RI crisis hits Dutch exports

RI crisis hits Dutch exports

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP): Exports of Dutch goods to Indonesia, the Netherlands' embattled former colony, plunged by 57 percent in February, the government statistics agency said yesterday.

Indonesia's financial and political crisis already had pinched Dutch exports by 11 percent in January after having risen 42 percent for all of 1997, the Central Bureau for Statistics said.

Overall, Dutch exports to countries in Southeast Asia fell 10 percent in February compared with the same month a year ago.

However, the growth of imports from the region was relatively stable, rising by 22 percent in February compared with a 20 percent increase in February 1997.