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WORLD NEWS Monday 8 July 2019

Face of Indonesia disaster relief efforts dies at 49

By STEPHEN WRIGHT a humanitarian hero.”In a
Associated Press country where many of-
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — ficials are notorious for
Indonesia’s disaster agen- economy with the truth or
cy spokesman, who was outright distortion, Nugro-
respected for informing ho distinguished himself by
the public accurately and marshaling facts, combat-
quickly about the country’s ing hoaxes and frequently
frequent natural calamities, drawing attention to lack
has died. He was 49. of disaster preparedness
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho and man-made factors
died Sunday morning in that worsen natural calami-
Guangzhou, China, where ties.
he had been undergoing He was the public face of
cancer treatment since the thousands of people
June, the National Disaster involved in Indonesia’s ar-
Mitigation Agency said. duous disaster relief efforts
Nugroho revealed in early and affectionately known
2018 that he had been di- as “Pak Topo,” a moniker
agnosed with advanced that combined abbrevia-
lung cancer and was told tions of his name and the
he might not survive more In this March 18, 2019, photo, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Indonesian word for mister.
than a year. Nugroho speaks during a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia. His communications exper-
As his personal tragedy Associated Press tise earned him numerous
unfolded, the year would floods and landslides. py, updating social media, and public independently awards in Indonesia and
become one of the worst Nugroho continued to work holding press conferences and tirelessly even while the region.
in recent memory for natu- while enduring intense and fielding calls from re- very sick,” disaster agency Tributes poured in Sunday
ral disasters in Indonesia. pain, typing news releases porters at any hour. chief Doni Monardo told from people of all walks of
Thousands died in a series from his hospital bed after “He was a hardworking fig- The Associated Press. life in Indonesia and neigh-
of earthquakes, tsunamis, undergoing chemothera- ure who served the media “He deserves to be called boring countries.q

Latest Hong Kong protest focuses on high-speed rail station

Associated Press land, where news cover- opening last September
HONG KONG (AP) — Pro- age of anti-government because passengers go
testers in Hong Kong have protests that have wracked through Chinese immigra-
chosen a new high-speed Hong Kong for the past tion and customs inside it.
railway station that con- month has been heavily Mainland law applies in the
nects the city with main- restricted and focused on area, roughly one-quarter
land China as the destina- condemning demonstra- of the station. While conve-
tion for their latest march to tors for clashing with po- nient for travelers, some op-
protect the freedoms of the lice and destroying public position lawmakers argued
semi-autonomous Chinese property. the move violates the Ba-
territory. A look at why: It is the first protest on the sic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-
MAINLAND TOURISTS Kowloon side of Hong Kong constitution under which it In this Sept. 22, 2018, file photo, a woman waves a British flag
Organizers of Sunday’s harbor. retained its own legal sys- outside the Western Kowloon Station during a protest against the
march have said they want STATION CONTROVERSY tem and civil liberties after opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Express Rail Link in Hong
to explain their movement The station itself stirred reverting from British to Chi- Kong.
to people from the main- controversy ahead of its nese rule in 1997.q Associated Press