Graves dug up
TRADING the skeletal remains of World War II dead has become a lucrative trade in
the Northern Province.
Villagers in Sanananda, Buna, Gewoto, Waju and surrounding
areas are selling the remains of fallen Australian, American and Japanese soldiers
to foreigners who are allegedly entering the country on tourist visas.
The Post-
Sanananda villagers confirmed that a complete
human skeleton was sold last month for US$ 20,000 while a plastic bags filled with
bones were being sold at K70 and others at K5, K10 and K20 respectively.
Locals say
they are being forced to trade the skeletal remains by foreigners who are coming
into the country on tourists visas.
The locals confirmed the buyers than cremate the bones before taking them overseas.
One
local said most of the buyers are tourists, but they seem to be from Australia, America
and Japan.
Sanananda village Chief Albert Awai said that although a lot is being
said about preserving the war relics in the country, senior public servants from
national museum, tourism, commerce and Industry (named) are establishing these markets.
Mr Awai said the skeletal trade has become a big industry and government authorities
are failing to detect the activity.
Tourists coming to and leaving the province have to be thoroughly checked as people
are being ripped off many resources and mostly, tourist operators are bringing in
tourists who are not genuine into the country with the intention of buying the skeletal
remains.
The locals, however, said the government must be equally blamed for their
negligence and the deteriorating basic services to the rural areas in the province
which is of course the most contributing factor to the whole issue.
Former Oro premier Newman Mongagi said some of these foreigners arrived in the province,
booked into Lamington Hotel and other guesthouses and organised public servants and
policemen to do the trade under threats and force.
Luke Doari from Mangufo village
confirmed that, in the company of another youth Copland Tipe, dug and sold 53 Japanese
skeletons for K100 each to an American (named) attached to a petroleum exploration
company between 1997 and 1998.
Locals said this American was given a PPL licence by the National Government for
exploration around the North Coast and the Collingwood Bay basin in province.
The
American is believed to have told the locals that he was given K30,000 by his Japanese
friends to buy as many skeletons while he was working in the area.
He said 80 to
90 per cent of the people in the rural areas in Oro are illiterate and majority support
the idea of bringing money through tourism and people have seen this as an alternative
way to make money.
"The longest World War full battle took place in Sanananda village and it lasted
more than 53 days and as a result the area has a Japanese mass grave ... the reason
why they are coming here," Mr Mongagi said.
The Oro Provincial Administrator Monty
Derari confirmed to the Post Courier that he was not aware of the activity until
last month. He said he learnt about the activity when the wife of one of the local
skeletal traders reported a matter involving her husband who received large sums
of money from the Japanese to his office.
"Such activities are uncalled for and that
because these activities were illegal, people should not temper with the dead remains,"
Mr Derari said.
Mr Derari warned that if government officers were involved they should be dealt with
accordingly and foreign tourists; every country has its own laws and these foreign
traders forcing locals to sell the dead remains must be brought back to face the
appropriate laws of PNG. However, the locals have protested saying that apart from
calling on the people to stop involving in skeletal trading, the PNG Government must
talk to the governments of these countries to compensate the locals or make attempts
to look after their war dead.
"It is happening … we are selling the skeletal remains
and if these countries reckon our areas are their biggest cemeteries than why don't
they come and look after them or take them away," the locals said. The locals said
the fact was that we did not know what this War was all about, we were only caught
in the War and now their dead remains bring back memories of those years.
Skeletal Trade
Bones trading in Oro
MY FRONT page investigative report on skeleton trade by villagers in Sanananda, Buna,
Gewoto, Waju and the surrounding areas in the Northern (Oro) Province, (Post-
I have received different reactions from
the readers both here in the country and abroad, particularly the Australians, Americans
and the Japanese.
However, most Australian newspapers (the Sun Herald, Canberra Times)
that had my story hit their headlines have for some reasons continued to omit the
local people’s arguments and their views on the whole issue, which is for those countries
to come forward and address the issue.
