Mega to visit war-torn Aceh

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is slated to make her first visit to the war-torn province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam on Sunday since the implementation of martial law in the province last year.

Scheduled to stay for around three hours in Banda Aceh, Megawati will inaugurate a several development projects worth a total of Rp 124.2 billion (US$14.6million).

Among the projects to be inaugurated are the Simpang Surabaya bridge, a water dam, a low-cost housing complex for civil servants and the reconstruction of the Malikul Saleh Islamic college.

The ceremony will be held at the state-owned Syiah Kuala University complex, which has been under tight security since Saturday.

The President is also scheduled to hold talks with a number of Muslim preachers at the governor's residence. She has also squeezed in a private meeting with members of her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

This will be Megawati's third visit to the province since she was appointed president in July 2001.

On her first visit in 2001, Megawati held a dialog with thousands of Acehnese at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, and toured the province's capital, Banda Aceh.

During her second visit in 2002, the President did not even leave the airport due to the worsening security situation as the peace deal between the government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) tottered on the brink of failure.

Megawati agreed to the imposition of martial law on May 19 last year to crush the Aceh rebellion.

During her visit on Sunday, the President will be accompanied by several ministers and her husband Taufik Kiemas.