fell during the Indonesian National Revolution. Memorial Day at the Indies Monument is August 15, the date of the Japanese surrender. Unlike May 5 (the date of the German capitulation), it is not a public holiday in the Netherlands. In the years following the transfer of sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to Indonesia (1949) the political climate in the Netherlands was marked by sensitivity in relation to Indonesia and a sense of shame about the Netherlands' colonial past. As a result it took a long time before there was any interest in the war victims of the former Dutch East Indies colony. Kaifu incident Three years after the monument was unveiled, Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu laid a decorative garland at the monument on July 19, 1991 during his state visit. Later that day, the wreath was thrown into the water by a Dutch Indo demonstrator. Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers expressed his regret about the incident to Kaifu, which led to further angry reactions from Indo survivors of the Japanese occupation. Anniversary To mark the 60th anniversary of the Japanese surrender on July 27, 2005 a smaller version of the monument was unveiled in Madurodam, a miniature park created in memory of the Antillian World War II hero George Maduro. Images See also World War II memorials and cemeteries in the Netherlands References Notes and citations External links Website ‘Stichting Herdenking 15 augustus 1945’ Website about national war monuments ‘Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei’ Official registration of the 2010 commemoration on national television. Retrieved 24 July 2011. Dutch East Indies Aftermath of World War II in the Netherlands Indo people World War II memorials in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in The Hague