Graves of RI fighters in E. Timor need relocation<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Dili<\/p>\n
One of the many problems faced by both the East Timor and the
\nIndonesia administrations is the 13 heroes cemeteries where 5,000
\nIndonesian fighters are buried in separate areas in East Timor.<\/p>\n
The graves of Indonesians who were killed in battles, before
\nand after East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1974, have
\nbeen neglected since the former 27th Indonesian province seceded
\nfrom Indonesia in 1999.<\/p>\n
Yet the East Timorese people have demanded that the Indonesian
\nauthorities exhume all the graves and remove the remains to
\nIndonesian territory.<\/p>\n
The head of Indonesian affairs in East Timor, Kristio Wahyono,
\nconfirmed the demand last week, saying that pressure had been
\napplied by anti-Indonesian East Timorese to remove the remains.<\/p>\n
\"But an official request has never been submitted to the
\ngovernment of Indonesia, therefore the government has yet to give
\na serious response,\" said Kristio. \"But we have conveyed the
\npressure to Jakarta.\"<\/p>\n
The most neglected cemeteries are those located in Dili, Suai,
\nAinaro and Liquisa. The brick walls surrounding the cemeteries
\nhave collapsed, and most of the headstones have gone.<\/p>\n
Kristio said the headstones had been removed by anti-
\nIndonesian hard-liners.<\/p>\n
\"This may have happened at all Indonesian heroes cemeteries in
\nEast Timor,\" said Kristio.<\/p>\n
\"We could do nothing. A lot of money is needed to repair the
\nwalls of the cemeteries. We do not have a list of those buried
\nhere,\" said Kristio.<\/p>\n
Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Wellem T. da Costa once
\nrevealed a plan to relocate the graves, but he did not say when
\nor how the remains would be moved to Indonesian soil.<\/p>\n
East Timorese interviewed by The Jakarta Post in Dili
\nsuggested that the Indonesian government remove all the graves
\nsoon. \"Because the Indonesian heroes are traitors to East
\nTimorese,\" Fernando Ximenes, who lives behind Seroja Heroes
\nCemetery in Dili, said.<\/p>\n
\"For us East Timorese the pro-Jakarta people are all
\ntraitors,\" he reiterated.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/graves-of-ri-fighters-in-e-timor-need-relocation-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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