President Yudhoyono Arrives at Pekanbaru after Plane Diverted

Pekanbaru, Riau (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono landed at Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Pekanbaru, Riau on Saturday after rain increased visibility, which had earlier been limited due to haze. President Yudhoyono arrived at 4.15pm local time aboard a Garuda plane to check fire and haze emergency response operations. The president had expressed concern over fire and haze problems that were continuing, despite ongoing efforts, and came to observe conditions in the region. The President initially planned to land at the Minangkabau airport in West Sumatra and proceed to Pekanbaru by car, but his flight was diverted to Hang Nadim airport on Batam island since visibility had become limited at Minangkabau due to haze. His plane left Batam at around 3.20 pm following information that visibility in Pekanbaru was about 1,000 meters, which was the minimum for safely operating aircraft. President Yudhoyono has cancelled some of his scheduled events, as he flew to Riau to take command of operations to extinguish forest and land fires. Meanwhile, national police chief General Sutarman and defense forces commander General Moeldoko had earlier arrived in Pekanbaru. Several high ranking officials were seen welcoming the President upon his arrival, including the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Syamsul Maarif, and Riau governor Annas Maanun. (*) reporting by fb anggoro