Journalist paid by Goverment

[MrChristo]

Haven't heard that, Chanman...And to be honest, I seriously doubt that is the case.

.........UN concerned over aid restriction
12:02 AEDT Thu Jan 13 2005


AP - The United Nations is concerned that new Indonesian restrictions could create bottlenecks in the delivery of aid to tsunami victims by apparently requiring military escorts for humanitarian workers, a senior UN aid official has said.

Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN coordinator for aid to tsunami victims, met Indonesian authorities to clarify the announcement by Indonesia's chief of relief operations and to assess the operational impact, "if any," said Kevin Kennedy of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"We certainly well understand there has been a conflict in Aceh for the last quarter of a century," Kennedy said.

"However, we're concerned that any requirements that would create any additional bottlenecks or delays or otherwise adversely reflect our operations need to be reviewed very carefully."

Indonesia's chief of relief operations, Budi Atmaji, issued a statement ordering international aid groups and reporters to inform the government of their travel plans outside of the capital, Banda Aceh.

The statement also said that if groups head to regions considered dangerous "then their safety will be organised by the national security authority". It did not elaborate and it was not known if that meant aid organisations may get military escorts.



Kennedy told reporters the United Nations' initial understanding of the announcement is that "humanitarian staff operating in Aceh province should register with the government".

"There's no problem with that," he said. "They have free movement within the areas of greater Banda Aceh and Meulobah."

But the United Nations understands "movements outside these two locations should be requested to the authorities, and also - and we have to confirm this - that on the western side of Sumatra military escorts would be required," he said.

Kennedy said UN relief teams have gone to some of those areas since the tsunami struck. "We have not experienced any security incidents," he said.

The coast of Sumatra was closest to the epicentre of the December 26 earthquake that triggered a tsunami which swept across the Indian Ocean to east Africa. The government said the disaster killed more than 105,000 people in northern Sumatra and displaced tens of thousands.

Atmaji's statement said some areas of Aceh were not safe because of Free Aceh Movement rebels, who have fought for years for a separate homeland on Sumatra island's northern tip. Indonesia has long been wary of foreigners' presence in Aceh because of accusations of human rights abuses committed by the military in its campaign to stamp out the insurgency.

Kennedy said UN policy is to operate without military escorts but it will accept them if security requires, as in Burundi where the military was essential to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid.

"We would obviously prefer not to operate with military escorts. If our security threat assessment indicates that it is not required we would not use them. But we remain flexible as required," Kennedy said.

"Obviously ... several of our partners that we work with have official positions that they will not use military escorts under any circumstances," he said.


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That's the closest thing I could find on the subject, mate....but will keep an eye out, an ear on the ground, and any other part of my anatomy that feels the need to be somewhere unnatural

 

[MrChristo]

3:56 p.m. January 12, 2005

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia ? Indonesia announced that U.S. and other foreign troops providing tsunami disaster relief must leave the country by the end of March and ordered aid workers Wednesday to declare their travel plans or face expulsion from devastated Aceh province on Sumatra island.


The government's moves highlight its sensitivities over a foreign military operation in this country ? albeit a humanitarian one ? and underscore its efforts to regain control of Aceh province, the scene of a decades-old conflict between separatist rebels and federal troops accused of human rights abuses.

The latest restrictions placed on the international presence came as the aircraft carrier leading the U.S. military's tsunami relief effort steamed out of Indonesian waters Wednesday after the government declined to let the ship's fighter pilots use its airspace for training missions. The USS Abraham Lincoln's diversion was not expected to affect aid flights, however.

U.S. Marines have also scaled back their plans to send hundreds of troops ashore to build roads and clear rubble. The two sides reached a compromise in which the Americans agreed not to set up a base camp on Indonesia or carry weapons.

Instead, the Marines ? some 2,000 of whom were diverted to tsunami relief from duty in Iraq ? will keep a "minimal footprint" in the country, with most returning to ships at night, said Col. Tom Greenwood, commander of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

In Washington, the White House asked the Indonesian government to explain why it was demanding that the U.S. military and other foreign troops providing disaster relief leave the country by March 31.

"We've seen the reports. ... We'll seek further clarification from Indonesia about what this means," said Scott McClellan, press secretary to President Bush. "We hope that the government of Indonesia and the military in Indonesia will continue the strong support they have provided to the international relief efforts so far."

In announcing the decision, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Tuesday that "a three-month period is enough, even sooner the better."

Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi explained that Indonesia hopes to take over the humanitarian work by March 26, which will be exactly three months after the massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake set off waves across southern Asia and Africa, that killed more than 150,000 people, two-thirds of them on Sumatra.

Starting Jan. 26, Indonesia will "gradually take over the role of foreign military and nonmilitary assistance," Silalahi said. By Feb. 26, he said, Indonesia's role should be larger than that of the foreigners.




Indonesia ? where the tsunami killed more than 106,000 people ? is not the only affected country that is ambivalent about U.S. military aid.

After the earthquake and tsunami, the U.S. military dispatched the Abraham Lincoln battle group to Sumatra and three ships carrying Marines toward Sri Lanka, where more than 30,000 people were killed. But two ships carrying Marines were diverted to Sumatra after Sri Lanka downgraded its request for help. India, where more than 10,000 were killed, rebuffed U.S. aid offers.

Some 13,000 U.S. military personnel, most of them aboard ships in the Abraham Lincoln's battle group, are taking part in the relief effort.

In Indonesia, hundreds of troops from other nations are also helping out, along with U.N. agencies and scores of non-governmental aid groups.

