Hediati quits sports job

Hediati quits sports job

JAKARTA (JP): Siti Hediati Prabowo has resigned as chairwoman
of the Indonesian Table Tennis Association, the organization's
secretary-general, Johny Woworuntu, said on Tuesday.

Johny told reporters that Hediati, widely known as Titik, sent
a resignation letter to National Sports Council chairman Wismoyo
Arismunandar on Sept. 2.

The letter reportedly did not elaborate on why she had decided
to resign.

"She just said that she came to her decision based on the
current situation which she said had made it difficult to carry
out her job," Johny said.

In the letter, Johny said Hediati thanked the table tennis
community for its support.

Hediati is one of former president Soeharto's three daughters
and the wife of former chief of the Armed Forces Staff and
Command College Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, who was
honorably discharged from military service last month due to his
alleged role in the abduction of antigovernment activists.

Soeharto, who stepped down in May following a wave of
demonstrations and riots, is now under public scrutiny over
allegations that he accumulated huge personal wealth during his
32 years in power.

The government has also reviewed business deals with
Soeharto's family, including Hediati's brothers and sisters.

Hediati was elected the association's chairwoman to replace
the late Ali Said in 1996. Her term was to end in 2000.

Deputy chairman Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, a former Jakarta military
commander, will be acting chairman of the body until the next
election.

Johny said Hediati's departure would not disrupt the
association's programs, which include plans to send a men's team
to the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Osaka, Japan, in
October. (yan)