Megawati catches bug, cancels appointments<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri canceled all her appointments on
\nThursday due to a heavy cold only days into the third year of her
\npresidency.<\/p>\n
Among the appointments canceled was an inauguration ceremony
\nfor five new Indonesian ambassadors.<\/p>\n
The President was suffering from a sore throat and was hardly
\nable speak, a presidential aide told The Jakarta Post<\/p>\n
\"The presidential team of doctors told her to take a rest last
\nweek and cancel most of her planned trips to the provinces,\" the
\naide said. \"However, she insisted on going ahead with the
\nvisits.\"<\/p>\n
Apart from the ambassadorial inauguration, Megawati was also
\nscheduled to chair a Cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss a
\nnumber of security issues, including terrorism and Aceh.<\/p>\n
Although it has not yet been confirmed, the President is also
\nlikely to cancel all of her appointments on Friday.<\/p>\n
This is first time she has canceled official appointments due
\nto health reasons since she became President in July 2001.<\/p>\n
She has been busy visiting cities across the country for the
\nlast couple of weeks. It is believed that she caught her cold
\nduring one of these visits last week.<\/p>\n
During her visits to the provinces in recent days, the
\nPresident has always had one of the ministers in her entourage
\nread out her addresses. The President decided to cancel her
\nappointments early on Thursday, just a few hours before the
\nambassadors were supposed to be installed.<\/p>\n
The 56-year-old President generally enjoys good health. The
\nonly serious problem she has had was an eye cataract which was
\ntreated in Singapore a few months after she became Vice President
\nin 1999.<\/p>\n
\"She is feeling better now and is by no means confined to her
\nbed all day, but she still cannot speak,\" the aide told the Post
\non Thursday evening. \"She'll be back in the office on Monday.\"<\/p>",
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