Megawati pledges Papua visit

Megawati pledges Papua visit

JAKARTA: On Friday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri promised
again that she would visit Papua in the near future, after
backing away from a similar pledge in December.

"God willing, I will make a visit (to Papua) soon," Megawati
told 250 native Papuans from the Baliem valley, who went to the
State Palace to pay a courtesy call on the President.

The Papuans were in Jakarta for a sightseeing tour; most of
them have never visited the capital. They were granted permission
to tour the State Palace, and the Merdeka Palace.

Megawati canceled her planned trip to Papua in December due to
a stormy political climate stemming from the rejection by some
groups of a special autonomy package that the central government
had offered.

The President was initially scheduled to celebrate Christmas
in Papua, the easternmost province of Indonesia, last December.

There is still no fixed date for announced the visit, however.
-- JP