Van Putten’s death threats upset Dutch politicians
THE HAGUE – Members of the Dutch parliament are astonished about threats made by Island Council member Clyde van Putten towards Dutch military personnel on Statia, John Samson reports on Caribisch Netwerk. Van Putten said that they would “murder the soldiers and burn them in the streets of Statia.”
“I said this to Minister Ronald Plasterk with my finger directly at his nose,” Van Putten said during a conference about autonomy and independence hosted by attorney Eldon Sulvaran’s pressure group KFO. Several islanders expressed their displeasure about the way the Netherlands deals with the islands. But according to members of the Second Chamber, Van Putten “really crossed the line.”
“We are used to a lot from mister Van Putten but here he is really going too far,” says SP-MP Ronald van Raak. “This is threatening with violence to murder and burn people.”
Van Raak posed written questions on behalf of the Socialist Party to outgoing Minister Plasterk. The SP wants to know whether the exchange with Van Putten really took place. Van Raak wants to file a complaint. “If this is true we will have to file a complaint, because this is going too far. This is because a prominent politician on Statia is threatening with horrible violence.”
The VVD is also outraged and says that is supports the questions the SP has submitted. “This is really scandalous. That is not the way we deal with each other. These are politicians who only think about themselves and who think that they can use macho language against the Netherlands,” says VVD-MP André Bosman. “My opinion is that we have to file a complaint. These soldiers are just doing their work.”
The SP also wants to know whether the military personnel are safe on Statia. “Do you share the concerns of the people in Statia who are pleased with the support from European Netherlands? Are you able to reassure these people that the kingdom does not let itself be blackmailed by local politicians who are threatening with violence?”
Photo caption: Statia Island Council member, Clyde van Putten. Photo Statianews.com.
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Below is the clip of the video recording of the referenced part of Mr. Van Puttens speech on Youtube:
