Hyundai puts Indonesian plant on hold

The South Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai, says it will delay the building of a new plant in Indonesia until next April because of the economic downturn in East Asia.

The plant, which is being built in partnership with the Indonesian firm, Bimantara, had been due for completion in 1999.

Earlier, the Japanese car producer, Toyota, announced that its two plants in the Philippines would remain closed for a month because of falling demand.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service