Al Jazeera: Ex-Indonesia president laid to rest

Indonesia's former president, Abdurrahman Wahid, has been given a state funeral and laid to rest at his birthplace in Jombang, East Java.

Flags were at half mast as a sign of respect for Abdurrahman, who died in hospital on Wednesday aged 69, due to complications arising from diabetes and stroke.

More commonly known as Gus Dur, Abdurrahman became Indonesia's fourth president after Suharto was ousted from power following a student-led uprising against the general's three-decade rule.

Abdurrahman defeated Megawati Sukarnoputri to win the presidency in a parliamentary vote in 1999, even though her Democratic Party of Struggle put in the strongest showing in a general election earlier that year.

She replaced him after he was sacked by the national assembly in 2001 amid unproven allegations of corruption and incompetence.

A religious scholar, Abdurrahman was a critic of Suharto but was himself criticised for his erratic leadership style while he was in office.

Still, he gained a reputation for religious tolerance and reformist policies.

He rose to political prominence as leader of one of the country's biggest mass Islamic movements, the moderate Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and helped put the country on the path to democracy following Suharto's fall.

'Enormous service'
Indonesia held its first direct presidential election in 2004, which was won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who remains president after winning re-election this year.

In a nationally-televised address on Thursday, Yudhoyono called on Indonesians to pay Abdurrahman their "highest respects".

"I say this with prayers and hope that he is accepted at the side of God for his enormous service to the public, the nation and our beloved state," he said. (english.aljazeera.net)