Indonesia wants foreign troops out, defends restrictions on
tsunami aid
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia : Indonesia told foreign troops helping
tsunami victims to get out of the country "the sooner the better"
and defended tough new restrictions on aid workers, while rich
nations prepared to freeze Jakarta's debt repayments.
Vice President Yusuf Kalla said foreign troops should leave
tsunami-hit Aceh province on Sumatra island as soon as they finish
their relief mission, staying no longer than three months, state
media reported.
"Three months are enough. In fact, the sooner the better," Kalla
was quoted by the state Antara news agency as saying.
The armed forces of Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the
United States have all rushed task forces to Aceh in the wake of
the December 26 disaster which killed at least 106,000 Indonesians
out of a total of more than 158,000 deaths in Asia.
United Nations officials struggling to coordinate a massive relief
operation have welcomed their participation, particularly to
deliver aid to isolated coastlines accessible only by sea or
air.
But their presence in Indonesian territory has been a sensitive
issue for the world's largest Muslim-populated nation which has
traditionally kept foreign military, particularly the United States
and Australia, at arm's length.
The vice president said Aceh in the near future would need foreign
medical workers and engineers instead of military assistance.
"Foreign troops are no longer needed," he said.
Kalla's comments came after the country's military imposed sweeping
new restrictions on foreign relief workers operating in Aceh,
claiming they were in danger from rebels waging a long-running
separatist war.
Analysts have said they believe the move was an attempt to reassert
the military's control over the province, an accusation the
government has denied.
Senior officials said foreign journalists would also be confined to
major towns in the province, closing a post-disaster window of
press freedom in the region which was locked down almost two years
ago during a military offensive.
Indonesian troops have already begun accompanying United Nations
missions to help victims of the tsunami and liaison officers are to
be posted on the scores of foreign navy ships and military and
civilian aircraft bringing thousands of tonnes of emergency
supplies into the stricken area.
Despite statements from Free Aceh Movement rebels, known as GAM,
pledging the safety of volunteers, Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab
said the government was concerned that attacks on aid staff could
scare off foreign assistance.
Indonesia's director of disaster relief in Aceh, Budi Atmadi, said
the new regulations were also aimed at improving coordination for
the huge aid operation, which has been hampered by lack of clear
organisation.
"The purpose of this is not to restrict access, but to coordinate
activities of all organisations to avoid overlap and assist in
planning future operations."
More than 50 aid organisations have been working with foreign
military task forces to bring relief to many areas isolated by
destroyed roads and rugged mountains.
The United Nations says that while it does not believe its workers
are under threat, the new regulations will not hinder its
efforts.
Meanwhile, government creditors in the Paris Club of wealthy
nations were set to agree at a meeting in the French capital
Wednesday on freezing debt repayments by Indonesia and Sri Lanka,
the country hit second hardest by the tsunamis.
Indonesia's foreign debt comes to around 132 billion dollars (100
billion euros), and the country is looking at three billion dollars
in payments this year to service that debt.
On Tuesday, the United Nations secured 717 million dollars in
record time for tsunami victims in Asia -- 73 percent of a
977-million-dollar appeal launched last week to meet immediate
needs in the next six months
UN humanitarian relief coordinator Jan Egeland said after a donor's
conference in Geneva it was the first time the world body had
collected so much money in such a short space of time after a
disaster.
"This has never ever happened before, that we, two weeks after a
disaster, have 717 million dollars that we can spend on an
emergency relief effort," Egeland told reporters.
Egeland said he was confident that the appeal for six months would
soon be met in full. Of the 717 million dollars, 250 million alone
is from Japan.
Some nine billion dollars has been pledged worldwide in short and
long term aid after the disaster.
The figure, obtained by an AFP count, includes government money,
donations pledged in an unprecedented outpouring of global public
sympathy -- "humanity at its best," Egeland said -- as well as debt
relief and loans. - AFP
Ungrateful people in the TNI. SAF should leave Aceh now as we
are not welcomed anymore.
