Ailing Alatas to take further heart treatment in Australia

Ailing Alatas to take further heart treatment in Australia

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas is
recovering from a mild heart attack he sustained two weeks ago
but he has been ordered by doctors to undergo further treatment
in Australia.

"I'm feeling much better, things are now under control,"
Alatas told a reporter from The Jakarta Post, who visited him at
his room at the Medistra hospital in Central Jakarta yesterday.

Accompanied by his wife and a daughter, Alatas looked fresh
and was full of smiles. Bouquets sent by colleagues and relatives
filled up the lobby outside his room which was attended a
hospital security guard.

The 61-year-old minister, known as a hard-working chain
smoker, was admitted to the hospital's Intensive Cardiac Care
Unit two weeks ago, but was moved to private room last week.

His doctors had ordered him to have two weeks of complete rest
but it now appears that he will be out of action for a little
while longer.

Alatas has been recuperating with the support of his wife, who
visits him everyday and receives a continuous flow of guests.

He has also started sending memorandums to his staff from the
hospital.

The ministry's chief spokesman, Irawan Abidin, who visited the
minister yesterday, told the Post that Alatas would leave for
Melbourne, Australia, soon for another treatment.

A statement issued by the ministry later explained that
Alatas' condition was getting better and that he has been
monitoring the ministry's activities from the hospital.

The treatment in Australia aims at preventing a possible
narrowing of the blood vessels.

According to the statement, the minister was concerned about
speculation regarding his health in the past few days. (par)