Jakarta - Indonesian authorities said Friday that a statue of US President Barack Obama as a boy would be moved to a Jakarta elementary school he once attended after public protests.

     The bronze statue of a 10-year-old Obama was erected at a historic central Jakarta park in December, and it immediately drew criticism from Indonesians who said they believe an exemplary compatriot should receive such an honour.

(Photo) Indonesian visitors touch the bronze statue of a smiling 10-year-old Barack Hussein Obama, now US president, at Menteng Park, Jakarta, Indonesia, 06 February 2010.

The Obama statue will be moved to his former elementary school SDN Besuki 1 Menteng prior to his visit in March, amid criticism arguing that statues in public places should be reserved only for national heroes and those who have made significant contributions to the country.

     More than 55,000 people joined a page on the popular social-networking website Facebook to demand the statue be removed, and some protestors have threatened to tear down the bronze.

     "I agree with the aspiration voiced by several sections (of society) to move the statue to Menteng 1 Elementary School," Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said, referring to the school Obama attended when he lived in Indonesia as a child.

     The governor said the relocation would be completed in time for Obama's much-awaited visit to Indonesia, scheduled for March.

     Obama lived in central Jakarta from 1967 to 1971 from the ages of 6 to 10 after his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, married an Indonesian, Lolo Soetoro.

     The 10,000-dollar statue was sponsored by a group called the Friends of Obama, who said it was intended to inspire local children to follow their dreams.

DPA