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Aid workers face Aceh restrictions
| "Welcome to Shariah Fantasy Island! Allan's finest are watching you... |
 Indonesia has announced all foreigners and aid groups must seek official approval and be escorted on any travel in Aceh province outside of the capital, Banda Aceh, and the town of Meulaboh. For nearly two years, the Indonesian military has been waging an often brutal military campaign against separatists in Aceh, largely free of attention from the media. It had imposed tough entry and movement restrictions in Aceh which went out the window when the disaster struck. But with the military still waging war, General Endriartono Sutarto has announced that armed forces must accompany and monitor aid groups and foreigners on all missions outside Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. Indonesia's coordinating minister for people's welfare, Alwi Shihab, says more vaguely that Indonesian teams will accompany aid movements. The International Crisis Group disputes the military's motives, saying the rebels have no interest in attacking foreigners. It says the Indonesian Army is seeking to reimpose its rigid control on Aceh province, while it still has the chance.| Note: the International Crisis Group is blaming the Indon military, not the rebels. Read on: |
In other developments: Hardline Muslim leaders in Indonesia have warned that Australian troops should not stay long in Aceh, the region worst hit by the Boxing Day tsunami.| So is the army brutally suppressing legitimate resistance or trying to keep aid workers from being sacrificed to the moon god? Guess it's all relative... |
Posted by: God Save The World 2005-01-12 |
