Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Besides President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Boediono will also pay homage to senior journalist Rosihan Anwar who passed away on Thursday morning.

"The vice president will pay homage to Rosihan Anwar at 1 on Thursday afternoon," vice presidential spokesman Yopie Hidayat said in a short message to Antara.

Yopie said Vice President Boediono on March 30 visited Rosihan at Harapan Kita Hospital where the latter underwent heart bypass surgery and stayed at the hospital for 20 days before being allowed to go home.

"The vice president and Pak Rosihan are best friends in his visit to Rosihan at Harapan Kita Hospital they talked in a friendly informal way about their experiences," Yopie said, adding that at the time Rosihan told Boediono about how he first met his wife late Siti Zuraida.

Roshina passed away of a heart attack at the Metropolitan Medical Center (MMC) in Jakarta at 8.15 am on Thursday.

Honorary Council secretary of the Indonesian Journalist Association Ilham Bintang said Rosihan Anwar was very weak when being fed by his daughter this morning, and then he was rushed to the MMC.

According to him, when checked by a doctor upon arrival at the hospital he was already gone.

His relatives said Rosihan Anwar had a heart bypass surgery at Harapan Kita hospital here on March 24.

He was there for 20 days under intensive care and then allowed to go home.

He was born in Kubang, Solok, West Sumatera on May 10, 1922. He started his carrier as a journalist for Indonesia Raya Daily at the age of 21 after finishing study in Yogyakarta. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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