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