Megawati visits Air Force cadets

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri completed her tour of four military and police academies, with a visit on Friday to the Air Force Academy here.

Megawati described her trip to the academy and the sultanate town where she was born on Jan. 23, 1947 as a reminiscence of her youth when she accompanied her father, the founding president, in a meeting with cadets there.

"About 33 years ago I made my first visit to this academy," Megawati recalled in a pensive but clear voice.

Megawati was here to open the congress of the provincial branch of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) that she chairs.

A few months before her visit to the Air Force Academy in the town's eastern suburb of Maguwo, Megawati visited the National Military Academy (AMN) in Magelang, some 40 kilometers north of here and the National Police Academy in Semarang, the capital of Central Java.

She sojourned to the Navy Academy in Surabaya on Monday, hours before opening the National Sports Games (PON) in that city.

The Vice President recently complained that she could only visit provinces while President Abdurrahman Wahid has visited dozens of foreign countries.

She will make her first formal visit to Singapore on Sunday. The President also selected the island state as his first foreign destination after his election in October.

"I want to have a face-to-face meeting with all of you, and convey my hope and my message," Megawati said after having lunch with the young officers.

As guest of honor, the Vice President was requested by the cadets to plant a sapodilla tree, locally called sawo kecik.

During her visit to Yogyakarta, she was flanked by Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Admiral Widodo A.S., Air Force Chief Marshal Hanafi Asnan and Air Force Academy Governor Rear Air Marshal Gaharudin Gunawan.

Later in the day Megawati held a 30 minute-discussion with Widodo.

The admiral canceled his planned press conference due to poor communication between vice presidential protocol officials and TNI information officers. (swa/prb)