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Actor-cum-politician Sophan killed
SOPHAN SOPHIAN: (JP/Arief Suhardiman) Noted Indonesian actor turned politician Sophan Sophiaan was killed Saturday in a motorcycle accident near the border of Ngawi in East Java and Sragen in Central Java
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SOPHAN SOPHIAN: (JP/Arief Suhardiman)
Noted Indonesian actor turned politician Sophan Sophiaan was killed Saturday in a motorcycle accident near the border of Ngawi in East Java and Sragen in Central Java.
The 64 year old died en route to the Sragen state hospital, a doctor confirmed. He is survived by his wife, actress Widyawati, two sons and a grandchild.
"He suffered severe internal injuries and fractures in some parts of his body," Dr. Iman Fadli of Sragen hospital said.
Sophan was involved in a motorcade across Java held in celebration of the National Awakening Day centennial.
His body lies in state at his house in Bintaro ahead of the burial at Tanah Kusir public cemetery on Sunday.
Hundreds of mourners, including State Secretary Hatta Radjasa, gathered at the house to pay their last respects to the award-winning actor, who rose to fame after starring in Pengantin Remaja in 1971.
"Sophan, along with me, the late director Teguh Karya and actress Christine Hakim, struggled to revive Indonesian movies from their downturn in the 1970s. As an actor he was very professional. If a shoot started at seven, he would arrive at 6:30. As a national figure, he had a clean reputation. We never heard that he was involved in fraud," director Slamet Rahardjo said.
Politician Erros Djarot said Sophan had been an independent politician.
Sophan served as a House of Representatives lawmaker as a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party from 1992 to 1997, and served as a House member under the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle between 1999 and 2004. He quit the House in 2002 after saying he had witnessed political practices that went against his conscience.
Chief of Ngawi Police's traffic unit Adj. Comr. Eni Mardiasri said the accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m.
"It happened after Pak Shopan rode across a hole two meters wide in the road. He seemed to try to avoid it, but failed and fell," Eni said, adding that it had been a solo accident.
The motorcade is scheduled to reach Jakarta on May 20, after covering 1,908 kilometers.
Sophan was riding alone in a maroon 1,450 cc Ultra Harley Davidson as his wife Widyawati rode in a car following the convoy.
A number of former government officials and businesspeople joined the tour, including former National Police chief Gen (ret.) Roesmanhadi, former commander of the Navy's Western Fleet Vice Adm. (ret.) Mualimin Santoso, and herbal medicine businessman Irvan Hidayat.
Leo Roy Usmani, a close friend of Sophan who was also in the parade, said Widyawati, who usually always rode with her husband on his motorbike, was shocked by the accident.
"She never thought Mas Shopan would leave us this soon," Leo said.
Born in Makassar on April 26, 1944, Shopan was a prominent figure in the country's movie industry in the 70s and 80s. He started his career as an actor, then film director, producer and later politician.
He won the best actor award in the 1978 Indonesian Film Festival for his role in Letnan Harahap.
He helped form the Reform Democratic Party, together with fellow former PDI-P figures Laksamana Sukardi, Arifin Panigoro, Roy BB Janis and Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo, but never officially joined the new party. (alf/uwi)
