Indonesia activist dies after setting himself ablaze

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- An Indonesian student activist has died after setting himself on fire in front of the presidential palace, police said Sunday. 

Sondang Hutagalung, 22, set himself ablaze across from the palace in downtown Jakarta.

Police Col. Angesta Romano Yoyol said that the man died late Saturday at the hospital where he was being treated for burns over 98 percent of his body.

Hutagalung, a law student, was a well-known rights advocate. However, it was still unclear what he was protesting with his self-immolation on Wednesday. Yoyol said a police are investigating.

The activist was last seen joining a Sept. 7 protest demanding justice for Munir Thalib, a prominent activist who died in 2004 of arsenic poisoning during a flight with national carrier Garuda.

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