Rights defender who shone a light on Papua, Carmel Budiardjo dies
rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Carmel Budiardjo: rights defender who shone a light on Papua
rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Antara Foto via Reuters
Indonesian human rights and environmental groups are calling for further investigation into the death of a local government official who had voiced opposition to a Canadian-owned gold mine on his island after police said he died of natural causes.
Helmud Hontong, 58, the deputy head of the Sangihe Islands, a regency made up of islets in North Sulawesi province, died aboard a Lion Air flight from Bali to Makassar on June 9 after reportedly vomiting blood. Police on Monday said an autopsy they had conducted showed Helmud died of complications from a chronic illness.
Beka Ulung Hapsara, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said the central government in Jakarta should allow an impartial team to investigate the death.
Indonesian politician’s mid-flight death sparks probe, casts spotlight on threats to environmental activists Helmud Hontong, the late Vice-Regent of Sangihe Islands in North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Photo: Handout
When Indonesian politician Helmud Hontong boarded a flight from Denpasar in Bali to the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi last week, he was in good spirits.
The Vice-Regent of the remote Sangihe Islands in North Sulawesi province was on his way home after a meeting with other local regents.
But less than an hour into the 90-minute Lion Air flight, Helmud complained he was feeling faint, according to one of his aides. He then started to cough violently, as blood began to pour from his mouth and nose. The 58-year-old was declared dead on arrival when the plane landed in Makassar.