26 Feb 2010

Renewed call to probe 2004 death of Australian journalist in Papua

5:51 pm on 26 February 2010

There are calls to investigate again the death of an Australian journalist filming Papuan guerrillas.

Mark Worth, who was 45, was found dead in a hotel room in Sentani in Papua province in mid-January 2004.

Pneumonia was reported as the cause of death.

He died two days after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation announced that his documentary, Land of the Morning Star, would premier on Australian screens in February 2004.

But his friends, including a former Papuan politician Clemence Runawery, say his death was suspicious.

The plea for a fresh probe comes as Papuan leaders prepare to raise their plight with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who visits Papua New Guinea before heading to Australia next month.