A former rebel leader who now becomes a governor in Indonesia's Aceh province plans to make his first overseas visit as governor to the United States later this month.
Irwandi Jusuf, who took office in February, is slated to attend a gathering of the Acehnese people living in the United States in Pennsylvania at the invitation of the Acheh Center on Sept. 15.
The meeting would discuss efforts for reconstruction after the December 2004 tsunami that devastated Aceh and killed at least 170, 000 people and the decades-long rebellion, reported leading news website Detikcom.
His visit aims to forge international support for post-disaster reconstruction, especially from the United States, the website quoted a statement from the US-based Acheh Center.
Irwandi will also attend a ceremony held for his honor at the University of Oregon where he undertook a Master's degree in veterinary science in 1993.
The 47-year-old was one of the leaders of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) which staged rebellion for 26 years before a landmark peace accord was signed in August 2005.
He joined GAM in 1990 and became a key negotiator for the group during talks for peace with the government. However, he was arrested in 2003 and was still in his jail cell when tsunami struck the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.
He was among a few survivors of the disaster that also killed more than 200 inmates.
His political career in the new era began when he grabbed a shock win in the first free gubernatorial election in the resource- rich province in late 2006. Jakarta dismissed worries of new political unrest by saying it could accept his leadership.
Source: Xinhua
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