- Antara/ Kontan/ Muradi
VIVAnews - The man who set himself on fire in a protest in front of the presidential building Istana Negara is identified as Sondang Hutagalung, 22.
Chrisbiantoro, a staffer at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said Sondang is listed a student of local campus Universitas Bung Karno in Jakarta.
"He's working on his thesis," he said today, Dec 9.
Sondang is the youngest of four children. His father is a cab driver while her mom stays at home. Sondang lives with his family in Pondok Ungu, Bekasi.
Chrisbiantoro said Sondang is a member of a student organization. He helms Hammurabi (short for Himpunan Aksi Mahasiswa Marhaenis untuk Rakyat Indonesia).
"He's an activist of a community called Sahabat Munir (literally Friends of Munir) for the past 1.5 years," he said.
Munir was a human rights activist who died of arsenic poisoning aboard a Garuda Indonesia aircraft on his trip to the Netherlands from Jakarta.
Kontras contacted him on September 7 in an effort to commemorate the death of Munir. He acted as Munir in a street theater performance.
"A month before his self-immolation day, he wanted his friends to take care Hammurabi," Chrisbiantoro said.
Earlier, Chief of Central Jakarta Police, Chief Comm. Angesta Romano Yoyol, said the self-immolation was not related to the demonstration which at the time took place before Istana Negara on Wednesday, Dec 7.
According to a witness, Sondang came to the scene with the body soaking wet with fuel.
"The protesters ended the demonstration at 4 p.m. The self-immolation occurred at 5.30 p.m.," said Yoyol.
