PTDI president faces trial

PTDI president faces trial

BANDUNG, West Java: Edwin Soedarmo, president director of ailing
state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), will
go on trial on Friday for failing to pay compensation to more
than 6,500 dismissed employees in early 2004.

The compensation amounts to Rp 400 billion (US$43 million).

Head of Bandung manpower office Nana Supriatna disclosed on
Thursday that Edwin also had not paid employees' salaries from
October through December 2003.

Nana added that the employees also did not receive
remunerations for housing, retirement, and health as well as
corporate bonus.

According to Nana, Edwin had evaded twice the summons of the
manpower office's civil servants investigator, which needed the
help of police officers to force him to appear before the
investigators.

The Bandung-based PT Dirgantara had to downsize its employees
for efficiency reasons to help avoid bankruptcy. -JP