[JURIST] A lawyer for the Dutch government [official website] on Monday claimed the statute of limitations bars one survivor and nine widows of victims of a 1947 massacre in Indonesia [NRC Handelsblad backgrounder] from seeking compensation. Dutch soldiers allegedly executed more than 400 people in the village of Rawagedeh during the Indonesian War of Independence [GlobalSecurity backgrounder]. In a letter to the lawyer for the survivor and relatives, Liesbeth Zegveld [professional profile], the government lawyer said [AP report] the government was willing to meet with the group but that any claim would be barred. NRC Handelsblad has local coverage.

The village has claimed that soldiers shot 431 people as they ran away or hid in a river during the massacre, though a 1969 Dutch investigation found 150 people were killed. The government has expressed regret [RNW report] over the incident but stopped short of apologizing. Last month a Dutch parliamentary delegation visited the village [NRC Handelsblad report] to talk to survivors of the massacre.