Dharmais grants houses

JAKARTA (JP): The Dharmais foundation, which is chaired by President Soeharto, donated houses in the Bekasi area to 270 Armed Forces members who had taken part in a military campaign in East Timor code-named Operasi Seroja.

Operation Seroja was a military campaign carried out by troops deployed in East Timor during the late 1970s. The army families have occupied the houses for ten years.

The Dharmais foundation's representative, Hediyanto, said the idea to grant the houses to the occupants came from its chairman, President Soeharto.

"To show our appreciation of his act, we hope the houses will not be sold," Hediyanto said during the ceremony.

Houses for lower-rank officers each stand on 120 square meters of land. The ones for middle and upper-rank officers are on 165 square-meter plots. (01)