Prabowo makes secret visit to capital

Prabowo makes secret visit to capital

JAKARTA (JP): Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, the disgraced
former chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad),
left Jakarta on Thursday after a brief and highly secretive visit
here, his friends said on Thursday.

"He left early this morning," Fadlizon, one of Prabowo's
closest friends, told The Jakarta Post.

Fadlizon said Prabowo, who has lived in exile shortly after he
was discharged from the military in August 1998, came here some
three days ago to visit his son and meet with some of his
friends.

Media Indonesia daily reported on Thursday that Prabowo met
with Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto and the Kostrad
chief, Lt. Gen. Djadja Suparman, on Monday night.

Prabowo left for Kuala Lumpur before heading to Singapore,
where his father, noted economist Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, was
being treated for illness. He would then return to Amman, Jordan,
where he lives and runs a business, he said.

Prabowo's other close friend, Farid Prawiranegara, said his
visit to Jakarta was highly unexpected.

"I met him last around Dec. 26 in Singapore when he was
visiting his father," Farid told the Post by phone from his base
in Australia.

"At the time, we talked about the possibility of him visiting
Jakarta and whether the political situation was safe for it. But
I had no idea that it would be this soon," he said.

During his visit to Jakarta, Prabowo stayed in different
places, including his wife Siti Hedianti Subianto's house in
Central Jakarta, his brother Hashim Djodjohadikusumo's house and
one of his friends' house, Farid said.

Farid said many people, both civilians and in the military,
sympathized with him.

Prabowo has been based in Amman, Jordan, since he was
discharged from the military, following an inquiry which revealed
his involvement in the abduction of student activists. (das)