Halmahera (main place: Tobelo) and Morotai are two huge and hugely unknown islands in Indonesia's North Moluccas Province.Morotai is known for its quite accesible beach islands like Dodola - the End of the World - and for Private Nakamura.
Private Nakamura was stationed on Morotai Island in Indonesia shortly before the island was overrun by the Allies in September 1944 in the Battle of Morotai. He was declared dead in March 1945.
However, Nakamura's hut was discovered on Morotai accidentally by a pilot in mid-1974. In November 1974, the Japanese Embassy to Indonesia in Jakarta requested the assistance of the Indonesian government in organizing a search mission, which was conducted by the Indonesian Air Force on Morotai and led to his arrest by Indonesian soldiers on December 18, 1974. He was flown to Jakarta and hospitalized there. News of his discovery reached Japan on December 27, 1974. Nakamura decided to be repatriated straight to Taiwan, bypassing Japan, and died there of lung cancer five years later in 1979.
Tobelo on Halmahera is overshadowed by daily eruptions of Dukono Volcano. There is not much information available due to its remote position, but Dukono is one of the world's most active volcanoes and has been in persistent activity since 1933.
(c) Sander van Hulsenbeek
