Sayuti Bochari, a journalist with the Ujungpandang-based weekly Pos Makasar, died in the hospital of head and neck injuries. Sayuti was found lying unconscious on June 9 on a street in the village of Luwu, about 300 miles (480 kilometers) north of Ujungpandang, the provincial capital. His motorbike, found next to his body, was not damaged. Family members and friends said his injuries indicated he had been beaten.
Sayuti had written several articles about local officials who had allegedly embezzled government funds earmarked for alleviating poverty. He had also reported on the theft of timber involving a village chief, a story that made the front page of Pos Makasar on June 1. The paper’s editor-in-chief, Andi Tonra Mahie, said Sayuti’s death was a result of his reporting on local corruption, but local police said the cause was a traffic accident.