Munir's body flown to Malang

INDONESIA: The body of top human rights activist Munir arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport from the Netherlands on a Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) plane at about 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Two hours later the remains were flown aboard a Merpati plane to Munir's hometown of Malang, East Java, for burial at about 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Hundreds of Munir's colleagues and other activists met his body at the airport and joined his wife, Suciwati, in Malang to pay their last respects to the outspoken rights campaigner.

Among the entourage were noted political analyst Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, Indonesianist Jeffrey Winters, Indonesian Corruption Watch chairman Teten Masduki, former state secretary Marsilam Simanjuntak and former Alliance of Independent Journalists chairwoman and The Jakarta Post managing editor Ati Nurbaiti.

Munir died onboard a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Tuesday, about two hours before the plane landed at Schiphol Airport. He was flying to the Netherlands to pursue his master's degree.

The airport conducted an autopsy on his body in accordance with Dutch regulations. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said The Hague had reported the autopsy was complete and had ruled Munir's death was not suspicious.

Munir is survived by his wife and one daughter. -- JP