1:30 p.m.
BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) — President Bush’s unpopularity in the world’s most populous Muslim nation made security jitters and angry protests the hallmarks of today’s six-hour trip to court Indonesian favor.
Through sheets of sometimes heavy rain, Mr. Bush flew by helicopter from the capital of Jakarta to this lush hilltop suburb for talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Mr. Bush and his wife, Laura, smiled as they strolled up the red-carpeted steps of Bogor Palace, a graceful presidential retreat on vast grounds, signing a guest book and heading inside for the day’s events.
“I admire Indonesia’s pluralism and its diversity,” Mr. Bush said, opening a discussion with moderate civic leaders. “It’s very important for the people of America to understand that this vast country has got tremendous potential, but it’s got a prominent role to play in the world in showing how it’s possible for people to be able to live together in peace and harmony.”
It was the second Indonesian stop of his presidency. Neither time has Mr. Bush spent the night or more than a few hours, the result of safety concerns in a place where emotions run hot about the Iraq war and Mr. Bush’s staunch support of Israel.
From the Bush-Yudhoyono meeting and joint press availability to round-table discussions and a state dinner, Mr. Bush was not interacting with the general populace or doing anything outside the palace confines.
Braced for the local reaction to the visit, thousands of police and rifle-toting soldiers patrolled Bogor’s streets, jammed mobile phone signals and deployed water cannons.
Demonstrations by Islamic hard-liners, students, housewives and taxi drivers alike have been staged every day this month, including a march by nearly 13,000 yesterday through Jakarta, where Mr. Bush was denounced as a “war criminal” and “terrorist.” Thousands more marched today, carrying posters showing victims of violence in Iraq.
Anti-Bush protesters tried to seal off American-owned restaurants in two Indonesian cities, witnesses said, and demonstrations were held in at least 10 cities.
Bogor Police Chief Col. Sukrawardi Dahlan said authorities were investigating an unconfirmed report that a man wearing a suicide vest would infiltrate the protests. Authorities also had said the threat of an al-Qaeda-style attack had escalated as the visit drew near. The White House said it was confident in the security precautions being taken.
For Mr. Bush, the risks of the trip were worth it to bolster Mr. Yudhoyono’s anti-terror cooperation, celebrate the country’s democratic advances and try to dent anti-American sentiment.
Indonesia has about 190 million mostly moderate Muslims, the most of any country. With significant Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities, it has a long tradition of secularism.
But Indonesia increasingly has grappled with extremists, suffering terrorist attacks in October 2002 and October 2005 in Bali, and in Jakarta in August 2003 and September 2004.
Mr. Yudhoyono has shared intelligence about the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah and overseen the arrest of hundreds of Islamic militants.
Indonesia, a country of 300 ethnic groups arrayed over thousands of islands, also is taking steps toward greater freedoms. In 1999, a democratic government replaced a pro-U.S. military dictatorship that had seized power in the 1960s.
Mr. Bush’s visit comes near the end of an eight-day journey that included stops in Singapore and Vietnam.
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