INDONESIAN RUPIAH SLIPS AGAINST MARK AND YEN
The Indonesian rupiah has held steady
since its 31 pct devaluation against the dollar six months ago,
but has slipped against the mark and to a lesser extent against
the yen, according to central bank figures.
    In the past month, the rupiah has fallen five pct against
the yen. Today's middle rate per 100 yen was 1,129.78 against
1,075.20 at end-February and 1,058.6 at devaluation in
September.
    Bank Indonesia's quoted rate for the dollar, the main
currency for Indonesia's oil and gas exports, was 1,644.0
today, the same rate fixed at the time of devaluation.
    The rate for the West German mark was 913.28 today, a sharp
drop from September when it was 786.06.
    The British pound has risen to 2,657.93 against 2,429.83.
   The value of the rupiah is set daily against a basket of
currencies by the central bank.
    The rise in the value of the mark and the yen has hit
Indonesia by increasing its debt servicing levels. Its total
disbursed foreign debt is estimated by the World Bank at 37
billion dlrs.
    Japan is one of Indonesia's key trading partners, taking
half its oil exports.
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