By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

Some 64 years ago in 1942 and before World War II broke out a year later, a 17-year old from Peleliu named Hatsuichi Ngiraingas joined some other Palauan natives to learn how to become a ship captain.
These natives, that also included Ngiratkel Etpison of Palau, went with the Japanese Imperial Army into the jungles of East Java in Indonesia.
Etpison and other of his other Palauan companions came back but were almost cannot make it because their ship was destroyed by U.S. air strikes before they reached Angaur in 1943.
This and other horrifying tales of the war are indelible to the minds of those Palauan natives who survive the holocaust and the families of those who perished.
It is this kind of experience that Kokichi Ingas and his sister Reiko N. Kubarii suffered since they lost their brother, who happens to be Hatsuichi Ngiraingas. Hatsuichi was actually the name of their brother when he left Peleliu.
Hatsuichi and others were not able to board the Japanese fleet back home. It was learned later that he married an Indonesian but they had no child and that he had acquired a new nickname, Idrus but still used his surname, Ngiraingas.
Kokichi approached media people by chance during last week’s (Feb. 9) inauguration of the new and sprawling Peleliu North Dock, a project built by a Japanese company through grants from the Government of Japan.
Top government officials including President Remengesau and Vice President Elias Camsek Chin, senators, Delegates and governnors of almost all states of Palau including Jackson Ngiraingas of Peleliu (with no relation to Hatsuichi according to Kokichi) and Horace Rafael of Angaur. Also present were Japan’s Charge d’ Affaires Naotake Yamashita and U.S. Charge d’ Affaires Mark Bezner.
Kokichi watched from the sidelines along with her sister during the inauguration ceremonies as he recalled about how they were able to find their brothers’ grave and other things they discovered.
What happened, Kokichi recalled, was that Hatsuichi or Idrus (his acquired Indonesian name) adopted the difficult life in a far away land.
Kokichi and his sister Reiko and a cousin Risong Matsutaro went to Indonesia in October 2005 looking for clues about their brother.
Informants told them that Idrus taught young Indonesians how to become a military man but he later died in 1963.
Kokichi showed pictures of the grave in a cemetery.
Before that Kokichi recalled that they learned from Tony Ililau about this. Kokichi said that Ililau is a son of Hillay Ililau, who happened to be with Idrus when they were left behind there and then married an Indonesian. The elder Ililau died in 2005.
While in Indoensia, Kokichi said they went to see a military office but found no record of their brother, they also went to the hospital and social security officers and still could not get information.
Back in Koror, however, Kokichi met an Indonesian government official who was in Palau recently to make initial steps for the establishment of a consular office here.
The Foreign Affairs official, Ismail Situimeang, according to Kokichi is set to come back this Feb. 26.
When asked about this, Minister of State Temmy Schmull said that he is not sure yet about this because it is the policy of the government to make sure that it is dealing with legitimate people.
Communication records provided by Kokichi to support his story noted that Schmull provided a letter for Kokichi and his sister Reiko and cousin Risong, to show to "Whom It May Concern" whiule they are travelling to Indonesia.
The travel is for the purpose of obtaining more information and to meet with Indonesians who knew their brother and to meet and verify whether their brother and relative had children who are still alive and residing in Indonesia.
Schmull’s Oct. 20, 2005 letter said that "the relatives have some ideas and information and contact people who will meet them in Bali and accompany them to the city or village where their brother’s cemetery and supposedly surviving members of his family.
A response letter from the Embassy of Indonesia in Manila, Philippines dated Jan. 4, 2006 noted that it has "the honor to inform the Ministry that the Provincial Government of Kota Batu, Malang, East Java, Indonesia has verified that a grave under the name Idrus Ngiraingas was found in the National Hero Cemetery in Suropati Batu.
It said that the Sub District Head of Ngaglik, Batu East Java, Indonesia, confirmed that Mr. Idrus Ngiraingas has a relative in East Java namely Mr. Anom Mudjito, with the postal address JI. Ikhwan Hadi 1/115 RT. 04 RW. 06, Kelurahan Nagglik, Kecamatan, Batu, Jawa Timur, Indonesia.