Police investigating death of French journalist

JAKARTA (JP): City police spokesman Supt. Muhammad Nur Haji Usman said on Saturday officers were investigating the death of French journalist Marie Francoise Blain in a five-star hotel on Jl. Garnizun Dalam in Semanggi, South Jakarta.

The 54-year-old journalist, who was found dead at the hotel on Thursday, is believed to have been murdered.

"The police have yet to find any preliminary evidence, such as fingerprints in the hotel room, which is making it difficult for us to locate any suspects.

"However, the police will prioritize the investigation into her death since it affects the country's image to the outside world," Nur said at his office on Saturday.

The body of the victim was discovered when a hotel employee smelled a bad odor coming from room 2508 on Thursday. The employee, suspicious of the odor, opened the door and discovered the victim's body.

The victim, who had stayed at the hotel for a month, was found with a towel around her neck and two barbells lying close to her body.

Police sources said the victim might have been chocked with the towel, and the barbells used to bludgeon her.

Blain was wearing a white T-shirt and black pants when her body was discovered. Traces of blood were discovered on the floor, the bedside table and the wardrobe.

After the body was discovered, the hotel reported the incident to the city police headquarters.

A report from the hotel to the police says the victim may have been dead since Monday.

The report said the hotel's employees had not cleaned the room since Monday because a "Do not disturb" sign had been placed on the door, which was locked.

City police detectives confirmed the victim was a journalist. "Our personnel have her identity card," said an officer close to the investigation, Asst. Supt. Tito Karnavian, adding that police would have to make inquiries in order to learn which media outlet the victim worked for.

Will

Police also found some documents in the room, including a letter, believed to be her will, which was dated Aug. 17 this year. The police have yet to confirm whether the letter was typed by the victim or by someone else to create the impression that the victim committed suicide.

In the letter, written in Bahasa Indonesia, Blain asked the French Embassy to bury her in a Catholic cemetery in Jakarta.

The victim, the daughter of Francois Blain and Marie Louise Hellio, also made arrangements for her apartment in Paris and made a bequest to the director of the World Trade Center in Jakarta, Erwin Ramedhan. (asa)