March 2014 SelectedAanspraak articles in English translation Afdeling Verzetsdeelnemers en Oorlogsgetroffenen ‘Remembrance must not take over your life’ Jan Zweens tells of his experiences as a child in the Japanese internment camps Contents The page numbers refer to the original Dutch edition Page 3 Speaking for your benefit Page 4-7 ‘Freedom can never be taken for granted’ Martin van Rijn, State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) talks on the subject of care for former members of the resistance and victims of war Page 8-12 ‘Remembrance must not take over your life’ Jan Zweens tells of his experiences as a child in the Japanese internment camps Page 13 Applying for a reassessment of your periodic benefit or extraordinary pension Aanspraak - Maart 2014 - 2 Contents The page numbers refer to the original Dutch edition Page 14-18 How my father’s war became my war Page 22 Questions and Answers No rights may be derived from this text. Translation: SVB, Amstelveen. Aanspraak - Maart 2014 - 3 Speaking for your benefit It is my sad duty to inform you that General (Ret.) It was his knowledge of the resistance in the East Govert Huijser, former chair of the Pension and Indies that led him to join the Extraordinary Pension Benefit Board, passed away on Sunday 5 January Board in 1986. In 1989 he was authorized by the 2014. He was, for many years, the personification of minister to make the necessary preparations for the Board, and a champion of the interests of all its setting up the Pension and Benefit Board (PUR). clients. As my predecessor, he was a great example to me personally, and that is why I would like to take His particular form of energetic and decisive the time here to reflect on how important he has optimism won him many supporters. During the been for all of us. 20 years of his inspiring leadership, from 1990 to 2011, the PUR grew to become the organization As a result of what he himself went through during for former members of the resistance and victims the war, Govert Huijser always had a close affinity of war in the Netherlands. An exceptional with our client groups. He understood them not achievement, for which we owe him a great debt. only with his head, but also with his heart. Born in Surabaya in 1931, Govert was 11 when the war Filled with admiration and gratitude for all he broke out in what was then the Dutch East Indies. accomplished on behalf of former members of The years he spent in a boy’s camp were extremely the resistance and victims of the Second World hard, and to lose his mother there as well was War, we remember him now with respect. simply unbearable. Selamat Jalan, farewell Govert Huijser. In one of his poems on this subject, he asked himself the question ‘Will I ever be able to stop hating?’ But he was the sort of person who was capable of converting hatred into a positive force, and of acting in the interests of those who survived, Hans Dresden in a spirit of remembrance and reconciliation. Chair of the Pension and Benefit Board That is what I so greatly admire in him. (Pensioen- en Uitkeringsraad) Aanspraak - Maart 2014 - 4 ‘Freedom can never be taken for granted’ Martin van Rijn, State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) talks on the subject of care for former members of the resistance and victims of war On 5 November 2012, Martin van Rijn (PvdA) was had rebelled. During the ceremony, Jules Schelvis appointed Secretary of State for Health, Welfare received an award from the Polish government for and Sport (VWS) in the Rutte-Asscher cabinet. the many years he has spent informing people about As such, he is responsible for the care for former the war, and his commitment to the commemoration members of the resistance and victims of war. of the victims of Sobibor. He told us that none of the prisoners had any idea at the time about what How do you see this particular responsibility? was waiting for them at the end of their long train Martin van Rijn: “Personally, I feel that it is an honour journey. He thought he was going there to work and and a great responsibility to work for this special even took his guitar with him so he could play for the target group. The schemes for former members of others. But as soon as he arrived he was separated the resistance and victims of war grew out of the from his fiancée and his parents-in-law, who were idea of special solidarity and a debt of honour, and immediately sent to the gas chambers. By pure the need to ensure that this never happens again chance, Schelvis was assigned on arrival to a work and that it is remembered and commemorated. And team for another camp and eventually managed there is also the question of how to convey the past to survive the horror.” to future generations.” What were your impressions of the Are you personally involved in some way with commemorations you have attended so far? members of the resistance and victims of war? “Every commemoration is valuable in its own way, “I am too young to have experienced the war at but there are three I’d particularly like to mention. first-hand, but I have been closely involved with First, the commemoration ceremony at the National victims of the Second World War through my Monument in Dam Square, at which so many Dutch immediate family. My mother-in-law was a prisoner at citizens are still willing to observe a two-minute a number of camps in Java. Every so often, she takes silence. This commemoration keeps our memory the whole family, all her children and grandchildren, as a nation alive. to Bronbeek. For example, we all went together to the Women’s Internment Camps Commemoration The commemoration at Sobibor was different on 25 August. Every time you hear people’s stories in character. It still touches me deeply that I was at these events, you realise how little we know allowed to take part in it. People from many about this part of our history. different backgrounds stood together in silence and remembered all those who had been killed. I visit a lot of people in the course of my work, and The ceremony included the unveiling of a new I attend many commemorations. On 14 October commemoration centre on the ground where the 2013, I attended a commemoration ceremony at the camp had stood. The centre is being built with the former Nazi death camp at Sobibor in what was then financial assistance of the Dutch government, and occupied Poland, together with a Dutch survivor of in cooperation with Poland, Israel and Slovakia. the camp, Jules Schelvis. It was on that day, seventy It will stand as a permanent tribute to each person years earlier, that a group of prisoners in the camp who was murdered there. Aanspraak - Maart 2014 - 5 On 15 August I went to the East Indies and Benefit Board (PUR) and the Client Council. Commemoration ceremony with my mother-in-law. What were your impressions? Diederik van Vleuten gave a speech there, and my “It is extraordinary to see how much attention is mother-in-law identified with his story completely. given in these benefit schemes to clients’ personal She said, “It’s just like hearing my father talk!” stories. Many of the staff are specialists in this field Especially as it was hardly ever mentioned. “You and they work together with the Pension and Benefit didn’t want to burden your children with it, but there Board, the Client Council and their own verification was no one else you could talk to.” My mother-in-law officers to ensure that their client group is treated never used to mention it either. But more recently, with the utmost care. I could see that the emotions she wrote her story down and my children, her felt by the resistance members and victims of war grandchildren, are very interested in reading it. in the Pension and Benefit Board and the Client It’s only then that the stories start to surface and Council were still very strong under the surface. you can talk to each other about them.” I think it must be a difficult task to take decisions that affect this group of people. But the staff are Is your policy with regard to the schemes for very knowledgeable and they deal with people former resistance members and victims of war and their personal details with the utmost care.” different from that of your predecessors? “I think we’ve managed to achieve something Do you expect there to be any changes to the important in the Netherlands by having such schemes for former resistance members and victims arrangements for special groups of people like of war? these. I think it’s wonderful that when we devised the No, we are doing our best to maintain the current schemes, we asked former resistance members and legal and regulatory agreements in this area, but victims of war themselves to give us their opinions sometimes a change occurs as the result of a court and advice. I see the same level of involvement ruling. In 2013, a judgment by the Central Appeals among their representatives today when it comes Tribunal led to an amendment of the Benefit Act to the application and implementation of the for Victims of Persecution 1940-1945 (Wuv scheme) schemes.