Kontras interviews Garuda employee on Munir's death<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Activists are interviewing an employee of national flag carrier
\nGaruda Indonesia to find clues about Munir's mysterious death
\naboard a GA 974 flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam in September.<\/p>\n
They also suspect that Munir, who was found dead two hours
\nbefore his plane was due to land in Amsterdam on Sept. 7, may
\nhave been poisoned on the flight from Jakarta to Singapore on
\nSept. 6.<\/p>\n
Edwin Partogi, operational division chairman of the Commission
\nfor Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said here
\non Thursday that he and several fellow activists had interviewed
\na Garuda Indonesia employee, who called Munir's house in Bekasi,
\nWest Jakarta three days before his death.<\/p>\n
According to Edwin, the employee introduced himself to Munir's
\nwife Suciwati, who took the call, as her husband's friend and
\ntold her that he would take the same flight as Munir to the
\nNetherlands.<\/p>\n
He said the employee, whose name was withheld, also greeted
\nand introduced himself to Munir and Suciwati when the couple,
\nalong with several fellow activists, arrived at the Soekarno-
\nHatta International Airport on Sept. 6.<\/p>\n
The employee, according to Edwin, admitted that he spoke to
\nMunir on board the flight to Singapore.<\/p>\n
The man, Edwin said, also admitted that he had successfully
\npersuaded Munir to transfer from economy class to business class
\non the flight to Singapore, even though Munir initially declined.<\/p>\n
The plane took off from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International
\nAirport at 9:55 p.m on Sept. 6, and arrived in Singapore at 12:40
\na.m. and left Singapore's Changi International Airport at 1:50
\na.m. for Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
\"We are not really sure, but we believe that Munir, as a
\nbusiness class passenger, was given a meal during the one-and-a-
\nhalf hour flight,\" Edwin said.<\/p>\n
According to Edwin, during the stopover in Singapore the man
\ntold Munir that he had decided to cancel his trip to Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
According to Kontras' investigation, some three hours into the
\nflight from Singapore to Amsterdam, a flight steward named Najib
\nreported to the pilot in command that a passenger in seat number
\n40G was sick.<\/p>\n
The pilot, Capt. Pantun Matondang, ordered Najib to ask for
\nassistance from another passenger, a doctor in seat number 1J and
\nto monitor Munir's condition.<\/p>\n
After being attended to by the doctor, Munir was moved to a
\nseat near the doctor. Munir appeared comfortable and was able to
\nrest.<\/p>\n
Some two hours before the plane landed at Schipol Airport in
\nAmsterdam, Najib and the doctor discovered Munir had died.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands' Forensic Institute discovered high levels of
\narsenic in Munir's body. Police investigators here said earlier
\nthat Munir died of poisoning and have sent a team of
\ninvestigators to Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
\"The doctor, Tarmizi Hakim, had introduced himself to Munir
\nduring the stopover at Changi Airport. He told Munir that he was
\ngoing to Amsterdam to attend a seminar,\" Edwin said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kontras-interviews-garuda-employee-on-munirs-death-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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