Indonesia's Ministry of Defence Assists US in Searching for World War II Soldiers' Remains

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence (Kemenhan) is assisting the United States government in searching for the remains and skeletons of World War II soldier victims located in Indonesian territory. The assistance is provided based on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the Ministry of Defence and the US military in Washington D.C. on Monday (13/4). “In principle, it is a form of humanitarian and historical cooperation for research, search, recovery, identification, and repatriation of the remains of US military personnel from World War II,” said the Head of the Defence Information Bureau (Karo Infohan) of the Ministry of Defence’s Secretariat General, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, in an official press release received in Jakarta on Tuesday. Rico explained that the MoU with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) was signed by the Director General of Defence Strategy of the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence, Major General TNI Agus Widodo, with the Director of DPAA, Kelly K McKeague, in the presence of Indonesia’s Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Rico assessed that this cooperation is a form of commitment and respect for soldiers who have fallen on the battlefield. Through this agreement, both parties have the opportunity to return the remains to their families in the United States. Nevertheless, Rico emphasised that this cooperation does not automatically grant authority for the US side to enter Indonesian territory. “The cooperation is carried out only with written approval from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia through the Ministry of Defence and must fully comply with Indonesian laws and regulations,” Rico stressed. He stated that in practice, these activities must not harm local community interests and must protect the environment, historical values, and provide social, academic, and economic benefits to the activity locations. With this cooperation agreement, Rico hopes that bilateral relations between Indonesia and the United States will further strengthen.