WWII missile suspected in deadly Biak explosion

An explosion in Biak Numfor, Papua, which killed five residents on Sunday, is believed to have originated from a World War II-era missile, highlighting the island's enduring legacy of conflict. The incident has brought renewed attention to the historical significance of Biak as a site of major battles during the 1940s.

Didimus Nowar, an 80-year-old local cultural figure and witness to the war, recounted the widespread fighting across the island. "War everywhere. In the east, in the north, in the west," he said, recalling the "flames of fire" that engulfed the island. He also bore witness to brutal acts of violence, some carried out with rifles and others with swords.

Nowar's memories were stirred during a visit to the World War II Memorial Monument in Parai, Biak Island. The monument, established in 1994, stands on a site where Japanese forces first landed in early 1942 as part of their campaign to conquer the Dutch East Indies. Biak's strategic location facing the Pacific Ocean made it a key target.

According to local tourism and culture official Andries Kafiar, the Japanese arrival coincided with the Koreri celebration, a local commemoration. Misinterpreting the celebration as resistance, Japanese forces engaged in conflict, pushing the less-armed Biak population into the forests. In May 1944, U.S. forces led by General Douglas MacArthur arrived, leading to some of the fiercest battles for the island between Japanese and American troops near the monument site. The Japanese defenders, overwhelmed in their fort, eventually fled through tunnels that are now overgrown.