Rights campaigner Munir dies on plane

Rights campaigner Munir dies on plane

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Outspoken rights campaigner Munir, 38, died onboard a flight to
the Netherlands on Tuesday morning, to the shock of many who knew
him as "the voice of the voiceless."

One of the founders of the independent Commission for Missing
Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) passed away on a Garuda
Indonesia flight to Amsterdam, which departed from Jakarta via
Singapore late Monday. The cause of the death remains unclear.

Garuda spokesman Pujobroto said Munir died about two hours
before landing at Amsterdam's Schipol airport.

His friends and colleagues said he appeared healthy and
cheerful before departing to continue his studies on human rights
at Utrecht University, where he had been offered a scholarship.

They, however, said that Munir had, at one time, been in the
hospital in Jakarta for liver ailments. He also suffered from
gastric problems.

Pujobroto said the purser or crew supervisor Najib reported to
Capt. Pantun Matondang after seeing that Munir, sitting in seat
40-G, appeared to be very ill.

"The cabin crew immediately reported to the pilot in command
that a passenger was sick -- a condition which had forced him to
go to the restroom several times," Pujobroto said in a press
statement.

Matondang then ordered Najib to ask for medical assistance
from another passenger, a doctor who also happened to be onboard.
After giving initial first aid, Munir was moved to a seat near
the doctor.

"At that time he (Munir) looked comfortable and was able to
rest comfortably, but about two hours before the plane landed,
Najib and the doctor found that Munir had died," Pujobroto said.

Authorities at Schipol airport examined Munir's body in
accordance with airport regulations.

"Garuda is ready to take Munir's family to Amsterdam and
transport his remains back to Indonesia," said Pujobroto.

Kontras coordinator Usman Hamid said Munir's remains are
expected to be flown to Jakarta on Wednesday, pending an autopsy.

Munir is survived by his wife, Suciwati, and a son and
daughter. As Suciwati prepared to leave for Amsterdam on
Wednesday, the family home in Bekasi, East Jakarta, was crowded
with praying people, including victims and survivors of the
several cases of violence including the Semanggi shootings.

The news of Munir's death shocked colleagues include those who
work for Kontras, a non-governmental organization which provides
legal counseling to victims of state-sponsored violence.

"Someone phoned the Kontras office at about 11 a.m. and told
us Cak Munir died, but we didn't take it seriously. We considered
it a hoax, but then around 1 p.m. Pak Todung confirmed he had
died," Kontras researcher Batara Ibnu Reza said, referring to
noted lawyer and rights campaigner Todung Mulya Lubis.

Todung said a friend of his who also flew to Amsterdam on
Malaysian Airlines called to inform him about Munir's death.

Curious rights activists have demanded an autopsy on Munir,
according to Todung.

Munir, who also cofounded the Imparsial human rights watch,
has won much credit, including from military figures, whom he
persistently criticized.

"He (Munir) was a critical, staunch figure. Sometimes his
criticism made many ears redden. He criticized the Indonesian
Military, and, often, me. But we need a person like Munir to
remind us if we stray away from democracy," former Army general
presidential frontrunner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.