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