Habibie, Indonesia President During Asian Financial Crisis, Dies

(Bloomberg) -- B.J. Habibie, the Indonesian president who steered the nation’s economy during the tumultuous Asian financial crisis, has died. He was 83.

Habibie, the nation’s third president, died at an army hospital in Jakarta on Wednesday, his son Thareq Kemal Habibie, said in a televised address.

An aeronautical engineer, Habibie became the president after the fall of dictator Suharto in 1998. He was in office for less than two years and will be remembered for stabilizing the nation’s currency during the financial crisis and ordering a referendum for East Timor’s independence.

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.