Activists have pressed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to declare Trowulan in Mojokerto, East Java, as a national heritage, arguing that doing so would prevent the historical site from being damaged by industrial activities.



One of the activists, Deddy Endarto, said a proposal to name Trowulan as a national heritage had been progressing through the Education and Culture Ministry since 2009.



'But up to now, we have yet to receive further information from the central government,' he said.



Deddy has been named a suspect for defamation, allegedly taking to Facebook to insult the director of PT Manunggal Sentral Baja (MSB), which will build a steel casting factory in Mojokerto, not far from Trowulan.



The site is believed to be a legacy of the Majapahit Kingdom of the 13th-15th centuries and was discovered in the 19th century.



The local administration in Mojokerto issued the building permit for PT MSB in June 2013, claiming the provincial heritage conservation agency had issued a recommendation supporting the project.



The development of the factory in the area met with a mixed response from local residents. People supporting the project have argued that industrialization would help people's livelihoods while those against the idea have expressed fear it would damage the site.



Yudhoyono, during his official visit to East Java on Friday, also visited the Majapahit Museum, which contains collections of various artifacts and archeological findings of the Majapahit era found around Trowulan.



In his visit, he called on the local administration to preserve the Majapahit Museum as the museum was a priceless piece of legacy and might help boost residents' welfare, Antara news agency reported.



Deddy expressed hope that the President's visit to Trowulan would speed up the process of declaring the site as a national heritage.



Save Trowulan coordinator Nanang Moeny said giving the site national heritage status was urgent as an unclear status and a lack of strong regulations had prevented the local Cultural Heritage Preservation Center (BPCB) from conducting proper preservation programs, including acting against land misappropriations in the area.



Previously, Mojokerto Regent Mustofa Kamal Pasa said Trowulan had received low attention from the central government.



East Java Governor Soekarwo separately said the development of the steel casting factory in Trowulan had been temporarily halted.



He also revealed his administration's commitment to preserving Trowulan, including the 122 temples of Majapahit legacy found at the foot of Mount Penanggungan, by the beginning of November 2013.



'We have conveyed our commitment and reported the findings of the new temples to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,' Soekarwo told reporters on Friday.



The 122 temples were found by British researcher and archeologist Nigel Bullough, who has the Javanese name of Hadi Sidomulyo.



The temples, which were found on the slope of Bekel Hill to the east of Mount Penanggungan, Mojokerto, were not included among the 81 other temples previously found by researcher Van Romondt in 1951.



Soekarwo said the temples dated back to the 700s in the era of Empu Sendok, a Hindu-Mataram figure. He also said his administration was serious about rebuilding the remains of Majapahit's heyday and had named Trowulan a cultural heritage. He said the administration had rebuilt 296 houses resembling those of the Majapahit era at the site.



'In 2015, we plan to build Balairung Agung Majapahit hall around Trowulan,' he said.

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