Visitors to Tarawa can enjoy memorable battlefield tourism experiences when international flight resumes following the installation of awareness sign boards at the World War ll (WWII) Relics area at Takoronga point.
The ‘no littering & dumping; no open defecation; no camping; and no alcohol drinking’ sign boards aim to encourage visitors and locals to appreciate and preserve relics and sites at Takoronga which are of historical significance to Kiribati.
Tarawa was the forefront of the Allied forces Pacific campaign during WWII, and it is where the American forces invaded the then Japanese controlled islet of Betio. Known as the Battle of Tarawa, the invasion of Betio, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific in WWII. It was extremely costly in human lives and it was the first initial stage of a great amphibious landing against heavily fortified position on the tiny islet of Betio. The Battle of Tarawa was considered a huge mistake by the U.S Military but they soon realized and learnt that it was a valuable lesson that would help them in their strategic battle plans as they fought their way across the Pacific towards Japan.
The installation of the signage at Takoronga follows the extensive clean-up of the same site undertaken by the Takoronga community in early June 2020 and TAK will complete this with the installation of information kiosks to be mounted at the site in August 2020.
The Government of Kiribati in December 2019 endorsed that TAK take ownership and guardianship of all WWll relics.
