Matthew Lee, Jakarta – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moved Wednesday to boost US ties with Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and with its neighbors. She pledged a new American willingness to work with and listen to Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Her message was received warmly by officials in Jakarta, the childhood home of President Barack Obama, although small and scattered protests were held in several cities. Some Islamic hard-liners set tires on fire, and others threw shoes at caricatures of Clinton.

She said her choice of Asia for her first overseas trip as Obama's top diplomat was "no accident" but was a sign of the new administration's desire for deeper relations with the continent on regional and global issues. She arrived from a stop in Japan and will head to South Korea and China today.

Clinton was particularly effusive about Indonesia, which she said deserved praise for its hard-won multiethnic democracy and efforts to fight terrorism while respecting human rights.

She announced plans to restart Peace Corps programs in Indonesia that were suspended in 1965 when volunteers were expelled after leftists accused them of espionage.

She said the two countries will cooperate on climate change, trade, education, regional security and other issues, and she indicated that more development aid was on the way.

"I bring greetings from President Obama, who has himself said and written about the importance of his time here as a young boy," Clinton said at a news conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.

"It gave him an insight into not only this diverse and vibrant culture but also the capacity for people with different backgrounds to live harmoniously together," she said.

Wirajuda said Indonesia could be a powerful bridge to help the US reconnect with Muslims. Though most of Indonesia's 190 million Muslims practice a moderate form of the faith, public anger ran high over US policy in the Middle East and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan during the Bush years, fueling a small but increasingly vocal fundamentalist faction.