Matori flown to Singapore

Matori flown to Singapore

JAKARTA: Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil who has been
bed-ridden with a possible stroke over the past week has been
moved from the Army hospital in Central Jakarta to Mount
Elizabeth general hospital in Singapore.

According to Suwadi, a deputy secretary general of Matori's
newly created Glorious Awakening Party (PKD), the minister was
moved Wednesday evening "to give him some fresh air and a change
of circumstances."

"I have just talked to his son who is with him in Singapore.
He said that his father is conscious. He (Matori) has also
recognized people who visited him there," Suwadi told The Jakarta
Post on Thursday.

But Suwadi refused to disclose whether Matori was suffering
from a stroke, saying that "he is just exhausted."

Matori has been hospitalized for a week but staffers at his
ministry have refused to confirm it.

Sources close to Matori, however, said that the minister may
have suffered some degree of brain damage due to a stroke and the
doctors were trying to save his life.

It may take some time for him to recover, the sources said. --
JP

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Scene-new-ambassadors
Mega receives new envoys
JP/4/envoy

Mega receives new envoys

JAKARTA: President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday received
credential letters from new ambassadors of Canada, Kuwait and
Slovak to Indonesia.

Ambassador Randolph Bruce Mank of Canada, Ambassador Mochammad
Adel Khalaf of Kuwait and Ambassador Peter Holasek of Slovak
submitted their credential letters in a state ceremony at the
Merdeka Palace.

Indonesia is not an unfamiliar place for Ambassador Mank, who
was once assigned to Jakarta earlier in his career and he
expressed the commitment of his government to build strong
relations with Indonesia.

"Canada is committed to developing strong political and
economic relations with Indonesia," he said in a statement
provided to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"I am particularly pleased to serve as the representative of
Canadian government during what I am sure will be crucial years
for Indonesia and its development as a democratic nation and as a
leader in the region," Mank stated.--JP

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Scene-Amien-presidency
Amien to name VP hopeful after poll
JP/4/Amin

Amien to name VP hopeful after poll

SURABAYA: Presidential hopeful Amien Rais said on Thursday
that he would choose his vice presidential running mate only
after the outcome of the 2004 legislative election in April next
year.

Amien, who chairs the National Mandate Party (PAN), hinted
that the announcement of the nominee could be done by the end of
April, after it is known which parties were biggest vote-getters.

Amien did not explain the political calculation behind the
delay in naming his Vice Presidential hopeful. But he said that
his presidential campaign team was currently exploring
possibilities to pick the best choice available.

"We don't need to rush, and we should thoroughly determine who
would be the best vice presidential nominee," said Amien, before
giving a lecture at the Malang Muhammadiyah University.

In the recent PAN National Meeting in Makassar, the party came
out with 10 names of possible vice presidential candidates.

That list included Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Agum Gumelar,
Yusuf Kalla, Marwah Daud Ibrahim, Kwik Kian Gie, Hasyim Muzadi,
Syaifullah Yusuf, Abdullah Gymnastiar, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono
X and Rachmawati Soekarnoputri. --JP