MORE STATE-OWNED COMPANIES TO BE RESTRUCTURED

Jakarta, March 19 (ANTARA) - The number of state-owned companies to be restructured and put under the management of PT Perusahaan Pengelola Aset (PPA) has increased to 14.
"Fourteen state-owned companies (BUMN) are queueing for treatment by the PPA," PPA secretary Reni Rorong said at the office of the state enterprise minister here on Thursday.
Early this year only 10 BUMNs were reported to be put under PT PPA but now the number increased to 14.
The companies include PT Merpati Nusantara Airline, ship building company PT PAL Indonesia, glass manufactures PT Industri Gelas, shipping company PT Djakarta Dlloyd, PT Hotel Indonesia Natour, PT Semen Kupang and paper company PT Kertas Kraft Aceh.
Reni said the first PPA "patient" was PT Merpati Nusantara Airline into which PPA had injected around Rp300 billion.
PT PAL meanwhile is to receive a capital injection of around Rp40 billion. "The process in PT PAL is expected to be completed soon," Reni said.
Reni could not as yet tell which companies that would get the next turn and how much capital PPA would need for them.
Earlier state enterprise minister Sofyan Djalil said the government had disbursed Rp1.5 trillion in working capital for PPA and the amount would be increased by Rp1 trillion more through the 2009 budget.