The cabinet will not pay any more money to old soldiers and civil servants from the former Indonesian colonies who were not paid when Indonesia was under Japanese occupation during World War II. A delegation from lobby group Indisch Platform met ministers to discuss the issue on Friday.

In a statement, ministers said the €160m payout to 100,000 people in 2000, made on the basis of moral considerations, was its final gesture. The cabinet said research showed it was impossible to calculate how much damage had been done on an individual basis.