Poncke Princen Papers (1925-2002)

Period 1940-2002 (-2003)
Total size   5.35 m.
Consultation Not restricted

Biography

Full name: Johannes Cornelis Princen (Jan, although better known as Poncke); born in The Hague, the Netherlands 1925, died Jakarta 2002; educated at the Roman Catholic preparatory seminary in Weert 1939-1943; caught by the Germans when he attempted to escape his occupied country 1943; joined the Dutch shock troops immediately after the liberation in 1944; sent to Indonesia as a conscript, where the Dutch tried to restore their colonial rule 1946; deserted to the Indonesian army 1948; worked at the Indonesian Immigration Office 1950-1953; member of the Indonesian national parliament 1956; arrested and imprisoned twice because of his critical attitude towards the Sukarno government 1957-1958, 1962-1966; director of the Lembaga Pembela Hak-Hak Azasi Manusia (LPHAM), (Indonesian Institute for the Defence of Human Rights) in Jakarta from 1966; correspondent for Dutch media 1966-1970; after anti-Japanese demonstrations (the Malari Affair) again arrested and imprisoned 1974-1976; after his release, involved in the defence of opponents to the Suharto regime and in the support of the people of Aceh and East Timor.

Content

Correspondence with Kees Princen 1989-1996 and other family members 1944-1973; diary 1947; personal documents 1961, 1963, 1990s; letters and other documents on his 70th birthday 1995; biographical documents, including reports and notes 1987-1992; files on his support of the opposition in East Timor 1982-1993; on the activities of the LPHAM 1987-1990; on his trade union activities, including correspondence with the ILO 1990-1995; on politics and political parties in Indonesia 1991-1996 and files concerning Indonesian political prisoners and ex-tapols 1993; on the death of Poncke Princen 2002.

Processing information

Inventory by Tiny de Boer in 2009.