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.