Old relic: Lighthouse watchman Baruadi shows an abandoned pillbox near Gorontalo harbor. The structure, built during World War II, is neglected and used as a garbage dump. (JP/Syamsul Huda M. Suhari)

A concrete cylindrical structure still stands strong atop a hill facing Gorontalo Bay, with a parabolic television antenna perched on top of its concrete roof.

Piles of wood and used corrugated zinc sheets are strewn around the building.

The 1.6-meter tall and 3-meter long cylindrical structure is a historical remnant from World War II, which has not bypassed Gorontalo. It is actually called veldbox, or pillbox, a guard post used by Japanese soldiers from 1942 to 1945 during World War II and the Japanese occupation of Indonesia. The locals call it steleng.

It is the only pillbox that is still in good condition. It is located near a 12-meter tall lighthouse left by the Dutch. An old Dutch house behind the pillbox is still being used by the lighthouse workers to live in.

Three loopholes, previously used to place machine guns, are now sealed with cement.

'€œAround the 1970s, the building was used by the previous lighthouse workers to retain water, as its loopholes and door were sealed,'€ said Gorontalo Port lighthouse watchman Baruadi, who lives in the old house behind the pillbox.

Now, the guard post no longer serves as a water retainer. Its door, located at the rear end, has been broken down and left as it is.

Moreover, the historical complex, located around 40 meters above sea level, was also equipped earlier with two cannons facing the sea near the entrance, but according to Baruadi, they were removed by the Indonesian Military in the 1970s and taken to the Gorontalo City Military Command.

The middle-aged man recalled that when he was young, he had seen a similar building at Leato Beach in Gorontalo city.

'€œWhen I was small, my friends and I used to play war there. There were two such structures if I'€™m not mistaken, but they have been leveled to the ground to widen the road,'€ recalled Baruadi.

Romi, who heads the registration, documentation and publication working group at the Gorontalo Cultural Heritage Preservation Center (BPCB), said only three such pillboxes still existed in the province today.

Apart from the one near Gorontalo Port, the other two are located in the coastal area of North Gorontalo regency '€” in Katialada village and Hulimo subdistrict, respectively.

The condition of those two is far worse, because they are located in the middle of residential areas and have long been used as garbage dump sites.

The BPCB has registered the three locations and buildings and plans to restore them as cultural heritage sites.

Romi said he believed many such pillboxes could be found along Gorontalo'€™s coastline. The structures are also found in other regions of Sulawesi. Some have been damaged in bombing raids by Allied Forces during World War II, while others have been neglected, like the three pillboxes in Gorontalo.

Most of the guard posts have been found along the coast and on high plains. The pillboxes differ in size. The ones in Gorontalo are about average, with walls 30 centimeters thick.

The BPCB expects the preservation work it is currently conducting to be useful for educating the younger generation as well as for research into the history of Gorontalo.

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