Do you know that in Cowra General Cemetery, the Cowra Shire, NSW lies 13 Indonesian freedom fighters and their offspring? They were exiled and died in Cowra during the second World War.

The existence of these graves was brought to the attention of Ambassador S. Wiryono by Mrs Janet Lingard, a lecturer in Indonesian studies at the School of Asian Studies, Department of Southeast Asian Studies, University of Sydney in February 1997. Mrs Lingard discovered the graves whilst conducting research on the social an personal relationship between Australians and some of the thousands of Indonesians who were in exile in Australia during and after World War II (1942-1947).

The Indonesian nationals consisted of Indonesian political prisoners who were bought to Australia from Boven Digul in 1943 and placed at Cowra as well as merchant seamen who walked off Dutch ships in 1942. According to Mrs Lingard, they were buried in unconsecrated ground and there is no record of any kind that religious services were held during the burials as they were Moslems and there was nobody who could perform such a service. Based on the data available at the Cowra Shire Council, and the findings of Mrs Janet Lingard, 12 of the deceased were identified and only one remains unknown. The only headstone is that of Salamah's, which installed by her son who visited her grave approximately 30 years ago.

To honour these forgotten people, the Indonesian Government has decided to refurbish their graves and erect individual headstone and a memorial plaque. This decision is fully supported by the Commonwealth Government of Australia.

Nowadays, at 10 November every year Indonesian Embassy in Canberra and the Consulate in Sydney travel to Cowra to conduct and attend the religious service on site with the Mayor of Cowra as an honoured guest.

The Indonesian government and its people wish to express its sincerely appreciation to Government of Australia and the Cowra City Council, NSW for its support and cooperation on this project and special thanks and gratitude to Mrs Janet Lingard for her efforts which led to the discovery of the graves of the 13 Indonesian nationals who died and were buried in Cowra in 1942/1943.