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)