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Damaged Grave Unlikey to Be New Zealander
Media Release, June 19, 2012
Damaged Grave Unlikey
to Be New Zealander
The Ministry for Culture and
Heritage does not believe further desecration at a Libyan
cemetery last week involved any New Zealand graves.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, an inter-governmental agency funded by member countries to maintain war graves, has advised the Ministry that some temporary grave markers had been removed and a headstone damaged at the Benghazi War Cemetery last Thursday.
While the Commission is yet to confirm the nationality of the person buried beneath the damaged headstone, the Ministry does not believe it is a New Zealander.
In March extensive damage occurred at the Benghazi War Cemetery which contains the graves of 1200 Commonwealth servicemen, including 11 New Zealanders.
All 11 New Zealand headstones were damaged and removed. They have yet to be replaced making it highly unlikely that New Zealand graves were affected by the latest vandalism.
Restoration of the damaged headstones is under way and the Commission has advised 245 new headstones are in transit to Benghazi with a further 161 due for shipment in September.
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