Body of PNG student who died in Chinese jail returns home

By REBECCA KUKU
THE body of the Papua New Guinean student who died in a Chinese prison in January was brought home yesterday.
Tyson Kulara, pictured, 24, from Enga, was in the second year of an accounting course at Liaoning University of Technology in China when he was arrested and detained at a prison in Dalian where authorities said he died of cardiac arrest on Jan 27.
The Kulara family was informed of their son’s death on Feb 5, nine days after his death, and since then have been trying to bring his body home.
Upon arrival, father Thompson Kulara said he was happy his son was home but he never expected it to be this way.
“The last couple of weeks hasn’t been easy but we managed to get through and we’ve finally brought him home,” Kulara said.
“We have many people to thank and we give glory to God for making an impossible trip quite easy.”
Kulara said his son was not under the Chinese Government Scholarship programme and was a self-sponsored student through the Education in Pacific Asia programme.
Kulara thanked the PNG Student Community in China along with fellow Pacific students studying in various institutions who contributed 10,000 yuan (K5000) to assist meet the cost of bringing him home.
“The Papua New Guinea Embassy has been able to give us consular support despite its own challenges and setbacks. They really did their best,” he said.
“We thank our Governor Peter Ipatas and the provincial government for their support in bringing back the body.”