Obama statue moved to Menteng elementary next week


The Central Jakarta administration will move the much-disputed Obama statue from its current location in Taman Menteng to state elementary school SDN 01 Menteng next week, an official from Jakarta administration says.

"We are currently discussing [the statue move] with officials from the school's alumni association," Jakarta administration spokesman Cucu Ahmad Kurnia told reporters Friday.

"We hope the statue move will be done next week."

US president Barack Obama attended the elementary school for almost two years when he spent several years of his childhood in Jakarta.

Erected by the Jakarta-based Friends of Obama Foundation, the statue recently sparked wide criticism from the public for insulting the nation's pride.