Indian Monument

The Indian Monument is a monument in memory of all Dutch citizens and soldiers who became victims of the Japanese occupation (1941-1945) of the former Dutch East Indies during World War II. They died in the struggle, in the camps, or during forced labor.
It was designed by Jaroslawa Dankowa and is located in the Scheveningen Bosje. The monument consists of 17 bronze sculptures, a map of Indonesia, and the text “the spirit prevails”.

When Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu laid a wreath at the monument during a state visit on July 19, 1991, it was later thrown into the water by a protester from the Foundation for Japanese War Debts. Regarding this incident, Prime Minister Lubbers expressed his regrets to Kaifu, which led to additional anger among Indo-Dutch and other Dutch with a wartime background in the then-Indies.

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