Sometimes events are a little too recent or close to home for some to talk about and this seems to exacerbate things.
Down here in New Zealand a WW2 POW camp was established and during some a period of unrest New Zealand guards shot and killed 46 Japanese prisoners.
More recently someone ripped out trees that were planted to commemorate the atrocity.
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/massacre-at-featherston/
http://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/65751556/pow-deaths-...