Aussie chief of defense due here

JAKARTA (JP): Australian Defense Minister Robert F. Ray will visit Indonesia as the guest of his Indonesian counterpart, Gen. Edi Sudradjat, starting Monday, the Australian Embassy announced.

During the six-day visit, Ray is scheduled to meet with President Soeharto, Vice President Try Sutrisno and Commander of the Armed Forces Gen. Feisal Tanjung.

Ray is also scheduled to visit Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Lombok to better understand Indonesia outside the capital.

Before he was first elected as Senator for Victoria in 1980, Ray was a taxi driver, research officer and technical school teacher. He was re-elected four times, the last being in 1990.

He became minister for home affairs in 1987 and has since held other postings such as minister for immigration, local government and ethnic affairs and manager of government business.(pwn)