Kinanti Pinta Karana & Nivell Rayda, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan – The head of Kompas newspaper's Kalimantan bureau, Muhammad Syaifullah, was found dead at his house in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Monday.
Initial autopsy results indicated he had suffered a stroke but further tests will be carried out at the police forensic laboratory in Surabaya to rule out any possibility of foul play.
Some journalists believe Syaifullah could have been killed because of his reports on sensitive environmental issues.
RCTI journalist Nurhadi and a colleague found his body. He told the Jakarta Globe they went to the house at the request of Syaifullah's wife, who lives in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, as she had been unable to reach him since Saturday night.
"He was on the sofa in front of the TV set, with the remote control in his right hand," Nurhadi said. "His face was blue."
Wahyu Hidayat, the other journalist who found the body, said the door was unlocked when they arrived.
"I knew him for a long time," Wahyu said. "We once shared a house and I know he never had any serious illnesses. Syaifullah liked playing sports so there is no way he suffered a heart attack."
Born in South Kalimantan in 1967, Syaifullah joined Kompas in 1996. He is survived by his wife, Isnainijah Sri Rohmani, and two young daughters.
As the Kalimantan bureau chief for Kompas, Syaifullah's main focus was environmental issues. He oversaw articles written about the numerous coal-mining permits issued by the provincial government of East Kalimantan.
As word of his death spread, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) said it was planning to investigate.
"We are still monitoring the case of our friend's death," Nezar Patria, chairman of the organization also known as AJI, told the Jakarta Globe. "We will wait for the autopsy results to determine whether his death was due to natural causes or foul play.
"If he was murdered or poisoned, AJI will form a team to investigate if his death was related to his journalistic work."
Nezar said the AJI would also liaise with the province's mining authorities. "The connection to the mining industry will be included in our investigation, but we have to see what the autopsy results are," he said.
Hendrayana, chairman of the Legal Aid Foundation for the Press (LBH Press), said his group had deployed several advocates to monitor the police investigation into the death.
"There are suspicions that he was poisoned because of the news he was covering. We will coordinate with the police to ensure that they are serious about investigating the cause of death," Hendrayana said.
Balikpapan Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Aji Rafik said there were no indications of foul play.
"So far we haven't found any indication that he was murdered. For now, all evidence suggests Syaifullah died of natural causes," he said.
"We are now conducting interviews of several witnesses linked to his death, including the security guards monitoring the deceased's housing complex, for any suspicious activities."
LBH Press said last month there had been seven reports this year of intimidation of journalists reporting on deforestation and illegal mining.
Hendrayana said local police were unresponsive to journalists' complaints about such treatment, and only investigated if there was pressure from the public or advocates.
In a statement released on June 3 to mark World Environment Day, Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said: "Attacks on journalists and bloggers who try to cover any kind of environmental damage are growing steadily all over the world, but those who investigate industrial pollution or the destruction of forests are particularly exposed."