A heartfelt thank you

Miles away from the areas rendered unrecognizable by the tsunami, we sense survivors' anxiety, as the deadline has come for foreign troops to leave those areas.

Even without today's deadline, representatives of foreign countries and their armed forces, who have been working in Nanggroe Aceh Darrussalam and North Sumatra, have said they would need about three months only to conclude relief work. In the last few weeks some 3,000 soldiers and also those working for a few hundred foreign and international agencies, have handed over their responsibilities to the locals, after working along with them, saying they are confident that the people are now able to take care of themselves.

To all those leaving, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without you there was no way we could come anywhere near to "the conclusion" of emergency relief work and the "shift" to a phase of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

In the words of survivors, the troops from more than a dozen nations were impressive in their dedication. Like the workers and volunteers of non-governmental and governmental organizations, the soldiers treated patients with tenderness, evacuated bodies, distributed goods, cheered up children and adults, cleared debris and tried to save remaining fishing boats. Helicopters and warships landed in places that had been cut off by the tsunami. There were troops with sophisticated equipment, and others from less wealthy countries, whose sole mission was to help wherever they could and who did so with spirit.

But all this good work -- for which survivors, their relatives and countless others are thankful for -- was tarnished by the embarrassment felt following remarks that foreign troops should leave as soon as possible. It was said that the troops might have ulterior motives for acting like Good Samaritans, and thus might even be a threat. Military leaders were quick to retort that the appeal for help had come from the Indonesian Military (TNI) itself, given both the unprecedented scale of the tragedy and the limited resources of Indonesia, including the TNI.

The damage was done; government officials kept contradicting one another regarding "deadlines" for all foreign agencies, foreign troops, or both -- as if bowing to pressure from certain quarters and forgetting that the survivors might have entirely different views. Under the perceived threat of anyone seen to be "encroaching on Indonesia's sovereignty" many forgot the teaching of our elders -- to treat our guests like kings.

Instead suspicion reared its head and rumors surfaced. Either because people were convinced that watching out for spies was a top priority -- even while survivors struggled to stay sane -- or because the presence of foreign troops was a good opportunity to sow jingoism for political interests. Either way, extreme nationalism or belligerence was not the response of the Acehnese.

What some of them did remark on was the stark difference between Indonesian soldiers and foreign ones. That while the latter were clearly engrossed in a humanitarian mission, many of our soldiers went about their duties in a gung-ho manner; perhaps understandably given that their main mission to Aceh, before the tsunami was to crush the rebels. Hence the anticipated reports of soldiers harassing distressed people rather than aiding and comforting them.

The world has witnessed the professionalism and discipline of the armed forces of many nations, and of many others engaged in relief work in Aceh and North Sumatra. Their response has been magnificent and deeply appreciated.