Businessman Eddi Kowara dies at 77

Businessman Eddi Kowara dies at 77

JAKARTA (JP): Eddi Kowara Adiwinata, one of Indonesia's most successful indigenous entrepreneurs, died Saturday night at the age of 77 at the Mt. Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

Survived by 10 children and 26 grandchildren, Kowara is the father-in-law of President Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana.

Born in Banten, West Java, on Sept. 27, 1919, he started his business in 1940, when he founded Indonesia's first construction company, PT Teknik Umum.

PT Coca-Cola Tirtalina is one of the numerous well-known companies he founded and led until recently.

A recipient of the government's Gerilya and Veteran medals, he was once chairman of the National Builders Association and a senior official at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.

He was a member of the Supreme Advisory Council in the early 1980s.

He was buried in his family cemetery in the West Java town of Garut yesterday, spokesman for PT Coca-Cola Indonesia said yesterday. (pan)