Woman's death still a mystery

JAKARTA (JP): Investigators are awaiting autopsy results of Desi Susanti, who died shortly after she was taken to Cipto Mangukusumo General Hospital by military police officers on Wednesday afternoon.

Her body was transported by plane to her hometown in Pekanbaru, Riau, for burial.

A relative said Desi, 21, had family members in Jakarta, but she preferred to stay at a her boardinghouse on Jl. Lauzer.

"I don't know personal details about her," the relative said at the hospital's morgue on Thursday.

On Wednesday, a hospital official said there was a foamy discharge from the woman's mouth when she died.

Jakarta Military Police Commander Col. Mungkono Mursidi said he was waiting for postmortem findings.

"We also have asked assistance from the Central Jakarta Police's crime laboratory to examine liquids ingested by the victim," he told The Jakarta Post late Thursday.

According to Mungkono, Desi tried on Wednesday to meet Sgt. Siswanto, a military police officer who was formerly assigned to a military police battalion headquarters on Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.

A security guard left her in the battalion's waiting room while he looked for Siswanto.

He was unable to locate Siswanto and returned to find Desi collapsed on the waiting room floor. Next to her body was a plastic pack containing an unidentified liquid.

He asked two colleagues to help him take the critically ill woman to the hospital. Hospital officials said the men initially refused to sign registration forms for the woman's admittance and left the hospital without notification. Two of the men later returned and complied with hospital procedures.

"We will soon identify Siswanto and where he is assigned now," said Mungkono.

Police are investigating Desi's death.(asa)