Chinese-Indonesians can be heroes too

Chinese-Indonesians can be heroes too

From Media Indonesia

Recent reports have announced a number of people who have been accorded national hero status. In this context, I have written a book on ethnic Chinese idealists in Indonesia, which was published by Gramedia in 2003.

Among the idealists, Lie Eng Hok (1893-1961) was the one sent into exile in Boven Digoel for five years (1927-1932) by Dutch colonizers.

He was one of the ten ethnic Chinese leaders, who opposed the Dutch, which led to his exile. The Indonesian government in 1959 declared him a freedom pioneer and when he died, Lie was buried in Semarang's Giri Tunggal heroes cemetery.

Metro TV's Chinese language program, Metro Xin Wen, aired Lie's biography and interviewed his family members in 2003. Lie learned independence aspirations from WR Supratman, composer of the national anthem and his peer at the Chinese-Malay paper Sin Po.

H. JUNUS JAHJA Jakarta