Australia man dies in hotel

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The body of an Australian volunteer, Timothy Davis, who was found dead in his hotel room in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday would immediately be sent home to his family, a police officer said on Tuesday.

Witnesses said the 50-year-old World Food Programme (WFP) volunteer checked in at the hotel on Sunday night following his arrival from Aceh where he was assisting with post-tsunami rehabilitation work. He planned to visit a doctor the next day.

Head of Medan police's crime unit, Adj. Comr. Sandi Nugroho said Davis would be sent home upon the request of his wife, who is currently in Rome.

"We don't know when his body will be flown home to Australia but it will be soon as it has already been arranged by the Australian Embassy," Sandi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Chief of Medan Police, Sr. Comr. Irawan Dahlan, said preliminary investigation showed no signs of violence on the body. The police were still investigating the case but the preliminary investigation showed he died of his sickness, he added. -- JP