President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Monday denied ordering the expulsion of the American head of a think tank that assessed Indonesia's separatists conflicts. Sidney Jones has said she may have to leave Indonesia by June 10 if authorities refuse to extend her visa due to the Belgian-based group's critical reports of the government. Jones said the national intelligence agency chief had complained that her International Crisis Group published false reports that had damaged the country's image. At a rare news conference, Megawati said: "I never ... expelled this person, Sidney Jones. I believe the case you are referring to is being carried out according to government procedures."
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The think tank opened its office in Jakarta in 2000 and has reported on the rising threat of Islamic militants in the world's most populous Muslim nation, separatist conflicts in Aceh and Papua, sectarian violence in Central Sulawesi and the country's struggle to reform its police and military. Its reports have raised questions about the government's initial failure to crack down on radical militants and the heavy-handed tactics employed to combat opponents in Aceh and Papua provinces. Since Megawati took power in July 2001, Megawati's administration has jailed a number of critics and has tacitly encouraged pro-government business tycoons to sue journalists and media outlets that reported on official abuses. |