Komitee Indonesië was one of many solidarity groups which emerged in the Netherlands between the 1960s and the 1980s to support people’s struggles in the Global South. Among other things, Komitee Indonesië reported on the mass atrocities that were committed against leftist activists in 1965/1966; opposed Dutch arms trade with Indonesia and development aid to the Soeharto regime; campaigned against the military occupation of East Timor and supported its people’s fight for independence.

The panel will begin with a rough-cut screening of a documentary that Watch65 is currently producing on Komitee Indonesië. There will be a discussion of the group’s endeavors, its impact, as well as its embeddedness in a particular historical era. Together with audience members, we will jointly think about contemporary solidarity and the challenges for decolonizing movements in current times.  

Three former coordinators of the Komitee Indonesië—Welmoed Koekebakker, Yvette Lawson, and Fridus Steijlen (emeritus professor of postcolonial migration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)—will reunite for this occasion to reflect on their time with the solidarity group and compare notes on its struggles and accomplishments. Also joining the panel are Gde Arka and Jarna Mansur, Indonesian exiles who volunteered for Komitee Indonesië. Prof. Ward J. Berenschot will moderate.