40-year-old minivan driver commits suicide

JAKARTA (JP): After three failed attempts to commit suicide, 40-year-old minivan driver Junaedi was finally found dead on Tuesday hanging from the rail of a double bunk bed at a relative's house in South Jakarta.

None of his family, including his wife Didin Saidah, could really understand his motive for ending his life.

According to Didin, her husband who was a driver of mikrolet M-16 plying the Kampung Melayu-Pasar Minggu route had several times attempted to kill himself, including by throwing himself into a well.

"At our home, he had tried to commit suicide at least three times after the recent Idul Fitri holidays," the housewife said, adding that her family which includes three children lives at the Taman Harapan housing complex on Jl. Dewi Sartika, East Jakarta.

Afraid of being unable to control her husband, Didin decided to ask Junaedi to stay with one of his sisters in Lenteng Agung in South Jakarta.

According to the victim's relatives, Junaedi was found by his four-year-old son, Kiki, at about 4 a.m. Both of his legs were bound up.

"Kiki screamed loudly after he realized that his father had passed away, as he did not respond to his call," housewife Didin said.

Junaedi's younger sister, Rita, speculated that her brother was particularly upset with a nightmare experience he had had four days before Idul Fitri.

According to her, his mikrolet was stolen on Jan. 15 by an unidentified man, who was involved in a fight with a group of men at Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.

"It was about 8 p.m. when Junaedi, who was looking for passengers, witnessed three people beating a man near his vehicle. He was threatened with a sickle by one of the people, who told him to mind his own business," Rita said.

"But suddenly, the man who was being beaten, got into the front seat of his car, strongly pushed Junaedi out and drove away at high speed," she said.

Since then, her brother had always been in a depressed mood and had become taciturn.

"He only went here and there to try to find his missing mikrolet," Rita said.

On the first day of the Idul Fitri holidays, she said, Junaedi was informed that his vehicle and its documents had been found unattended at the parking lot of the Persahabatan Hospital in Rawamangun, East Jakarta.

"Unfortunately, all the good news did not bring about any changes in my brother. He was still depressed and refused to go back behind the wheel," Rita recalled.

"From day to day, he only prayed," she said.

The night before he was found dead, she said, Junaedi borrowed a sarong, prayer mat and Koran from her to perform the Tahajud midnight prayer.

After being examined for a post-mortem report at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, the body of Junaedi was taken home in a mikrolet by his fellow drivers.

He was to be buried on Tuesday evening. (emf)