Fireworks and lasers open Southeast Asian Games

The Southeast Asian Games opened Friday with organisers hoping a spectacular fireworks and laser show would go some way to banishing the bad publicity swirling around the competition. The opening ceremony in the South Sumatran city of Palembang thrilled the crowd as Indonesia sought to move on from the graft allegations, delayed construction and poor planning that have dogged the build-up. In Palembang, 500 kilometres (300 miles) from co-host city Jakarta, an AFP photographer earlier saw frantic work to complete roads and landscaping around the Games complex, with the bulk of the events beginning Saturday. But with the eyes of the region watching, Indonesians were keen to see their $60 million investment in the competition rewarded with success. "I'm so happy," said 19-year-old Eva Noviyanty a steward watching the ceremony on big screens in central Jakarta. "People will see how beautiful Indonesia is. I think the problems are over. There were some human errors before, but now we can enjoy the sports." The competition has been dominated by a corruption scandal and a funding row between the government and Games organisers Inasoc, which nearly saw them walk out a few weeks before the start. But Inasoc director Ratna Irsana Marhaendra said the building delays caused by the funding shortfall have been resolved and the event will surprise the critics and delight athletes from the 11 nations vying for medals. "There are many rumours and a lot of bad news going around at the minute," she told AFP. "It's frustrating but I'm very optimistic everything is under control. All of the venues in Jakarta are fine and in Palembang they are ready on time for the competition." President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony -- which was briefly interrupted by a sudden downpour. Thousands flocked to the newly constructed Jakabaring Stadium to see choreographed performances by hundreds of dancers, fireworks and a light show by the team behind the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony display. Meanwhile, the medal hunt began in earnest on Friday with Indonesia's Eka Octarorianus claiming a brace -- in the men's 1,000-metre sprint canoe single and double. The nation's strongly-fancied football team also notched up a 2-0 win over Singapore, continuing their good form after a 6-0 demolition of Cambodia early in the week. Indonesia was awarded the Games in 2006, but the government has faced criticism for failing to release cash to Inasoc to build venues, which caused an embarrassing delay to the athletes' village in Palembang. In an echo of India's graft-hit Commonwealth Games last year, the ruling party's treasurer allegedly pocketed $3 million in bribes from a firm seeking tenders, and then fled to Colombia with the spoils. An editorial in English-language daily The Jakarta Post Friday lamented the shambolic build-up, branding it an "embarrassment", made worse as Indonesia has hosted the competition four times -- the last in 1997. As the opening ceremony approached, the capital was bedecked with posters plugging the Games, with inflatables of the two mascots -- Komodo dragons dressed in traditional batik shirts -- installed at roundabouts. Banners proclaiming "Indonesia Can Do it!" hung from bridges above the city's notoriously gridlocked roads, while cheery volunteers swarmed the centre of the city handing out flyers for events. Teams, dressed in distinctive national colours, filled major hotels, their minds on medal glory, while dozens of reporters from the competing nations descended on the media zone -- which opened a week late. There were concerns the capital's roads will be made impassable by the 12,000 athletes, officials and staff expected, as well as thousands of spectators. Although it will be largely ignored by the rest of the world, the biennial Games are big news in Southeast Asia, capturing the imagination of the competing nations, with dozens of gold medals and regional bragging rights up for grabs. "I'm very proud to be Indonesian today," said 16-year-old Judo hopeful Gary Pantouw. "We are a great country and our neighbours will see that."