Partahi Lumbantoruan
Lumbantoruan was a civil engineering doctoral student, according to Kristiarto Legowo, a spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry. Lumbantoruan had been studying civil engineering at Virginia Tech for three years, said his father, Tohom Lumbantoruan, a 66-year-old retired army officer. "We tried everything to completely finance his studies in the United States," he said. "We only wanted him to succeed in his studies, but... he met a tragic fate."
His stepmother, Sugiyarti, said he had called almost daily to talk to the family. In their last conversation he had asked for the latest news on Indonesian politics. "Why can people bring guns to campus?" she asked, weeping."How is it possible that so many innocent people could be killed? How could it happen?" Like many Indonesians she goes by one name.
An aunt, 53-year-old Christina Panjaitan, said her nephew was hardworking, intelligent and never complained. "He told me he wanted to teach in America," she said. Family members hoped the body would be returned home soon for a public burial in the capital Jakarta.
—AP