The news about the war in the Netherlands was available to us until the arrival of the Japanese, who put an end to these reports. Even though the war was designed in a clever manner, it was difficult for the Japanese to notice who the enemy was. Officially, the enemies were whites of Western descent. But how white should this enemy actually be? He fabricated a solution: they had to choose either the Nippon or the Queen! The ones that chose the Queen awaited a poor faith. In the camp Glodok, inter alia, they suffered a great deal, with death as a consequence.
Father had to register himself and was imprisoned in an internment camp for men. Mother, with her five girls, stayed behind by herself on the undertaking. We slept in one room, while men from the campong guarded us after hearing alarming reports about the marching pemuda’s. Highly esteemed visitors were announced. Two Japanese officers would make use of the opportunity to stay overnight. Mother, who had heard about the reputation of Japanese militaries, put her four eldest girls in safety with her friends in the campong. She held her youngest daughter close. Fortunately, nothing happened and the visit went by in a safe manner!
Then we received our appeal as well and we left in a grobak (which was a box on wheels, dragged by horses) to Soekanoemi, where we had to register ourselves. From there, we were transported to our first internment camp.