London: The President of Indonesia met Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday during a visit to Britain that was marred by protesters accusing him of human rights abuses.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesia`s First Lady Ani Bambang Yudhoyono were welcomed by the Queen and her husband Prince Philip in a ceremony at London`s Horse Guards Parade.
The two couples then took part in a state carriage procession to Buckingham Palace, where the visiting couple will stay during their three-day visit.
About 50 demonstrators holding placards that read "Stop killing Papuans", protested the Indonesian leader`s visit outside Prime Minister David Cameron`s residence on 10 Downing Street. They claim Yudhoyono has committed crimes of humanity against tribal people in West Papua.
Rights groups including the New York-based Human Rights Watch have said that Indonesia`s military is responsible for some of the violence in Indonesia`s restive Papua province, home to a decades-long low-level guerrilla war. Yudhoyono has conceded that Indonesian security forces had overreacted at times but said the attacks were "on a small scale with limited victims”.
Later on Wednesday, two human rights activists tried to reach Yudhoyono`s car but were stopped by police. Scotland Yard confirmed that they arrested one man for attempting to disrupt the leader`s visit.
PTI
