Body of Taiwan tourist found, to be cremated in Kashmir

Srinagar, Apr 8 (UNI) After 17 days of extensive search in the entire Kashmir valley, police recovered the highly decomposed body of Huang Sui Chin, a tourist from Taiwan who had gone missing on March 22 afternoon, from the Nigeen Lake here today.

Highly-placed sources told UNI that Huang will be cremated here on Monday once her husband arrives from Taiwan.

They said Huang's second daughter Liutsai Lin along with her friend Chenshin Chi arrived here this morning.

Huang's other daughter Resdenda Chin, and her friend Joseph, who reached here on April one to trace her mother, had left for Taiwan yesterday.

The sources said a shocked Liutsai identified the body of her mother. She said her mother had undergone surgery and bore marks of stitches on her stomach.

After identifying the body, Liutsai claimed the body, but asked the authorities here to go ahead with the cremation, they added.

However, the authorities contacted Taiwan Embassy officials in New Delhi who refused to give them permission to cremate Huang, the sources said.

They said the Embassy officials told the authorities here that her daughter could not decide about the cremation and only her husband can take a decision in this regard.

The Embassy officials asked the authorities here to wait till Monday as they had informed Huang's husband and he would be arriving in Srinagar that day, the sources added.

They said the cremation would now be held on Monday once Huang's husband arrives here.

However, no top police official was available for comment despite several efforts to contact them.

The sources said the police have registered a criminal case and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar Munir Khan will investigate the matter.

They said despite Liutsai identifying the body of Huang, the authorities have decided to conduct a DNA test on her.

Earlier, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Farooq Ahmed told UNI that Huang's daughter had identified the body.

The DIG said there were no external wounds on the body.

''Apparently, it appears that she must have drowned in the Lake.

The body is highly decomposed and seems to have been in the water for quite a long time,'' he added.

Mr Ahmed said the body had been sent to the police hospital for post-mortem.

A three-member board of doctors headed by Government Medical College Principal Ashiq Hussain Naqshbandi had been constituted for conducting the post-mortem, he added. The post-mortem had been conducted and the doctors have submitted their report to the higher authorities, the sources said. The fifty two-year-old Huang arrived here on March 22 and checked in the Lal Rukh houseboat located near Nehru Park in the Dal Lake area.

However, she immediately left for an internet cafe, but did not return till late in the night.

Later the houseboat owner, Ghulam Mohammad Khazir, informed the tourist police and a massive hunt was launched to trace Huang. A missing person case was registered at the Nehru Park police station here after there was no trace of her for few days.

The police also took possession of all her belongings, including passport issued on September 9, 2003 vide number 210008739.

She was issued a one-month visa vide number U136992 for staying in Kashmir.

Police had also issued an appeal in the local media stating that a person providing any clue about Huang would be suitably rewarded.

On April one, Huang's daughter Resdenda Chin arrived here along with friend Joseph to trace her monther.

''My mother loves adventure and she will be back,'' she had said on her arrival here.

Resdenda said Huang had visited several countries, including Nepal and Mongolia.

''My mother never used to contact us. We were expecting her to be back by April five when she had to catch return flight from Delhi.'' she added.

Resdenda said her mother had left a bag in the houseboat which did not contain anything important.

''We have a marriage function in Taiwan in the second week of April and she will be definitely back by then,'' Resdenda had hoped.

Several police teams had been rushed to different parts of the Kashmir valley to trace her, but without any success.

UNI