Retired general dies during campaign

PALEMBANG: Brig. Gen. (ret) Ibrahim Saleh, known for the "interruption case" during the Soeharto era, died Friday at a campaign rally for presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri at Palembang's Bumi Sriwijaya Stadium.

Zaid Saidi, a witness, said the 72-year-old Ibrahim, standing near the stage, suddenly fell at about 2 p.m. Campaign officials then took him to the nearby Khodijah Islamic Hospital.

"He couldn't be saved," Zaid said.

Several public figures in South Sumatra, including Governor Alex Noerdin, Palembang Mayor Eddy Santana Putra, chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) local branch, and Nazarudin Kiemas, brother of Megawati's husband Taufik Kiemas, visited the hospital to pay their last respects. -JP