During WWII, thousands of people were made prisoners of war and killed in and around Jakarta. Early victories by the Japanese killed scores of troops from colonial Dutch military as well as the British Commonwealth. After the war, the Dutch and the UK, on behalf of the Commonwealth, established this cemetery to bring together the deceased from across Indonesia. It's a beautiful and serene place. The staff keep gates locked to avoid vandalism, but will unlock the gates for visitors.
The Dutch section has a beautiful chapel. Throughout the cemetery you'll discover myriad stories. There are names of people who came from countries the world over and who never returned home. In the British section, a series of headstones is devoted to those who died because of the sinking of the Empress of Asia, a passenger liner that was trying to reinforce Singapore in 1942. Many of the crew were taken prisoner and later died. Today you can get snippets of their stories from tombstones that bear their titles, such as bartender.
Note the enormous cemetery for Jakartans that's just east of the UK section's main entrance.
