1977 Dutch train hostage crisis
Encyclopedia
On May 23, 1977 a train hijacking took place close to Drentsche Aa
river bridge at de Punt (in the village of Glimmen
) on the provincial border between Groningen
and Drenthe
, northeastern Netherlands
. Nine armed Moluccans
pulled the emergency brake around 9 AM and took about 50 people as hostages. The hijacking lasted for 482 hours (20 days); two hostages and six hijackers were killed.
At the same time four other South-Moluccans took hostages at an elementary school in the village of Bovensmilde, also in Drenthe.
This was the second train hijacking in the Netherlands and, like the train hijacking in 1975 in Wijster, was perpetrated by Moluccans.
See Republik Maluku Selatan for more information about the RMS case.
; they took 105 children and 5 teachers hostage. With these combined actions the hijackers wanted to force the (recently resigned
) Dutch government to keep their promises about their RMS, break diplomatic ties with the Indonesian government and release 21 Moluccan prisoners involved in the hostage actions in 1975. An ultimatum was set for May 25 at 14:00 (2pm) with the hijackers threatening to blow up the train and the school. The hostages were forced to help blinding all the windows so for a long period nobody knew about what happened inside the train; it was only near the end of the hostage that electronic eavesdropping devices were installed by marines. About 2000 marines and soldiers were stationed both at the train and the school.
For the date of May 25, the elections for the Dutch parliament were planned. The leaders of the different parties agreed to cancel their election campaigns but the elections itself would take place on the planned date.
After the ultimatum expired, the hijackers announced new demands; They wanted an airplane from the airport of Schiphol and fly out with the 21 to be freed prisoners, the 5 teachers, and all hijackers. By means of electronic eavesdropping, minister of Justice van Agt
(under resignation
) knew that the hostages were not in danger, so the government let this second ultimatum pass as well.
, then president of the RMS, and Rev. Metiarij acted as negotiators during the crisis.
Because of some disease in the school (probably caused by the food distributed in the school), the hijackers decided to release the children, but keep the teachers. According to medical doctor Frans Tutuhatunewa
(later successor of RMS president), there was no health issue with the hostages in the train. Nevertheless the health conditions of these hostages were used as an argument for the later attack on the train.
jetplanes flew low over the train at 5:00 AM with the purpose of disorienting the hijackers and also make the hostages duck down to the floor of the train where they would be relatively safe. Then marines of the special anti-terrorist unit Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid (BBE)
started shooting at the train; an estimated 15000 bullets were shot at the train. The marines aimed at the first class and in-between compartments with the doors because they knew that these were the areas where the hijackers were hiding. One of the hostages killed was in such a compartment because she was allowed there by the hijackers before. Six hijackers were killed.
In 2007 there was a memorial service for the killed hijackers; the Moluccan community never offered any apologies, but two of the hijackers, motivated by a conversion to Christianity
, had a meeting with former victims in 2007.
Drentsche Aa
The Drentsche Aa is a river rising in the Dutch province of Drenthe, flowing through the province of Groningen. It ends in the Schipsloot near Haren, which flows into the Noord-Willemskanaal, however originally it ended into the Selwerderdiep...
river bridge at de Punt (in the village of Glimmen
Glimmen
Glimmen is a village that is part of the municipality of Haren, which lies in the province Groningen in the Netherlands. It is 10 kilometres to the city of Groningen and 5 kilometre to Haren. Glimmen has about 1700 inhabitants...
) on the provincial border between Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
and Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
, northeastern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Nine armed Moluccans
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
pulled the emergency brake around 9 AM and took about 50 people as hostages. The hijacking lasted for 482 hours (20 days); two hostages and six hijackers were killed.
At the same time four other South-Moluccans took hostages at an elementary school in the village of Bovensmilde, also in Drenthe.
This was the second train hijacking in the Netherlands and, like the train hijacking in 1975 in Wijster, was perpetrated by Moluccans.
Context
The South-Moluccans came to Holland for a temporary stay, promised by the Dutch government that they would get their own independent state, RMS. For about 25 years they lived in temporary camps, often in poor conditions. After these years the younger generation felt betrayed by the Dutch government for not giving them their independent state and they started radical actions to get attention to their case.See Republik Maluku Selatan for more information about the RMS case.
Developments
At the same time 4 other South-Moluccans started taking hostages at a primary school in the village of BovensmildeBovensmilde
Bovensmilde is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 6 km southwest of Assen.In 2001, the town of Bovensmilde had 2,873 inhabitants...
; they took 105 children and 5 teachers hostage. With these combined actions the hijackers wanted to force the (recently resigned
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
) Dutch government to keep their promises about their RMS, break diplomatic ties with the Indonesian government and release 21 Moluccan prisoners involved in the hostage actions in 1975. An ultimatum was set for May 25 at 14:00 (2pm) with the hijackers threatening to blow up the train and the school. The hostages were forced to help blinding all the windows so for a long period nobody knew about what happened inside the train; it was only near the end of the hostage that electronic eavesdropping devices were installed by marines. About 2000 marines and soldiers were stationed both at the train and the school.
