Rights campaigner Munir dies on plane<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Outspoken rights campaigner Munir, 38, died onboard a flight to
\nthe Netherlands on Tuesday morning, to the shock of many who knew
\nhim as \"the voice of the voiceless.\"<\/p>\n
One of the founders of the independent Commission for Missing
\nPersons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) passed away on a Garuda
\nIndonesia flight to Amsterdam, which departed from Jakarta via
\nSingapore late Monday. The cause of the death remains unclear.<\/p>\n
Garuda spokesman Pujobroto said Munir died about two hours
\nbefore landing at Amsterdam's Schipol airport.<\/p>\n
His friends and colleagues said he appeared healthy and
\ncheerful before departing to continue his studies on human rights
\nat Utrecht University, where he had been offered a scholarship.<\/p>\n
They, however, said that Munir had, at one time, been in the
\nhospital in Jakarta for liver ailments. He also suffered from
\ngastric problems.<\/p>\n
Pujobroto said the purser or crew supervisor Najib reported to
\nCapt. Pantun Matondang after seeing that Munir, sitting in seat
\n40-G, appeared to be very ill.<\/p>\n
\"The cabin crew immediately reported to the pilot in command
\nthat a passenger was sick -- a condition which had forced him to
\ngo to the restroom several times,\" Pujobroto said in a press
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
Matondang then ordered Najib to ask for medical assistance
\nfrom another passenger, a doctor who also happened to be onboard.
\nAfter giving initial first aid, Munir was moved to a seat near
\nthe doctor.<\/p>\n
\"At that time he (Munir) looked comfortable and was able to
\nrest comfortably, but about two hours before the plane landed,
\nNajib and the doctor found that Munir had died,\" Pujobroto said.<\/p>\n
Authorities at Schipol airport examined Munir's body in
\naccordance with airport regulations.<\/p>\n
\"Garuda is ready to take Munir's family to Amsterdam and
\ntransport his remains back to Indonesia,\" said Pujobroto.<\/p>\n
Kontras coordinator Usman Hamid said Munir's remains are
\nexpected to be flown to Jakarta on Wednesday, pending an autopsy.<\/p>\n
Munir is survived by his wife, Suciwati, and a son and
\ndaughter. As Suciwati prepared to leave for Amsterdam on
\nWednesday, the family home in Bekasi, East Jakarta, was crowded
\nwith praying people, including victims and survivors of the
\nseveral cases of violence including the Semanggi shootings.<\/p>\n
The news of Munir's death shocked colleagues include those who
\nwork for Kontras, a non-governmental organization which provides
\nlegal counseling to victims of state-sponsored violence.<\/p>\n
\"Someone phoned the Kontras office at about 11 a.m. and told
\nus Cak Munir died, but we didn't take it seriously. We considered
\nit a hoax, but then around 1 p.m. Pak Todung confirmed he had
\ndied,\" Kontras researcher Batara Ibnu Reza said, referring to
\nnoted lawyer and rights campaigner Todung Mulya Lubis.<\/p>\n
Todung said a friend of his who also flew to Amsterdam on
\nMalaysian Airlines called to inform him about Munir's death.<\/p>\n
Curious rights activists have demanded an autopsy on Munir,
\naccording to Todung.<\/p>\n
Munir, who also cofounded the Imparsial human rights watch,
\nhas won much credit, including from military figures, whom he
\npersistently criticized.<\/p>\n
\"He (Munir) was a critical, staunch figure. Sometimes his
\ncriticism made many ears redden. He criticized the Indonesian
\nMilitary, and, often, me. But we need a person like Munir to
\nremind us if we stray away from democracy,\" former Army general
\npresidential frontrunner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.<\/p>",
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