"It is likely on Saturday if the weather is fine. It is still tentative," Bey Mahmuddin, the head of the presidential press bureau, noted in Padang, West Sumatra, on Thursday.
The president had changed his schedule to visit West Sumatra. On Friday (Oct. 9), Jokowi will visit Kampar District, Riau Province, by car to monitor the efforts to extinguish forest fires.
Earlier, President Jokowi was scheduled to pay a working visit to the provinces of Jambi and Riau, which have been badly affected by the haze from forest and plantation fires.
President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana along with some ministers departed from Halim Perdana Kusuma Air Force base at 10 a.m. local time.
The head of state will supervise efforts to extinguish the forest fires in the two provinces whose inhabitants have been reeling under the impact of the smog that has reached a hazardous level over the past few weeks.
On Saturday, the president will visit Mentawai Island to oversee the progress in development and the condition of the local community on the island devastated by a deadly tsunami in December 2004.
Jokowi will also officiate a groundbreaking ceremony of Mandeh tourism zone in South Pesisir and will visit a cattle ranch in the district of 50 Kuto.
On Sunday, he will inspect the construction work of an airport rail link in Padang and will officially close the Tour de Singkarak cycling competition in West Sumatra.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
