The real Natrah @ Huberdina Maria Hertogh 
Remy Ishak and Maya Karin as Natrah 
I went to see a Natrah at the Istana Budaya , based on the true story that happened in 1950's, who is Natrah?
Maria Hertogh or Natrah Maarof was born on March 24, 1937, in Tjimahi in Java, the Dutch East Indies.Her father Adrianus Hertogh was a sergeant in the Dutch Army.During World War II, she was left by her Eurasian mother Adeline Hunter in the care of a family friend — Aminah Mohamad — who lived in Bandung.Sergeant Hertogh was captured by the Japanese Army and sent to a POW holding facility in Japan, where he was interred until 1945.Aminah claimed that Adeline had given Maria to her for adoption.Shortly after the war, Aminah took Maria home to Kemaman, Terengganu, and Maria’s parents requested the Dutch authorities in Java to trace her. They found Aminah and Maria in 1949, but Aminah refused to give Maria up.Maria married Mansor Adabi in 1950, and it was during this time that the Hertoghs and Aminah were involved in a custody battle over Maria in the Singapore High Court.The court granted custody of Maria to her parents, and consequently, riots broke out in Singapore. The riots originated with a peaceful demonstration in support of Maria and Aminah, organised by Pas founder Dr Burhanuddin Helmi.Singapore police nabbed 778 people in the riots which claimed 18 lives. Two hundred were charged and five received the death sentence.Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, who was then a lawyer, had the death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.Maria was taken by her parents to Holland and married Johan Wolkefeld in 1956. He subsequently corresponded with Mansor and both men wanted Maria to visit Aminah.However, the trip never materialised due to Maria’s financial difficulties. Aminah died in 1976.In 1989, Maria was interviewed by the magazine Dewan Masyarakat published by Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka. She expressed a strong desire to return to Malaysia.In 1999, she returned to Singapore to film a documentary on her life for a Dutch television station. She also visited Aminah’s family in Terengganu.In various interviews, Maria said she was only happy during her childhood, and dedicated her life to caring for others and making them happy.
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