It had planned to release the software today

It had planned to release the software today.Sources said Microsoft had come forward with “major concessions”. If they prove insufficient, however, Mr Klein and the attorneys general may yet forge ahead with the lawsuits that could be as far-reaching as the forcible break-up of the old AT&T in 1984 and Standard Oil in 1911.The remarkable all-out assault on Microsoft, arguably the most revered but also the most feared of American enterprises, stems from a deepening conviction in US government that the company has abused its near-monopoly position in the personal computer market illegally to trample its rivals and to deny consumers any realistic choices on how their machines function.The suits were said to include a call on the courts to block the shipment of Windows 98 unless Microsoft agreed to a series of restrictions on the software’s contents and the agreements Microsoft had been expecting to reach with the manufacturers who will install it in new computers.The precise scope of the action that now threatens Microsoft is not fully known. That cast doubt on 12 other projects high on the list of requirements laid down by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in return for Indonesia’s $43bn (pounds 24bn) bailout.Earlier in the week Indonesia indicated that even that amount was insufficient. Mr Liem controls the Salim group and has a 40 per cent share in the regional conglomerate First Pacific.Meanwhile shares in companies such as the Humpass group and Biamantara Citra, controlled by members of President Suharto’s family, saw their prices plunge by as much as 25 per cent.The Jakarta Post reported Tanri Abeng, the state enterprise minister, as saying that foreign buyers have withdrawn from two privatisation projects in light of the current situation. Ethnic Chinese, who have borne the brunt of the looting and burning, are disproportionately represented in the finance industry. For that reason many employees left to be with their families.

Micael Lim, the treasurer at Standard Chartered Bank in Jakarta, was quoted as saying, “I can’t find my wife. I am very depressed.”The house of Liem Sioe Liong, Indonesia’s most prominent Chinese businessman, was looted and burned yesterday. ING Barings has about 160.Other foreign companies are believed to be preparing evacuation plans.Meanwhile, the financial markets virtually ground to a halt yesterday but not before the local currency suffered yet another 10 per cent sell- off, resulting in its value falling by 25 per cent since the latest round of trouble began on Tuesday.Many local broking houses closed for business, followed by banks and other financial institutions. Some brokers stopped taking orders because of fears that they would never be settled.A spokesman for Credit Lyonnais Securities said the situation was being reviewed on an “hour-by-hour” basis. HSBC, Standard Chartered and ING Barings said they hoped to open for business today, but were keeping the situation under review.A spokesman for one of the foreign banks said: “I understand staff were watching cars burning from the bank’s window.” Another said: “We’ve advised our staff not to travel and some have started moving their families out of the country.”The banks said their primary concern was for the safety of their staff, Most were unwilling to discuss their contingency plans, saying that could endanger their employees.Both BankAmerica and Standard Chartered are understood to have around 500 staff in the region. John Ellis, senior vice president at BankAmerica, said: “The panic buttons were hit this morning.” The US bank has begun to evacuate staff from Indonesia.
An ABN Amro spokesperson said evacuation was an option for the Dutch bank, one of the largest foreign banks in the region. “We will do whatever we feel is necessary to protect our staff,” he said.

The bank was monitoring developments “minute-by-minute”.Staff were reportedly sent home early from both Merrill Lynch and Bangkok Bank. Mr Klein has indicated his interest in updating laws that were designed for use in traditional industries such as steel and oil to the information age. Nothing could be more important in that context than the World-Wide Web, and the software to access it.. FOREIGN banks and broking companies yesterday began to shut down operations and pulling out staff from Indonesia as the rioting escalated. ABN Amro has shut down its 600-strong Indonesian operations, and Deutsche Bank has temporarily closed its two branches in the region. “You’re seeing a lot more use of empirical evidence, econometric modelling, and economic analysis,” said one lawyer.