Rewards offered for return of missing historical items

Rewards offered for return of missing historical items

JAKARTA (JP): An executive pledged on Friday to completely
revitalize a preserved historical building and offer rewards
totaling Rp 1 billion (US$129,870) for those who return missing
items from the 80-year-old structure.

The technical director of PT Mandala Griya Cipta, Perkas M.,
told reporters after meeting with Governor Sutiyoso at City Hall
that his firm legally took over the building in 1997 after
spending Rp 9 billion in an exchange deal with the owner, the
Ministry of Justice.

He said that Mandala Griya Cipta would be fully responsible
for any damages made to the building. He said they would soon
carry out a massive refurbishment to return it to its original
design, such as looking for missing historical items of windows,
door frames and several antique lamps.

"We will soon advertise the rewards that we will provide for
anyone who can find the missing historical items," Perkas said.

After the renovation, his company will most likely use the
building as a business convention center.

Located on Jl. Teuku Umar, the former Central Jakarta
immigration office building -- called Bataviasche Kunstkring
(Batavia Cultural Center) during colonial times -- was badly
neglected.

Serious damage can be seen in certain parts of the building.

The neglect of the historical building attracted media
attention last month.

Some officials from the immigration office and the Jakarta
administration, including Central Jakarta Mayor Andi Subur
Abdullah, earlier pointed out that Mandala Griya Cipta, which
neglected the building, was partly owned by former president
Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra.

The company's operational director, Sukendar, who accompanied
Perkas, denied the accusation.

He said Tommy used to own part of the firm's shares.

"But Tommy holds no shares now. I own 10 percent of the
company's shares," Sukendar said, adding that the remaining
shares were owned by another company which had nothing to do with
Tommy.

He refused to give further details.

Perkas said Mandala Griya Cipta was officially appointed by
the Ministry of Justice in 1997 in an exchange deal for the
building.

To meet the deal, Mandala spent Rp 9 billion to finance, among
other things, a renovation of the immigration office building in
Kemayoran and construction of a building for the Jakarta
Administrative High Court in Pulo Gebang.

"The immigration office moved from Jl. Teuku Umar to Kemayoran
in December last year," Perkas said.

But Mayor Andi Subur questioned the value of the deal since
the building that stands on some 3,000 square meters of land
should have a price of at least Rp 30 billion.

"Land in the Menteng area was about Rp 10 million per square
meter at that time," Andi Subur, who accompanied the company's
executives at the meeting with Sutiyoso, told reporters.

But he said he had no authority to question the deal further
as the building is under the supervision of the Ministry of
Justice.

Separately, city councilor Syamsuardy Botan urged Jakarta
Police to help search for the items missing from the building and
to investigate the company as well.

"We will soon summon the company and related city officials
overseeing the building," Botan, from the National Mandate Party
(PAN), said. (jun)