Indonesians greet Obama with protests

US President Barack Obama has arrived in Indonesia, where he spent part of his childhood, as hundreds of protesters gathered to condemn his visit.

Indonesians gathered outside the US embassy in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta for a fourth consecutive day to oppose Obama’s visit.

The protesters burned down the US flag and called on the Indonesian government to uphold the country’s dignity and stop bowing to US government’s foreign policies.

“Indonesian government seems dead already. It always bows to US policies,” one of the protesters told China’s Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.

The demonstrators also called on their government to reject the US president who they called “a new colonialist,” saying that they believe Obama’s plans to boost bilateral trade and investment will harm Indonesia.

Obama, who is on a 10-day Asian trip, left India’s New Delhi for Jakarta on Tuesday.

The US president faced similar protests in India, where he announced bilateral trade deals worth ten billion dollars to improve the sluggish US economy and create over 50,000 jobs for Americans.

Obama has come under heavy criticism for his visit to India which costs 200 million dollars daily at a time of economic hardship for Americans.

Obama’s decision to spend three days in India, while bypassing Pakistan, has also come under fierce criticism.

A Washington Post report said that the move has sparked anxiety among government officials in Islamabad due to fears that the US president’s visit could likely upset the delicate balance of power between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.