Hero cemetery from East Timor

Hero cemetery from East Timor

JAKARTA: The Indonesia government, through the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, is engaged in talks with the East Timor
authorities in an effort to remove the remains of war heroes
buried in cemeteries across East Timor, an official said on
Monday.

Udayana Military commander Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa said
in the town of Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara on Monday that since
he was assigned to his post, he has been thinking about
relocating the remains of the heroes.

"Since the integration of East Timor with Indonesia in 1975
over 5,000 Indonesian soldiers have died (during the struggle
against communism) in East Timor," Willem said.

The graves have been neglected following East Timor's
breakaway from Indonesia in August 1999.

East Timor gained its independence from Indonesia in 1999,
leading to thousands of people fleeing their homes and crowding
into refugee camps in the neighboring province of East Nusa
Tenggara (NTT).

The official refugee registration in June this year revealed
that 98 percent of some 230,000 East Timorese refugees opted to
stay within Indonesian territory. -- JP