The state railway company in the Netherlands has announced plans to pay compensation to survivors and relatives of people it helped transport to Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War.
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) made the decision following talks with 82-year-old Salo Muller, whose parents were transported by train to the Dutch transit camp Westerbork.
From there, they were taken to Auschwitz and gassed.
Mr Muller, a former physiotherapist with Ajax Football Club, had originally planned to take legal action against the NS; however following today’s announcement he has agreed to put the litigation on hold.
In a statement, the Dutch train service conceded that it had “operated trains during the Second World War on behalf of the occupying forces.”
It described the Nazi collaboration as a “black page in the history of our country and our company” and said it was “a past that we do not look away from.”
The company said that its discussions with Mr Muller had made it clear that there is still a demand for individual compensation tor survivors and relatives.
It said it sees no benefit in long-term litigation and announced that Mr Muller had agreed to drop the litigation in return for the establishment of a commission that will examine how it can, “on moral grounds” move forward with compensation for survivors and relatives.
The company said a framework for the commission had yet to be established – and pledged to reveal further plans for how it will work in 2019.
Mr Muller is the author of a 2017 book entitled, See You Tonight and Promise to Be a Good Boy – the last words his mother ever spoke to him before she was picked up by the SS.
He told RTL Nederland radio that many people urged him to give up the fight for reparation – and said he is proud that his family’s suffering will now be officially recognised.
In 2005, the rail company issued an apology for its supporting role during the Nazi occupation.
The company said its aim over the past few decades has been to commemorate and honour the victims of the Holocaust through investment in monuments, exhibitions and educational programs.
