Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono shed tears and became angry Sunday as he listened to the stories of people displaced by the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java.

The meeting with 20 representatives of displaced residents took place at Yudhoyono's private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, south of Jakarta.

It was facilitated by Muslim scholar Emha Ainun Nadjib. "SBY is extremely angry. He had been led to believe the process of compensation was running smoothly. In fact, he doesn't know what is really happening out in the field," Rahmat, one of the representatives, told detik.com news portal.

He said the President "cried with us" during the 90-minute meeting, as he listened to the victims talk about fighting for compensation from PT Lapindo Brantas, the gas company blamed for the mudflow.

The meeting was also attended by several ministers, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto and Cabinet Secretary Sudi Sulalahi.

Sudi said Yudhoyono would visit Sidoarjo on Monday to verify the reports of the victims. "The President will go and see for himself the problems in the field," Sudi told tempointeraktif.com news portal.

Sudi said the President would discuss the mudflow with ministers and relevant government agencies later Sunday night.