Indonesia on Thursday officially launched its first major infrastructure project in Aceh since tsunamis devastated the province six months ago, as pressure mounts on the government to speed up reconstruction.

Standing on the tsunami-flattened waterfront of Meulaboh, about 250km south of the provincial capital Banda Aceh, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Jakarta's new reconstruction chief, presided over the ground-breaking ceremony for a 175m-long pier.