Soeharto lands in Germany for treatment
Soeharto lands in Germany for treatment
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto arrived yesterday in the
northwest German town of Bad Oeynhausen for medical treatment, an
international news agency reported.
Quoting Indonesian Minister for Research and Technology B.J.
Habibie, DPA reported that Soeharto is seeking treatment for
heart and liver ailments.
The treatment in the town, about 80 kilometers south of
Hanover, would take about three days. The 75-year-old Soeharto
and his 40-member delegation, including security staff, were put
up in a nearby hotel.
Unconfirmed reports said Soeharto would be treated at the
Heart and Diabetes Center in the German state of North Rhine-
Westphalia. The center has neither confirmed nor denied the
report. The clinic conducts about 4,000 heart operations annually
and is regarded as one of the leading hospitals of its type in
Europe.
President Soeharto earlier arrived at Hanover airport and was
escorted to Bad Oeynhausen.
The Indonesian government has refused to reveal where Soeharto
would undergo his routine medical checkup, saying only that he
went to a European country.
The President left Jakarta on Sunday night with a small
entourage of close aides and relatives. No cabinet ministers
accompanied him.
The secrecy that shrouded his absence from duties has
triggered speculation on the President's health status and a
leadership vacuum, although the government has affirmed he is in
command.
President Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo (Tommy) Mandala Putra
said yesterday that "only God" knew of his father's state of
health.
"He is fine. He is just undergoing a regular check-up. We have
to pray because ... only God knows his health," Tommy told AFP.
Habibie, Soeharto's German-educated protege, successfully
underwent heart surgery at a heart clinic in Bad Oyhausen in
1991.
On his arrival in Jakarta after three months of medication in
Bad Oyhausen, Habibie, then 55 years old, joked that he felt like
a 20-year-old.
German officials in Bonn declined to comment on reports that
President Soeharto was in the country for medical treatment.
News about Soeharto's health problems made stock markets in
Jakarta and Singapore jittery.
The rupiah managed to stabilize yesterday against the U.S.
dollar, but foreign exchange dealers said that investors remained
cautious over fears of Soeharto's health.
In the spot market, the rupiah inched up to close the day at
2,337 from a range of 2,239 and 2,341 in morning trading.
Unlike the foreign exchange trading, the stock market remained
nervous as investors still awaited details on the President's
health.
Share prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange remained under
pressure in yesterday's morning trading, as many investors took
sale positions.
The Composite Index, the market's benchmark index, gained
ground in the afternoon to close 1.2 points lower at 575,83,
after losing nearly seven points in morning trading.
Meanwhile, Moslem leaders in East Java called on Moslems
yesterday to pray for Soeharto's quick recovery.
"Pak (Mr.) Harto is our leader and therefore, we ought to pray
for his good health," said Imron Hamzah, chief of the East Java
chapter of Nahdlatul Ulama.
Soeharto performed the haj pilgrimage in the early 1990s, a
move that some observers believe was designed to win support from
more devout Moslems. (pan/riz)