President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has extended deep condolences to the family of late Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, senior spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), who passed away in Guangzhou, China, early Sunday.

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rojiun. Our condolences on the passing of Mr Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in Guangzhou, in the wee hours today," the President wrote on his official Instagram account on Sunday.

Sutopo who was included in the list of "The Asians of the Year 2018" by the Straits Times died at 49 while being treated for lung cancer in China.

Jokowi said Sutopo had still shown his dedication to the nation and the public by kept providing the latest information on disasters happening in several regions in Indonesia, despite his illness.

Earlier, the BNPB announced that it suffered a tremendous loss in the passing of Sutopo, who had been confirmed by doctors to get lung cancer in December 2017. The cancer that he suffered had spread to his body's bones and several other vital internal organs.

His remains would be flown by a Garuda Indonesia aircraft from Guangzhou to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Cengkareng, Indonesia, on Sunday at 03:45 p.m. local time, Indonesian authorities said.

The Garuda Indonesia aircraft serving flight number GA-899 was expected to arrive at the Cengkareng-based airport at about 08:30 p.m. local time, General Manager of Garuda Indonesia's Guangzhou Office Suzana Argentine Walandouw said.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Guangzhou also confirmed the Garuda Indonesia officer's information on the repatriation of Sutopo's remains.

"May everything go smoothly," Walandouw said, adding that late Sutopo's wife Retno Utami Yulianingsih and several relatives would also join the same flight. Shortly after arriving, Sutopo's remains would be carried to the mourning house.

From the mourning house, which is located at Tapos, in Depok city, West Java Province, Sutopo's remains would then be transported to Boyolali in Central Java Province for burial.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi had contacted Sutopo's wife to express her condolences. (ANTARA)

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced that it suffered a tremendous loss in the passing of its senior spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, who died of lung cancer while being treated at an hospital in Guangzhou, China, on early Sunday.

The BNPB received the sad news from Sutopo's wife and his son's Twitter account, the agency's public relations division revealed in its press statement that ANTARA received here on Sunday.

Sutopo who was confirmed by doctors to get lung cancer in December 2017 passed away at around 02:20 a.m. Guangzhou's time or 01:20 a.m. Jakarta's time after being treated at the Chinese city's St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital since June 15.

The cancer that he suffered had spread to his body's bones and several other vital internal organs. However, despite his serious illness, Sutopo remained committed to his professional work as the agency's spokesperson.

Amid his ongoing endeavor to receive medical treatment, he still held regular press briefings to update information on the impact and mitigation efforts of such catastrophic disasters as the Lombok and Palu earthquakes and tsunamis, BNPB said.

"We all suffer a tremendous loss in the passing of Mr.Sutopo. May the Almighty, Allah Subhana Wa Taala accepts his good deeds, and enable the mourning families to cope with this loss and grief patiently," the BNPB said. (ANTARA)

The Head of Data Information and Public Relations Center for the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, has passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2019, at around 01:00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) at 49 years old. The Head of the TU Pusdatinmas Division of BNPB, Yahya, confirmed this when contacted by Tempo on Sunday morning (7/7) . Even so, Yahya had not been able to ascertain when Sutopo’s body will be brought back to Indonesia. He said Sutopo's family is still communicating with the Indonesian Embassy in China.

Sutopo was known to have departed for Guangzhou, China, to treat his lung cancer which was getting worse. He announced his departure from Soekarno Hatta Airport to China through a vlog (video blog recording) and uploaded it on his Instagram account on June 15, 2019. At that time, Sutopo also said that the cancer cells had spread to many other bones and organs inside of him. (tempo)

South Kalimantan hosted the peak of the 26th National Family Day 2019. The 2019 National Family Day which was held in the South Kalimantan Provincial Office complex, Banjarbaru, Saturday (06/07) was attended by Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Puan Maharani and Indonesian Health Minister Nila Moeloek. Puan Maharani who represented President Joko Widodo opened the annual event. In her remarks, Puan Maharani said that National Family Day was an annual commemoration that could strengthen the relationship between family and mutual cooperation for Indonesian families.

“Families play an important role in building character, ethics, and norms in socialization, and in strengthening Pancasila in the life of nation and state. Every Indonesian family must also understand that Indonesia is a large and diverse nation. There are 714 ethnic groups, 1100 regional languages, 17 thousand islands. Therefore, the family must be a place to build attitudes in respecting differences and of course prioritizing a sense of unity as a big family, Indonesia,” said Puan Maharani.

The peak of the 26th National Family Day Commemoration in 2019 was enlivened by the awarding of the Satya Lencana Pembangunan and Satya Lancana Wira Karya awards from President Joko Widodo to governors, regents and mayors throughout Indonesia who succeeded in the fields of population, family planning and family development.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Indonesian National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Hasto Wardoyo as Chair of the organizing committee said that he would further develop the Family Planning Village in each region in Indonesia through community empowerment to create a prosperous and quality family. (KBRN/trans by PUTRI)