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
;JP;DJA; ANPAa..r.. 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
;JP;ASA; ANPAa..r.. 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