Flores shooting death toll rises to six

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: The death toll from a demonstration that went awry rose to six on Wednesday, as a 45-year-old man died in the hospital due to complications suffered after being shot by the police last week in Manggarai regency on Flores island.

The victim was identified as Frans Atuk, 45, a resident of Biting subdistrict in the regency. He was in critical condition at Ruteng hospital in Manggarai for the past week, but doctors could not save him.

"He was one of some 400 people who descended upon and attacked Manggarai police precinct last week," according to the spokesman for the East Nusa Tenggara provincial police Comr. I Wayan Dana.

The demonstrators became agitated after the police rejected their demand to release their seven colleagues who were previously arrested for trying to plant coffee in a protected forest, which prompted the police to open fire into the crowd, killing five instantly and wounding dozens more.

Frans Atuk was shot in the back. The other people killed in the incident were Frans Magur, 60, Yoseph Tafuk, 23, Vitalis Jarut, 23, Domi Amput, 40 and Maksimus Toi. At least 10 people have been named suspects, all of them demonstrators. -- JP