Indonesian engineering student Partahi “Mora” Lumbantoruan, killed in the Virginia Tech shooting last week, was buried in Java on Monday. Here in Bali the shootings made headlines on TV news shows, with the media quickly picking up on the ‘local interest’. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
Indonesian student slain in Virginia Tech shooting
JAKARTA (AP): Mourners scattered flowers over the grave of an Indonesian student buried Monday after he was gunned down in the Virginia Tech massacre in the U.S.
Partahi “Mora” Lumbantoruan had been studying civil engineering when he was killed two semesters short of getting his doctorate. He would have turned 35 this Thursday.
“Mora, my dear son, goodbye,” said his stepmother, Sugiyarti, weeping as his silver coffin was lowered into the ground. “May God accept you.”
Sugiyarti, a Lt. Col. in the Indonesian army, saluted as colleagues stood by in army uniforms, and an afternoon drizzle started to fall.
Before the burial, several dozen relatives and friends sang Christian songs after gathering for a private service at the family’s home in the capital, Jakarta.
South Korean student Seung-Hui Cho killed Lumbantoruan and 31 others at the sprawling U.S. campus last week before turning the gun on himself, sparking fresh criticism worldwide about the country’s liberal gun laws.
Lumbantoruan told family members he chose Virginia Tech because he thought it was among the world’s best technical colleges and hoped to one day become a teacher. His father said he sold property and cars to help him reach his goal.
Lumbantoruan’s mother, Rose, died in a traffic accident when he was just 3 and he was buried near her grave.
“Now I hand him over to you,” Sugiyarti said.
Here in Indonesia laws governing firearms are different from those in the US. Illegal possession of a firearm can see you go to jail for many years. In cases of self defense, the victim may also go to jail if the attacker dies, the logic being ‘you killed him’. Local reaction to the shootings as far as I can see, is basically ‘wow, he’s crazy’. Most people here are too busy earning a living, to care about issues such as gun control or civil liberties.
