Vietnamese student found dead

JAKARTA (JP): A Vietnamese citizen who was studying at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) was found dead on a sidewalk in Alas Roban district, near Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday.

The victim, Mohammed Lam Minh Thuc, 26, had a broken neck and wounds to the head. He was found by residents and his body was sent by a local hospital to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's (RSCM) morgue here.

"Lam was riding his motorcycle alone from Yogyakarta to Bogor. We still don't know how he fell from the bike and died," said Mohammed Ahsari, a friend of the victim.

Alas Roban, surrounded by thick forests along a winding road, is part of the north coast route across Central Java, where accidents are frequent.

Ahsari said that Lam was among a number of Vietnamese students who had received scholarships from the Islamic Development Bank.

"He had been studying food technology since 1997 and was to finish his studies and return home next year," said Ahsari, adding that Lam lived in a rented room near the campus in Dharmaga, Bogor.

Some students from Vietnam, who are studying engineering at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, visited the deceased at RSCM. His body was returned to Vietnam the following day.

"Lam was a bright student," said Tonny Ungerer, director of the international program at the institute. (07)