Soeharto hill to be renamed

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: The authorities are seeking to rename a local forest park currently named after former president Soeharto who resigned last year, a report said Thursday.

"The East Kalimantan administration is proposing that Bukit Soeharto (Soeharto Hill) be renamed as Bukit Mulawarman, so that it appears more neutral and can be accepted by all sides," said the head of the province's forestry office, Robian, Antara said.

Mulawarman is the name of a ruler of the fifth century Kutai kingdom in East Kalimantan.

The 61,850 hectare Bukit Soeharto forest park lies on both sides of a main highway linking the main East Kalimantan cities of Samarinda and Balikpapan.

It is home to Indonesia's rare orangutans -- whose number has drastically declined following massive slash-and-burn land clearing practices and huge forest fires in 1997 and to a lesser extent in 1998.

The Semboja orangutans research center is also located in the park.

Robian said the forestry ministry has been informed of the proposal. He said provincial authorities had initially suggested renaming the parks in 1993 when Soeharto was still in power, and had discussed it with other parties including officials from the ministry and the state-research center.

"However none of the provincial officials dared to see Soeharto at the time," Robian said, adding the sentiment had grown stronger following the former strongman's downfall in May of 1998.