Dutch news in brief – 24 June 2004

Auschwitz monument vandalised again

The Auschwitz monument in the Wertheimpark in Amsterdam was damaged for the fourth time on Wednesday, news agency ANP reported. Police blamed “yobbism” for the damage caused to one of the six glass panels of the monument. Designed by writer and artist Jan Wolkers, the piece is called “Nooit Meer Auschwitz” (Never Again Auschwitz). Shortly before it was unveiled in 1993, a stained glass artist damaged the glass to obscure a construction mistake and four years later one of the panels was targeted by unknown vandals. One of the glass panels was completely destroyed in an attack in 1999. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews were sent to Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War and only 5,000 survived.

Dutchman’s body found in Thailand

The Thai authorities have confirmed the body of a Dutchman — who has been missing since March — has been found. The man has not been named officially, but is said by local media to be 57-year-old diving instructor David Wiewel. He lived in Thailand with his wife, news agency Novum reported. It is not clear how he died, but local police suggested no signs of violence have been found.

Abortion doctor in court over women’s death

A court in Utrecht imposed an eight-month suspended sentence on L. Q., the senior medical director of the city’s Vrelinghuis abortion clinic, following the death of 17-year-old woman who was accidentally given an overdose of anaesthetic. A second patient survived the overdose, but suffered thrombosis in her arm. A 70-year-old former nurse was given a six-month suspended sentence. Both patients were accidentally given 10-times the required dose of the anaesthetic lidocaine.

Internet voting software made public

The Dutch government has decided to make public the source code for the software used in internet voting, the DigitalMediaEurope website has reported. Currently internet voting is restricted under the system used in the Netherlands to about 15,000 Dutch nationals living overseas and about 5,000 people used it to vote in the European Parliament elections on 10 June. The Dutch association that promotes open source software and IT standards in government, OSOSS, said releasing the source code would reinforce transparency in government. Concerns about privacy and security issues in relation to the KOA distance voting internet project were raised in the Dutch Parliament in April.

Woman missing from supervised home

Police are searching for Hanneke Vossenberg, 47, from port city Den Helder, who has been missing since 9am on Tuesday. She has a mental age of 10 and was last seen leaving the supervised accommodation housing project where she lives.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news