The Indonesian village of Rawagede was the scene of a massacre perpetrated by Dutch soldiers in 1947. The village has claimed 431 men were executed without trial.

The massacre occurred during the 1945-1950 Dutch military re-occupation of what was formerly the colony of the Dutch East Indies. This lengthy 'policing' operation was in response to Indonesia's unilateral declaration of independence in August 1945, which was not acknowledged by the Dutch government of the time.

In his letter, Verhagen writes that he wants to demonstrate his "compassion and respect" and express sympathy with the relatives of those who were killed. Victims' relatives from the Javanese village, now known as Balongsari, have filed for compensation from the Dutch government. The official Dutch standpoint is, however, that the incident took place too long ago to still qualify for the payment of compensation under Dutch law.

Verhagen is on a 12-day tour of Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.