Melynda Dwi Puspita, Andika Dwi, Jakarta – Indonesia officially declared its independence on August 17, 1945.

Senay Boztas, Amsterdam – Its political centre, The Hague, may call itself "the city of peace and justice".

Jakarta – The Netherlands now accepts that Indonesia, its former colony, gained independence on Aug. 17, 1945, and not Dec. 30, 1949, as it had insisted for the past 74 years.

Jakarta – Indonesia was once honored by the visit of a political figure and fighter of the June 1959 Cuban revolution.

Jayapura, Jubi – Armed only with martelu (hammers), betel (stone pries), and hacksaws, old time Papuans in the 1980s and 1990s dismantled bombs from World War II.

Budiman Minasny, Sydney, Australia – The anti-racism protest that started in the US has spread to Europe and the world.

Jakarta – "Sorry" is the hardest word for the Netherlands to say. It is so hard that it has taken the country more than two centuries to apologize for its role in the slave trade.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The time was nigh for Indonesia to embark on a candid discourse about its role in enabling slavery during the colonial era, experts said following Netherlands

Roel Frakking and Anne van Mourik – The Dutch continue to widely underestimate their colonial violence of the past.

Nivell Rayda, Karawang, Indonesia – Mdm Ami was only five years old at the time, but she remembered the day her father died on Dec 9, 1947.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has rightly refrained from giving an immediate response to the statement of apology from Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the "extreme violen

Susie Protschky – The Dutch government formally apologised last week for its role in "systematic and extreme violence" during Indonesia's fight for independence from Dutch colonial rule

Sebastian Strangio – The prime minister of the Netherlands has apologized to Indonesia for the "excessive violence" employed by the Dutch empire during the reconquest of its former Dutc

Mike Corder – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday apologised to Indonesia after a study found that the Netherlands' army used "extreme violence" on civilians during Indonesia's

Jan Hennop, Amsterdam, The Netherlands – The Netherlands prime minister apologised to Indonesia on Thursday after a study found that the Dutch army used "systematic and extreme violence

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – A major historical review has found that the Dutch military engaged in "systematic and widespread use of extreme violence" during Indonesia's 1945-1949 stru

Oliver Crawford – The Indonesian Marxist and anti-colonial revolutionary Tan Malaka (1894-1949) exists in two forms, real and fictional.

Budiman Minasny – The anti-racism protest that started in the US has spread to Europe and the world.

Zowi Milanovi – The Dutch King has apologised for violence committed by the Netherlands during Indonesia's independence struggle.

Jakarta – Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologized on Tuesday for the "excessive violence" inflicted on Indonesia during his country's colonial rule, the monarchy's first such admission

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Sitting in a white plastic chair in his home, Mr Soewarso Warsosoewito tried to remember what exactly he did when he fought against the Japanese in 1945.

Emma Wynne – A small collection of objects in the Western Australian Museum honours the extraordinary story of the Timorese boys who risked their lives to help Australian commandos during World War

Heather Merle Benbow – Australian soldiers have long relied on an East Timorese hospitality epitomised by its coffee.

Ajay Kamalakaran – The USSR supported the anti-colonial movement across Asia, and was drawn to Sukarno's quest to liberate the entire East Indies from Dutch rule.

Connie Levett – It was a throwaway line from old Uncle Gordon: "We had a lot of 'Javos' in Wallangarra during the war."

Slamet Susanto, Gunungkidul – For Karso Suwito, Independence Day is always a time of great pride, as well as pain, as he inevitably recalls his past.

James Wong Wing On – Indonesia, Malaysia's giant neighbour to the south, is more than a frequent source of haze, illegal migrants, maids and terrorists.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – The Portuguese colonialists who ruled East Timor for more than 400 years are fondly remembered for introducing Timorese to the art of the siesta.

Paul Lashmar and Jamese Oliver – In autumn 1965, Norman Reddaway, a lean and erudite rising star of the Foreign Office, was briefed for a special mission.

What is described as a "process of decolonization" by Portugal is in fact a record of failure and ineptitude.