THE NOURA VAN KEMMERS

The Prisoner Camp

Where are they taking us? only the raucous cries and sobs of the women and children broke the horror of the night.

Where are Mama and Magda? Wasn't Mama and Magda behind us? Lord, protect Mama and Magda. I don't know who and where they came from?

Resignedly. That's all we can do. We continued to walk under their command. Blows, grunts and swearing continue to rain down on us. Oh God, where are their consciences. They herded us like cattle. Some even put a rope to the neck to one of the residents. We finally arrived at the station.

We were forced to climb into one of the carriages heading towards Bogor. Full jostling. I almost fainted because I couldn't breathe. All I can do is lean on Papa's arm. I've really stepped up to the situation. Eventually the train stopped in the Bogor area.

We continued to be led until we entered an old building. From the talk I heard from the conversation of the two young men next to me, that the women and children were taken to Gemeentee Bestur.

"Please....Please don't torture us!" pinta is a middle-aged man. The man was Mr. Grant, an indo man of mixed Ambon and Dutch blood. He just moved into the neighborhood around our house. Worked on one of Mr. Cornelis' estates.

Bru!!! the loud voice sounded so loud. Something hit Mr. Grant's head. Fresh blood flows from the middle of the head to the temples. Mr. Grant fell down.

The scene grew even more terrifying as those people increasingly blindly tortured and beat us.

"Stop!!!!!" suddenly Jacobus shouted out loudly. Papa chuckled shut Jacobus' mouth to protect the young lascars from approaching us.

What happened next was really scary. A thin young man with a sharp gaze approached Jacobus and read out his head. Fresh blood poured down the side of his head on the left.

"Enough is....Please don't torture my son!" papa Pinta. And the bloody action is getting brutal. Almost everyone who is taken prisoner gets a stab in the head.

Oh my God, protect us! that's all I can say in my heart.

We've been locked up here for days. Holding back thirst and hunger. Some people are lying. There are those who endure pain there are also those who have met death. Blood kept pouring from Jacobus' head. Papa covered the cut on his head with a napkin so as not to keep coming out. I don't know where Papa got the cloth. Aah I just remembered, when those people came and banged on our house, we were having dinner and Papa was holding a napkin. And the napkin continued to carry it and was involuntarily put in his pants pocket.

A few months later, help arrived... When we were completely resigned, a group of white soldiers came to our rescue. Starting from their talk with a group of young men and then we were released. Lately I found out they were NICA soldiers.

Yes, the NICA soldiers came and freed us. We were transported and taken back to Depok. My mind goes back to Mama and Magda? How are they doing?

Arriving at Depok. The mood is still gripping. The houses and churches were ravaged. Some residents in our neighborhood died in terrible conditions. We got back together at the church before returning to our homes.

That's where we finally get to meet Mama and Magda again, after months. We are so grateful that God is still protecting our family. We all hugged while crying. Magda looked very thin and weak. So did Mama. Fortunately, there were medical personnel who were quick to help them and provide treatment.they suffered from dehydration and severe hunger. The same condition is also experienced by most of the citizens who are held captive. In the captive camp, they only get food and drink that is far from decent.

Reading Rueben's diary makes me feel like I'm back in time. My mind was filled with images of the dark events that the ancestors of Jordan experienced.

"Why Bang? How do you dream?" jordan asked me.

"No. Just feeling swept up in the story about your ancestral family. I imagine when that happened. Must be terrible!" I stared again at the very old but still legible sheet of notes once again.

"remarkable. Fantastic records like this are still kept very neat. It's amazingly expensive," again I express your admiration."

"The note was taken from Opa Rueben's diary. And then it was smoothed by Opa Jacobus. It could be said that Opa Jacobus posted the records."

"Why didn't Opa Rueben himself book it?" tanyaku is stale.

"Because Opa Rueben was already seventeen years later from that event. Less than 1962. He died at a young age. About 32 years. As a result of lymph cancer," Jordan explains.

"Opa Rueben is also a journalist like Papa. Maybe that's where Papa's journalist blood came from. The only one down the trail of being a journalist in our extended family is only Papa. Eeh, no! my cousin Dave also has a great interest in writing and photography."

For the umpteenth time I was amazed. So neat is the storage of these archives and documentation. Instantly there was a strong desire to explore further about the ancestral family of Jordan Winhern.

"May I see pictures of your ancestral family?"

Seriate.

Remarks :

NICA or abbreviation of the Netherland Indies Civil Administration prepared to take control of the Dutch East Indies again if Japan surrendered.

The NICA was the body that served as the liaison between the Dutch Colonial Government in exile and the Allied Supreme Command in the Pacific.

Later, H.J. Van Mook of the Dutch government and Commander-in-Chief of the allied forces in World War 2 General Douglas MacArthur of the United States army, agreed that if later the Dutch East Indies successfully captured by allied forces, the Dutch East Indies, then the Dutch East Indies will be handed over to the civilian government of NICA.