The Netherlands does not own these cemeteries. In Japan, for example, the Dutch cemetery is owned by the local temple. In India, after the departure of the VOC, several churches and cemeteries were handed over to the English, who also continued to use the cemeteries. Some cemeteries were later handed over to the government. When Indonesia gained independence in 1949 and Suriname a country in 1954, the ownership and management of many general cemeteries was transferred to the new national governments. Moreover, not all cemeteries were owned by the VOC, WIC or the government, but were built by (mostly religious) local institutions.