Another senior journalist Barnabas Orere’s report some time ago showing a local from
Buna displaying skeletal remains from his makeshift museum for his tourists drew
angry reaction from the Australian Army. A Colonel from the Australian Army, accompanied
by a military officer from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force travelled to Buna,
hosted a meeting with the people and told them in no uncertain terms that the Australian
Army and the Government were not pleased with the way their dead remains were paraded
and displayed in the so-
A local and former academic and historian at the University of Papua New Guinea Wellington
Jojoga said “now the same paper reveals yet another story, this time far more disturbing
because there is indeed a trade’’.
Mr Jojoga says the trade is a lucrative one involving
selling of the skeletal remains in what appears to be a well planned, organised and
institutionalised commercial activity. He says this practice has been an ongoing
thing and nothing can be done to protect such illegal operation because those policing
agencies such as the police and the National Museum and Art Gallery under whose jurisdiction
all World War II materials are governed are also participants in this operation.
One
has to consider the fact that there are many issues at stake.
What are the Australians going to say to the people of Buna because they did not
listen to them and their orders?
Who do you punish, the villagers or those government
agencies and the officers who not only facilitated for this illegal trade to start
in the first place but continue to encourage its existence? And was my story credible?
I
always try to expose what others failed to do in trying to reveal corruption of various
types that seems a habitual practice in the province. Mr Jojoga said the skeletal
trade Post-
Luke Doari, the
man featured on the front page was telling his own story. He was not telling me what
others told him.
Therefore, he is a credible witness to an operation in the area
where he is also a participant.
Mr Jojoga said if anyone speaks to the contrary, then they would be the ones trying
to protect the industry. The fact that prominent people of the area in the likes
of Newman Mongagi, the former premier of Oro and Albert Awai, Sanananda chief, have
both confirmed that such a trade does exist is enough to suggest the credibility
of the story.
The skeletal trade story has made Mr Jojoga believe that the illegal
trading of war relics with the support of the museum officials and the state police
and authorities in the province is a known practice.
He said the “Swamp Ghost” issue made famous because of its disappearance from the
Province in an illegal operation made legal by the National Museum is a case in point.
Mr Jojoga said some of the characters who were working to get the Swamp Ghost sold
from the beginning when the interest was expressed by the Americans to the National
Museum were the same people who were seen to be the organisers in the swamp with
the buyers.
Mr Jojoga’s point is a valid one because it makes me feel that most people’s
names mentioned were former and current employees of state institutions.
I mentioned in the report that such educated people were encouraging these illegal
activities to occur. Villagers are innocent people trying to make ends meet in this
difficult times so when opportunities are given, even if it is wrong, they feel they
have no choice.
Tourism based on World War II is the main industry bringing income
for the Buna and Sanananda people because they are opposed to planting oil palm.
We do not want to see tourists disguised as trekkers on the Kokoda/Buna trail and
divert their interest later to other things such as the skeleton trade or for that
matter, trade on other war relics, let alone gold and other minerals, and spoil the
trekking industry which is already popular among the people.
Buna, Sanananda, Gona
and Orobay are coastal villagers devastated by the conflicts of the Americans, Japanese
and the Australians.
Left behind are war dumps, guns and bombs, ditches and bomb craters and of course
human remains on lands, rivers and seas, places where people enjoy cultivating and
harvesting. The people were right in saying though that if anyone is to complain
about their skeletal remains, then it is proper that they come and remove their remains,
including everything deposited on their land during the war and compensate them for
the damages and for the loss of their right to the use of their land.
Failing that as has been the case always, experiences now reported will never cease.
And
there will be those in the province, especially those interested in the war history
demanding the Post-
Who else would dare reveal
such corrupt practices which we know are endemic in every corner of the province?
The latest out of Papua New Guinea.
Which is very upsetting for the Families who do not know what happened to their Love Ones in The Second World War in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea, Now Papua New Guinea.
Please write to your members of Parliament demanding that the Government take action to stop this disgraceful selling of the remains of The Fallen of World War Two.
Demand that they bring "Our Boys" home.
They gladly gave their lives so we might live in a free world, is this the way we repay them?
"DEAD PEOPLE CANNOT REST IN PEACE UNTIL THE TRUTH IS KNOWN"
"WE OWE RESPECT TO THE LIVING AND TO THE DEAD WE ONLY OWE TRUTH"
Thank you for caring,
Best Wishes,
Cynthia
