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)