Jakarta (AsiaNews) Budi Atmaji, chief of operations for Aceh's disaster relief, announced today that journalists and aid workers in the hard-hit province will be expelled if they do not inform the authorities of their movements outside its capital of Banda Aceh.
The measure was seemingly taken for security reasons in view of possible attacks against foreigners by separatist rebels belonging to the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or GAM), which has been waging a war of independence in the region since 1976.
For this reason Indonesian military chief General Endriartono Sutarto ordered trucks carrying aid to be accompanied by a military officer and troops engaged in aid and rescue operations to continue bearing arms.
GAM released a statement saying that it had no intentions of attacking foreign personnel.
According to Sidney Jones of the International Crisis Group, the Indonesian army is worried that it might lose control over the situation with the danger that "two years of military effort against the rebels might be lost". Given the chaos and emergency situation, "rebels can move more freely in the province".
The Indonesian government, which has come under fire because there are too many foreigners in Aceh and North Sumatra, announced that they will have to leave by March 26. After that date, cabinet secretary Sudi Silalahi said, "rehabilitation and reconstruction [. . . ] will be carried out by Indonesian experts".
Some South-East Asia watchers believe that the controversy over the foreign presence in the most populous Muslim country might mask underlying conflicts over the place and role of Islam in the country.
One consequence is that the initial wave of inter-religious collaboration that followed the tsunami might be wrecked by competing political interests.
Islamic fundamentalists have recently started to accuse Western and Christian aid groups working in the affected areas of proselytising.
Similarly, extremist groups like the Lasker Mujahedeen, a paramilitary group that has been fighting Christians throughout Indonesia, announced that it had sent volunteers to Aceh to "help fellow Muslims".
Islamic militants have said that they would tolerate US presence "so long as it is justified by humanitarian reasons", but if "there are any secret agents among them, Allah will destroy the US".
Aceh is the only Indonesian province where Sharia law has been implemented. (MH)