*StarDust*

Indonesian minister hits out at TV channel over documentary


The Indonesian health minister said Indonesian medical teams would cooperate with Anthony Gaspari (left), a dermatologist from the US University of Maryland to treat Dede (right). -- PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA - THE Indonesian health minister lashed out at the Discovery Channel on Sunday for exploiting a villager known as the 'Tree Man' for a documentary, reports said.

Dede, who goes by one name and is dubbed the 'Tree Man' because of massive bark-like warts growing on much of his body, was in a Discovery Channel documentary this month.

The growths entirely cover his hands in long, root-like tendrils that leave him unable to work.

'They have taken his image for free, then commercialised it. The man had received nothing,' Siti Fadillah Supari was quoted saying by Detikcom news website after she met the 32-year-old Dede in a hospital in West Java.

She said that the Indonesian government would send a lawyer to Dede to help him recover his rights from the Discovery Channel.

The channel was not immediately available for comment.

Asked to comment on speculation Indonesia had barred Dede from travelling to the United States to receive treatment, she said: 'The Indonesian government has yet to receive any request to bring him to the US. That's only a rumour.'

The minister said Indonesian medical teams would cooperate with Anthony Gaspari, a dermatologist from the US University of Maryland - who examined Dede as part of the documentary - to treat Dede.

'We will cooperate with Dr Anthony from Maryland who had taken his blood sample and specimen... We will treat him with medication as requested by him,' the minister told local radio ElShinta.

mr Gaspari believes the massive growths are a combination of a virus which causes warts and a genetic disorder that means Dede's immune system is too weak to fight them off. -- AFP


Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2...ry_180331.html

jencrs

Jeez, poor chap. Wonder if there's any cure at his stage.

*StarDust*

Looks quite scary too. Warts and virus living on his skin.

Miss QQ

Hope that there is a cure for him...

Life is full of unexpected surprises

KongMing

Maybe he can become LOTR TreeMan.

Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid.
Thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win ~~~ Zhuge Liang

Voodoo Vince

He really looked like that treeman.

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Twinkle

Looks scary.

MelvinLee

look really scary, cant believe it

I made a terrible mistake That I can't take back.Now when I close my eyes, All I see is black.Whoever thought,That this would happen to me I'm not chained physically,But mentally,I'll never be the same,Never again.I deeply regret ,what I did.The mistake I can't take back.I regret it deeply, I just have one plea....God please forgive me.

imara

His hands look like they have bark peeling off. sick.

Baby_Nutz

Oh no... Poor thing... :-(

Hope he recover...

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