JAKARTA, Indonesia – Former Indonesian first lady Hasri Ainun Habibie died Saturday of cervical cancer at a German hospital. She was 72. Family spokesman Ahmad Watik Pratiknya said she died Saturday at a Munich hospital, where she had been treated since March.
“She passed away very peacefully,” Pratiknya told reporters in Jakarta. He said former President B.J. Habibie had been at his wife’s bedside throughout her treatment. Pratiknya said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had ordered a state funeral for the former first lady, whose body is expected to be returned to Jakarta on Wednesday.
Hasri Ainun Habibie, a medical doctor, was first lady from 1998 to 1999. Her husband, who had been vice-president, became president after longtime President Suharto was swept from power following a wave of massive, pro-democracy street protests.
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