'Indonesian Observer' suspends operations<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The country's oldest English daily, Indonesian
\nObserver, has currently frozen its operations, as a result of
\nfinancial difficulties.<\/p>\n
It is the first time the Observer has had to resort to the
\ntemporary freezing of operations, since it was established in
\n1955, its chief editor, Taufik Darusman, told The Jakarta Post on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
\"The primary reason? The printer has just refused to print the
\nnewspaper. There are certain financial obligations that we need
\nto honor, which to date, we have not,\" said Taufik, who has
\nworked for the newspaper for a total of eight years.<\/p>\n
\"It is not that we are closing down, just freezing our
\noperations temporarily.\"<\/p>\n
He added that the daily's operations would be discontinued for
\nan indefinite period.<\/p>\n
\"Soon, we are scheduled to hold a shareholders' meeting ...
\nfrom there we will decide what steps to take next,\" Taufik said.<\/p>\n
Their last edition, VOL XLI No. 10,434, was published on
\nWednesday, at 16 pages.<\/p>\n
Publisher Peter F. Gontha, part-owner of PT Datacom Asia,
\ncould not be reached for comment on the matter.<\/p>\n
A source noted that Peter had reportedly warned the paper to
\nmake efforts to somehow try and increase the daily's circulation,
\nor suffer the consequences.<\/p>\n
Taufik noted that the daily, which employs about 100 editorial
\nand noneditorial staff, enjoyed its heyday in the mid-1980s when
\nthe number of foreigners nationwide was at \"its highest level\".<\/p>\n
\"We have informed our employees that this situation is
\ntemporary ... they have decided to stick with us,\" Taufik said.<\/p>\n
Burhanuddin Muhammad Diah, who had published the oldest
\nnational daily, Merdeka, and his wife, Herawati Diah, first
\npublished the Observer in 1955 to mark the first Asia-Africa
\nConference, in Bandung, West Java.<\/p>\n
The second major English daily,The Indonesia Times, was first
\npublished in 1974. The daily, which tended to support former
\npresident B.J. Habibie, suspended its operation in the late 1990s
\nfollowing his failure to secure the presidential seat. It has not
\nresumed publication until today. (ylt)<\/p>",
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