A delegation of legislators and officials from Meghalaya visited the Pieta Military Cemetery in Malta and discovered the graves of three additional Garo men who served with the 69th Garo Labour Company during the First World War. The delegation was led by Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma.
The delegation paid homage to four men from Garo Hills, buried at the Commonwealth-maintained military cemetery in Pieta. Until the visit, the grave of Khew Marak, who died on June 15, 1918, was understood to be the only known grave of a Garo member of the 69th Garo Labour Company at the cemetery.
During the visit, the delegation identified the graves of three other Garo men, including Ading Marak who died on June 10, 1918, Sangjim Sangma who died on June 19, 1918, and Join Marak who also died on June 10, 1918. Men from Garo Hills were recruited into the 69th Garo Labour Company to support Allied operations through tasks like road construction and the transportation of supplies.
The delegation included several key officials such as Deputy Speaker Limison D. Sangma, Deputy Chief Whip Ronnie V Lyngdoh, and Chairman of the Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation Marthon J Sangma. The visit to Malta formed part of the delegation post-conference study tour following the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, and was facilitated by the High Commission of India in Malta.
