Bali Police question 8 in murder of Japanese woman+

JAKARTA, Dec. 27 Kyodo -
Police on the Indonesian resort island of Bali said Sunday they have questioned
eight people a day after they found a 41-year-old Japanese woman murdered in
her rental home in the Kuta area.
According to Kuta Police Chief Dodi Prawiranegara, Hiromi Shimada, 41, was
first found dead by her neighbors around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
She was found naked with stab wounds in the abdomen and her legs were tied with
a sarong, he said.
Prawiranegara said Shimada was resident in Bali, but she was about to be
deported to Japan in January for overstaying her visa.
Police said robbery did not appear to be a motive for the killing.
The eight people who have been questioned by the police included some friends
and neighbors who had known her in Bali for a long time.
According to neighbors, Shimada had been frequently seen enjoying the nightlife
in Bali.
They also said she apparently had financial support from her family in Japan,
but it is unclear what she was doing in Bali.
An autopsy is to be conducted Monday, police said.
Her hometown in Japan is so far unknown.
Last September a Japanese woman tourist was also murdered on the island.
==Kyodo
2009-12-27 22:35:01