RP awaits RI probe on geologist's death

RP awaits RI probe on geologist's death

MANILA (AFP): The Philippines is still waiting for an official Indonesian report on the mysterious death of a Filipino geologist who discovered the Busang gold mine, President Fidel Ramos said yesterday.

Michael de Guzman, a geologist for Canada's Bre-X Minerals, was killed after he reportedly jumped from a helicopter last month in East Kalimantan.

Indonesian police initially reported it as an apparent suicide but family members have disputed this, saying De Guzman had no reason to kill himself.

"We are awaiting the official report of the Indonesian government in which we have full confidence in unraveling the mystery," Ramos said in a news conference.

Asked what steps Manila was taking on its own, Ramos said: "None yet because the investigation by the Indonesian government is not complete."

He said the Indonesian government is expected to transmit its official findings to the Philippine embassy in Jakarta "when it is ready."

De Guzman's death has attracted international attention because the Filipino geologist had been credited with discovering the Busang gold mine in Borneo, reportedly the biggest gold find in this century.

The mystery deepened further however following reports by independent consultants that the mine could contain far less deposits than previously claimed, causing the listed company's value to plunge by over 80 percent in a frenzied selling spree.

A newspaper in Indonesia also reported last week that De Guzman's body, which was buried by relatives in Manila earlier this month, could not have been his remains -- a report also denied by the geologist's family.

The Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation has conducted its own autopsy on De Guzman but has yet to reveal it findings.