For the date of May 25, the elections for the Dutch parliament were planned. The leaders of the different parties agreed to cancel their election campaigns but the elections itself would take place on the planned date.
After the ultimatum expired, the hijackers announced new demands; They wanted an airplane from the airport of Schiphol and fly out with the 21 to be freed prisoners, the 5 teachers, and all hijackers. By means of electronic eavesdropping, minister of Justice van Agt
Dries van Agt
Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from December 19, 1977, until November 4, 1982....
(under resignation
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
) knew that the hostages were not in danger, so the government let this second ultimatum pass as well.
- May 23 9:00AM: Start of the hijack
- May 24 : The national broadcast NOS reads the letter with demands
- May 25 : Elections for national parliament, ultimatum expires without anything happening
- May 26 : A handcuffed hostage is taken outside the train and then taken aboard again
- May 28 : Hostages clean up the train, 60 activists offer themselves as alternative hostages
- May 29 : Negotiations about releasing a pregnant woman are cut off
- May 30 : Second week of crisis
- May 31 : For the first time the hijackers ask for a negotiator
- June 1 : The hijackers ask for an ambulance but later retract the request
- June 4 : 2 negotiators talk for hours with the hijackers
- June 5 : 2 pregnant women, including Annie Brouwer (later mayor of UtrechtUtrecht (city)Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
), are allowed to leave the train - June 8 : An ill passenger is released
- June 9 : 2 negotiators talk again to the hijackers for hours
- June 11 5:00AM: In the morning the crisis is ended after 482 hours
Negotiators
Engineer J.A. ManusamaJohan Manusama
Doctor Johannes Alvarez Manusama , a former schoolteacher and freemason, RMS Minister of Education and Minister of Defense , was the third president of the Republic of South Moluccas . His father was South Moluccan, while his mother was Indo Eurasian...
, then president of the RMS, and Rev. Metiarij acted as negotiators during the crisis.
Because of some disease in the school (probably caused by the food distributed in the school), the hijackers decided to release the children, but keep the teachers. According to medical doctor Frans Tutuhatunewa
Frans Tutuhatunewa
Frans Lodewijk Johannis Tutuhatunewa is the second president in exile of the Republic of the South Moluccas. He was preceded by Johan Manusama and succeeded by John Wattilete in 2010.-References:...
(later successor of RMS president), there was no health issue with the hostages in the train. Nevertheless the health conditions of these hostages were used as an argument for the later attack on the train.
The attack
On June 11, 1977, a Saturday morning and almost three weeks after the start of the hijacking, six F-104 StarfighterF-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
jetplanes flew low over the train at 5:00 AM with the purpose of disorienting the hijackers and also make the hostages duck down to the floor of the train where they would be relatively safe. Then marines of the special anti-terrorist unit Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid (BBE)
Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid
The Unit Interventie Mariniers , formerly known as the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid , is an elite Dutch special forces unit, which is specially trained for intervention missions...
started shooting at the train; an estimated 15000 bullets were shot at the train. The marines aimed at the first class and in-between compartments with the doors because they knew that these were the areas where the hijackers were hiding. One of the hostages killed was in such a compartment because she was allowed there by the hijackers before. Six hijackers were killed.
Aftermath
Three hijackers survived and were later convicted to sentences from six to nine years.In 2007 there was a memorial service for the killed hijackers; the Moluccan community never offered any apologies, but two of the hijackers, motivated by a conversion to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, had a meeting with former victims in 2007.
See also
- Attempt at kidnapping Juliana of the NetherlandsAttempt at kidnapping Juliana of the NetherlandsIn Spring 1975 some Moluccans attempted to kidnap Juliana, queen of the Netherlands.On March 3 that year two South-Moluccan youngsters were stopped by the police and found carrying weapons and ammunition in their car. Their plan was to rent a heavy truck and crash into the gate of the Soestdijk...
- Train hostage Wijster 1975
- Indonesian consulate hostage 1975
- School hostage in Bovensmilde 1977
- Province Hall hostage Assen 1978
- Bijzondere Bijstands EenheidBijzondere Bijstands EenheidThe Unit Interventie Mariniers , formerly known as the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid , is an elite Dutch special forces unit, which is specially trained for intervention missions...
- List of hostage crises
External links
- Article from 1977 in Time magazine
- Article in BBC "on this day" Dutch Polygoon newsreel images from 1977 Dutch Polygoon newsreel images of the military action from 1977 Images from the armoured car unit involved in the action Images in the Dutch National Archive
- South Moluccan Suicide Commando in MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base