Jones back in town and back at work<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
American terrorism expert Sidney Jones has resumed her work in
\nIndonesia after her entry ban was lifted by the government last
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Marking her first public appearance after the lifting of the
\nban, she addressed a two-day international conference on security
\nchallenges in the Asia-Pacific region in Jakarta, which began on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Jones, director of the Jakarta office of the Brussels-based
\nInternational Crisis Group (ICG), arrived here last Friday.<\/p>\n
\"As a researcher, my client is free to conduct studies and to
\nshare views, attend seminars or to visit conflict-prone areas in
\nIndonesia,\" Jones' lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said.<\/p>\n
\"I will file a protest if any restrictions are imposed on her
\nin carrying out her work, which includes visiting conflict zones
\nsuch as Aceh, Papua and Poso,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Jones was denied entry to Indonesia on Nov. 23. Two days
\nlater, she was ordered to fly back out of Indonesia upon her
\narrival at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport.<\/p>\n
A week later, however, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
\noverruled the ban on Jones after it was met with a storm of
\ncriticism.<\/p>\n
The reasons for the government's barring of Jones are still
\nunclear. Some officials said they were only given effect to the
\npreviously imposed policy issued by the security authorities during
\nthe administration of president Megawati Soekarnoputri, while
\nothers said Jones had to change her \"bad attitude\".<\/p>\n
Speculation was rife that the ban was imposed for her critical
\nreports on the activities of the intelligence and other security
\nauthorities in the troubled areas, where they were accused of
\nabusing human rights.<\/p>\n
The two-day conference, sponsored by the Council for Security
\nCooperation in Asia Pacific, was closed to the press on Tuesday.
\nSusilo failed to open the meeting on Tuesday as scheduled as he
\nwas still visiting Magelang, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Jones, mostly known here for her in-depth reports on the al-
\nQaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah terror group, served as a panelist
\nin a session on countering terrorism along with former Philippine
\ncommander-in-chief Gen. Narciso Abaya and Indonesianist Greg
\nFealy from the Australian National University.<\/p>\n
Other speakers included East Timor's Senior Minister for
\nForeign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos-Horta, Australian
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer, U.S. Ambassador to
\nIndonesia B. Lynn Pascoe and former Indonesian foreign minister
\nAli Alatas.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jones-back-in-town-and-back-at-work-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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