REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to immediately facilitate the repatriation of the bodies of two Indonesian murder victims in Hong Kong.
"We will immediately facilitate the repatriation of the bodies so that they can be buried in Indonesia," a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Michael Tene, said on Tuesday.
According to Tene, the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong will follow up with the legal proceedings related to the case.
"The preliminary hearing was held on Monday (November 3). The police will hold a reconstruction of the murders in the next few days. Further hearings will also be held. The Consulate General will follow up with the legal proceedings in Hong Kong related to the case," he affirmed.
A 29-year-old Englishman, Rurik Jutting, has been charged with the murder of the two women. The Hong Kong Police found their bodies in his apartment in Johnston Road, Wan Chai, in Hong Kong.
The ministry has confirmed that both victims were Indonesian nationals. It plans to contact their families in Indonesia to coordinate with them for the repatriation of the bodies.
The ministry spokesman added that both victims were in Hong Kong on tourist visas. He also appealed to all Indonesians abroad to be careful and to not get involved in any illegal activities.
"Indonesian people should avoid (getting involved in) illegal or criminal activities that could threaten their lives," Tene stated.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong confirmed the victims' names as Sumarti Ningsih from Cilacap, Central Java, and Seneng Mujiasih from Muna, Southeast Sulawesi. The Hong Kong Police will conduct a reconstruction of the murder on November 7.