Hatta's house rebuilt

PADANG, West Sumatra: The reconstruction of the house of the late Mohammad Hatta, Indonesia's first vice president, in Bukittinggi is now almost completed.

The Pendidikan Wawasan Nusantara Foundation, which is financing the project to rebuild the home from scratch, is spending Rp 350 million to reconstruct the house where Hatta lived from birth until he turned 18 years old.

The reconstruction was based on Hatta's own memoirs, a photograph of the front of the house, and recollections from some of the surviving neighbors, according to Hendrino, the architect of the project, Antara reported.

The main house is a two-story structure built on a 774 meter plot of land. A porch in the front faces Singgalang and Merapi volcanoes.

Besides the main building, there is also a stable, a rice barn and a fish pond. It was believed that Hatta's family derived their income by renting out horses and selling their rice. (emb)