Wedding bells for President Soeharto's son

Wedding bells for President Soeharto's son

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto's youngest son, a business
tycoon long considered Indonesia's most eligible bachelor, will
marry his bride of Javanese royalty on April 30.

Hutomo Mandala Putra, whose name has been linked with a number
of famous women in the past, will marry Raden Ayu Ardhia Pramesti
Rigita Cahyani or Tata.

Tata is a distant relative of Hutomo's mother, the late First
Lady Tien Soeharto, who descended from the Mangkunegoro royal
dynasty.

Media Indonesia said an official at the Mangkunegoro palace in
Surakarta, Central Java, announced the scheduled wedding of
Hutomo, better known as Tommy, to Tata.

Another palace source was quoted as saying that their marriage
posed no problem despite the fact that Tommy is, according to the
family's lineage, Tata's uncle. The source also said the two had
only known each other for one month, but gave no other details.

Tata, 22, graduated from the University of New South Wales in
Australia with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. Born on
April 2, 1975, she spent most of her life abroad and is the
eldest daughter among three children of Bambang Sucahyo Ajie, who
works at a shipping company in Singapore.

Her two younger siblings are currently pursuing their studies
in Australia.

Tata's family had paid respect to the late Tien Soeharto's
grave at Astana Giri Bangun in Surakarta, Central Java on March
28.

Last week, when asked about reports of the impending end to
his bachelorhood, Tommy only grinned, neither agreeing nor
denying.

"You'll know (whether it's true) when you get the invitation,"
he told journalists. "But the question is, what kind of
invitation would it be?"

In the past, Tommy, 35, has shrugged off rumors about his
alliances with celebrities such as pop singer Maya Rumantir, film
actress Nia Zulkarnaen, beauty queens Indira Soediro and Alya
Rohali, models Nadya Hutagalung and Astrid Dharmawan.

None of the women associated with him were available for
comment about the coming nuptial.

Tommy is president of the Humpuss group of companies and
controller of PT Timor Putra Nasional which has the exclusive
rights to manufacture a national car with Korean automotive
company Kia Motors.

The wedding will mark the last for President Soeharto's three
sons and three daughters. The eldest, daughter Siti Hardiyanti is
married to businessman Indra Rukmana Kowara; the second, son
Sigit Harjojudanto, is married to Elsje Anneke Ratnawati Djoefri;
while the third, son Bambang Trihatmodjo is married to Halimah
Agustina Kamil, an activist for children's causes.

Soeharto's fourth child, daughter Siti Hediyati, is married to
Maj. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, the commandant general of the Army's
special force Kopassus. The President's sixth child, daughter
Endang Hutami Adiningsih, is married to Pratikto Prayitno. (01)