Australia has more than 600 troops in Aceh and expects to have about 300 more by week's end. Japan has sent two ships with 350 troops, and has promised to deploy about 1,000. Germany and Britain each has a smaller presence, involving mostly medical teams.

They, too, have agreed not to carry weapons while on Indonesian soil and are leaving security to the Indonesian military.

Both government troops and separatist rebels in Aceh say they won't launch attacks during the tsunami emergency. Indonesian soldiers and witnesses have described at least one clash in detail to The Associated Press, involving rebels who were either seeking food or trying to visit relatives.

The Indonesian government has traditionally barred foreigners from visiting Aceh, relenting after the tsunami struck and no other option existed but to invite foreign troops to deliver aid and set up field hospitals.

Indonesian authorities are now moving reassert control. On Wednesday, they ordered aid workers to declare travel plans or face expulsion from Aceh, saying it was for their safety.

The statement from Indonesia's relief chief also said that if groups head to regions considered dangerous, "then their safety will be organized by the national security authority." It was not known if that meant aid organizations may get military escorts.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard described the demand as "a good idea."

But Australian National University defense expert Clive Williams said the Indonesians want to keep close tabs on foreigners to conceal corruption.

"The big problem with dealing with (the military) in Aceh is that they're involved in a lot of corruption there and the reason I think they don't want people to go to some areas is because they're involved in human rights abuses," Williams said.

U.N. officials worried the new rules might delay the delivery of supplies.

"Any requirements that would create any additional bottlenecks or delays or otherwise adversely affect our operations need to be reviewed very carefully," said Kevin Kennedy at the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The USS Abraham Lincoln's diversion to international waters did not interrupt the steady stream of helicopter flights delivering aid along the devastated coast of Sumatra island, because they were able to refuel on other Navy ships closer to shore, said Lt. Cmdr. John M. Daniels.

Under Navy rules, pilots of carrier-based warplanes cannot go longer than 14 days without flying, or their skills are considered to have degraded too far and they have to undergo extensive retraining.

The bulk of the Marines' mission, meanwhile, has become ferrying aid workers and transporting food from the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard. On Wednesday, Marine helicopters flew the first mission to the shattered city of Calang to drop off a French medical team. Helicopters also delivered supplies to Indonesian troops in Meulaboh, farther south.

Capt. David Shealy swooped his helicopter down on a scene of utter destruction ? palm trees lying strewn across a beach, their roots sticking out of the sand. Rice paddies were filled with mud. Houses had been turned into piles of rubble, or washed out to sea. Bridges were buckled and broken.

But as Shealy lowered his helicopter to hover just a few feet over a road, hundreds of people suddenly appeared, swarming around, arms outstretched.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before," said Shealy, of Dillon, S.C

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[MrChristo]

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

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You're right, they aren't helping themselves at all, Channy, but fighting over land control and corruption somehow seems to always come down to them being Muslims? :shrug:

I mean really...Why did this article even mention it was the world's most heavily Muslim populated region? (Or whatever it said back there!) It had nothing to do with the story at all!

 

[Chanman]

I believe I heard a pundit paraphrasing this MrC. Thanks for posting.

You're right, they aren't helping themselves at all, Channy, but fighting over land control and corruption somehow seems to always come down to them being Muslims?

I mean really...Why did this article even mention it was the world's most heavily Muslim populated region? (Or whatever it said back there!) It had nothing to do with the story at all!

I don't know :banghead: i was brought up strict Catholic and got married in a Bhuddist ceremony in Bangkok. My folks have never been to Thailand and thought Thais were all pagans. Now they like Oy better than they like me :com:

 

[MrChristo]

Yeah...sorry about the long-windedness of it all....Just did a quick search.

Always wondered why you just posted links

 

[Chanman]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tsunami/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tsunami/story/0,15671,1385919,00.html This kinda reminds me of the Right Wing Bible Thumpers saying AIDs is God's punishment

 

[MrChristo]

Yeah...Like I said in another thread...It's amazing how no-one claims responsibility, or claims to know God's will when an earthquake hits somewhere remote and no-one is killed!

(Sorry. I've done a fantastic job of hijacking this thread!)

 

[Master Capper]

You would have to pay someone to defend a terrible program like No Child Left Behind, as it is a failure and has never even been funded properly to have any chance at success. You cannot expect a man whom could not even improve a state's (Texas) education reform to write a grounbreaking reform for the whole country. This is the same for health care, Texas had one of the worst health care records in the country under Bush do you really think he is going to be able to fix the problem for the whole country?

 

[smurphy]

Can we finally put to rest all the crap about "elite liberal media" and "mainstream liberal media" and just admit that both sides have sold out?

 

[djv]

These countries were trying to help have every right to say how long were welcome. I see there telling everyone the same. So what? Others countries are saying nothing. We go we help we follow there rules. Just the way it would be if they came here to help us if ever needed.

 

[marine]

MrCristo,

In my humble opinion, I am glad people are helping the Indian rim countries to recover.

What I find extremely disheartening is that they have had their countries pretty much wiped out. The US has offered to help, first it wasn't enough and we were cheap.
Now, we can help, but we can only do it certain ways.
In some places, they just don't want us there at all.

To me, from the things I have heard and been told, some areas over there would like nothing more than just a blank check from us... mailed to them... and dropped off in a PO Box... with no return address.
I really don't even care about the religion thing. Just wasn't sure what to call them.

 

[StevieD]

The original number $35,000,000 that Bush put up is not even as much as his party! I think that most of us knew that the amount of aid that we would give would run into the billions of dollars right away. For Bush to say $35,000,000 just shows how out of touch with reality he is.