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)