The Netherlands was one of the earliest European colonial powers to establish a presence in Southeast Asia, with its first trading post in Indonesia established in 1602. For nearly three centuries, the Dutch controlled Indonesia, governing it as a colony. During this time, the Dutch treated the Indonesians very harshly, imposing strict laws and regulations on them and exploiting their resources for their own benefit.
The Dutch were a very bureaucratic people, and they imposed many regulations on the Indonesians …