Soeharto set to leave hospital today

Soeharto set to leave hospital today

JAKARTA (JP): Doctors who examined President Soeharto at a
heart hospital in Germany reaffirmed yesterday that there was
nothing wrong with the 75-year-old leader and that he would be
discharged on Thursday.

He is in normal health for someone his age and needs no
special treatment, Reiner Koerfer, the head of the medical team
at the cardiac hospital in Bad Oeynhausen, near Hanover, was
quoted by Reuters as saying.

After running a series of tests since Tuesday, Koerfer told
the news agency that he found "nothing out of the ordinary which
would require special treatment.

"As you know, he is an old man, his health corresponds to what
you would expect for someone of that age," he said, adding: "He
is healthier than many people think -- I think he is very
satisfied."

Koerfer said the important parts of the examination were now
complete, although a few minor tests still had to be done over
the next day. He added that he had only been asked for a second
opinion to back up the results of a check which Indonesian
doctors had already carried out.

Soeharto arrived in the German town on Monday for a series of
medical checkups. He is accompanied on the trip by several of his
children and grandchildren and was joined by State Minister of
Research B.J. Habibie, who underwent successful bypass surgery in
the same hospital five years ago.

It is not immediately clear when he would head back to
Indonesia, but Habibie had earlier said that the President would
stay in Germany until Saturday and should be home by Sunday and
resume his state duties on Tuesday.

In Jakarta, prices at the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX)
continued their slow recovery after they took a big tumble last
week on rumors about the health of the President. The composite
index rose 3.07 to close at 577.96.

"I think foreign investors are net buyers on selected big caps
today. But their participation is very limited," a dealer with a
foreign-based securities company told The Jakarta Post. "Foreign
investors may still be cautious to make big deals," he said.

"The moderate increase is also attributable to local buying on
second liners particularly on shares of textile companies," a
dealer with PT Peregrine Sewu Securities told the Post.

Commenting on whether the market is going to be stronger
today, the dealer who declined to be named, said "the good news
about President Soeharto's health is unlikely to trigger an
immediate rebound this week to 594 points, the level recorded
before the rumor on Soeharto's health came to the market."

The news gave a boost to the shares of Citra Marga, a toll
road developer controlled by Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti
Hardiyanti Rukmana and Bimantara Citra, a well-diversified
conglomerate controlled by Soeharto's second son Bambang
Trihatmodjo. Citra Marga rose Rp 125 to Rp 3,500 and Bimantara
advanced Rp 25 to Rp 2,650.

Other stocks on the rise were Telkom which rose by Rp 50 to Rp
3,475 rupiah, Indosat Rp 75 to Rp 7,450 and HM Sampoerna Rp 500
to Rp 25,300.

"There was a shift of portfolio from Gudang Garam to HM
Sampoerna today," the dealer said.

Gudang Garam fell Rp 150 to close at Rp 9,225 yesterday.

The rupiah performed strongly against the U.S. dollar
yesterday.

In Jakarta spot market, dollar was closed at Rp 2,331.50/Rp
2,332.00 yesterday, compared with Rp 2,338.25/Rp 2,339.00
Tuesday. In Singapore, the dollar ended lower against the rupiah
at Rp 2,330 from Tuesday's close of Rp 2,338.50. (alo/rid)