Historians fight for island

Historians fight for island

JAKARTA (JP): Historians have asked the municipality to
declare Onrust Island, in the Thousand Islands chain, a heritage
park to save its historical sites.

Dirman Surachmat, former head of the city's museum and
historical agency, said yesterday that the appeal was made during
a two-day symposium on the island.

A similar appeal was made during two previous symposiums but
the municipality seemed slow to respond, he said.

This week's symposium, which ended Wednesday, was aimed at
highlighting the cultural significance of the island to the
international community and providing the city administration
with suggestions for preserving it.

The 12-hectare Onrust (which means "always busy" in Dutch)
Island can be reached by boat from Tanjung Priok Port within 90
minutes.

The island has a collection of historical ruins, including a
fort from the Dutch colonial era.

It was used early this century as a quarantine center for
Indonesians before and after the haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Onrust Island has been neglected since Indonesia's
independence in 1945 and its destruction continued until the
1960s, when it was abandoned and the ruins virtually ignored.

The symposium also suggested the municipality conserve Cipir,
Kelor and Bidadari islands and declare the area a heritage park.

"The nearby islands should be protected as well. The natural
factors, such as waves and strong winds, and human involvement,
such as sand dredging, removing coral and stealing pieces of the
buildings have contributed to the island's poor condition,"
Dirman said.

"Actually environmental deterioration of the historical
vestiges of Onrust Island and its surroundings can be brought
under control by allowing the site to be used for archeological
research, marine and historical tourism, and as a heritage park
to be included on the world heritage list," Candrian Attahiyyat,
head of the symposium's organizing committee, said.

Candrian said that until now the municipality has not come up
with a plan to save the island.

"Therefore, we urge the city administration and central
government to preserve the island by seeking the support of other
international communities, especially historians and
archeologists," he said.

The city's assistant for economic and development affairs,
Prawoto Danumihardjo, told The Jakarta Post that the municipality
has yet to decide on a plan to save Onrust Island.

"The municipality has tried some approaches in order to find
the right development plan for the island but we can't reveal it
now," he said.

Haswidi Taufik, head of the city's museum and renovation
agency, said yesterday that his agency will present the results
of the symposium to the governor early next year.

An official, who asked not to be named, said the city did not
even have a complete map of Onrust Island.

"How can the city formulate a plan if we haven't even got the
right map?" he said.

Dirman said that the city needs to enact a decree to maintain
the island.

"It's worthless if we keep on talking without doing anything
to save the island," he said. "The island may erode away while we
are still talking about it." (07)