Humpuss to enter Irian

JAKARTA (JP): Hutama Mandala Putra, chairman of the widely diversified Humpuss Group, said yesterday that his company has requested 200,000-hectares of land area for plantations in the Irian Jaya province.

Hutama, the youngest son of President Soeharto who is better known as "Tommy", told reporters in the province's capital city of Jayapura that the land will be utilized for either sugar cane or palm oil plantations.

"We expect that the local administration will soon appropriate the land so that we can start the investment as soon as possible," Tommy was quoted Thursday by Antara as saying.

Humpuss will decide whether to invest in sugar cane or palm oil after a survey of the area, he said.

Humpuss Group currently owns around 30 subsidiaries, while Tommy is also the chairman of the Clove Marketing and Buffer- stocking Agency (BPPC). (hdj)