian prisoners of war were regularly shot and killed, whereby it was reported afterwards that the prisoner in question had ‘tried to escape’. This passage in pink ink is a witness account of this practice. It reports on the events in deadpan language (for example, the text in the margin says “Brains lay in newspaper on street”). The text notes that a prisoner who had “murdered Dutchmen” was shot down. The final sentence says “He made a ‘so-called’ escape attempt”, with the quotes around the word ‘so-called’ functioning as a disclaimer. The implication is that the prisoner did not attempt to escape at all but was simply executed.
Diary of the soldier Verbeten, first company VII Reg. storm troops, army postal service office. One item. Batavia, 1946. Or. 27.014-1.