Netherlands marks WWII end and Dutch East Indies victims on August 15

On 15 August, the Netherlands observed its National Remembrance Day, marking the end of World War II for the kingdom and honouring victims of the war in former Dutch East Indonesia. In The Hague, a full‑day programme centred on the Indisch Monument at Teldersweg featured music, workshops, documentary screenings and personal‑story sessions, including a lecture by Maddy Stolk and a batik workshop.

In Kaatsheuvel, a separate ceremony at the Indiëmonument on Anton Pieckplein involved municipal mayor Loes Heijs, speakers such as Peter Flohr and Judy Timmermans‑Scholte, who recounted her father’s survival of the Nagasaki atomic bombing. The event concluded with a wreath‑laying, flag‑raising and a communal singing of the "Wilhelmus".

Both gatherings aimed to keep the memory of the war and its aftermath alive through talks, artistic displays and community meals.