Detained foreigner on hunger strike

Detained foreigner on hunger strike

BANDA ACEH: An American nurse on trial in the Indonesian
province of Aceh for an immigration offence has gone on hunger
strike to protest at the slow pace of the proceedings, her lawyer
said Thursday.

"This hunger strike was begun by Joy on Wednesday afternoon
because she was really disappointed that the judge will only
resume the trial on December 19," said lawyer Rufriadi Ramli
referring to Joy Ernestine Sadler, 57.

Ramli said she would drink water but eat nothing, adding that
"her health condition is worrying."

On Wednesday Sadler told AFP she is HIV-positive and
terminally ill. She fears her trial will drag on until Christmas.

Sadler and her travelling companion, British academic Lesley
McCulloch, have been detained since September 11 when security
forces stopped them in the south of the province.

They are both on trial for visa violations but McCulloch says
she believes her detention is related to articles she has written
on Aceh for Asian newspapers. --AFP