SBY visits Kiemas at hospital

SBY visits Kiemas at hospital

JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday visited
Taufik Kiemas, the husband of former president Megawati
Soekarnoputri, who is hospitalized at the Harapan Kita Cardiac
Hospital in Jakarta.

Susilo, a former security minister in Megawati's government,
maintains good relations with Taufik even though the latter's
wife still refuses to meet with the President following her
defeat in the 2004 presidential election. Megawati is also the
leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP),
which now acts as the main opposition party in the House of
Representatives.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla visited Taufik earlier. Megawati is
currently on a visit to North Korea.

Kiemas, who underwent a heart surgery in Australia
several years ago, was admitted to the hospital on Oct. 7. Last
year, he was admitted to a hospital in Penang, Malaysia, for
further medical treatment related to his heart problem. -- JP