Aceh off-limits to foreigners

Aceh off-limits to foreigners

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The Aceh military authorities will curb the activities of
foreigners in the province under a new decree announced on
Thursday that bars the entrance of foreign tourists and restricts
and controls the movements of foreign journalists and aid groups.

Aceh military administrator Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya said the
decree was aimed at ensuring the safety of foreigners in Aceh.

"All foreign nationals, foreign non-governmental organizations
and correspondents of foreign media should heed the decree," he
told reporters. "Those who violate it will face stiff penalties
in line with the law," he added.

Endang said the decree was a follow up to last week's
Presidential Decree No. 26 which also restricted war coverage by
local journalists and the work of local aid groups.

The new decree, the sixth issued so far since Aceh came under
martial law on May 19, further isolates the province from the
rest of the world.

Its issuance will further heighten concern over the lack of
transparency the military operation has been shrouded in since
local journalists were barred from reporting GAM statements
during the first weeks of the war.

The martial law administration has lambasted reports of rights
abuses by the government-sanctioned National Commission of Human
Rights (Komnas HAM), demanding it verify its reports with the
military before making them public.

The sixth decree now bars the entrance of foreign tourists for
as long as martial law remains effective, explained Endang.

Foreigners who are already in Aceh must report to the martial
law administration and show a current work permit from the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and their passports.

Their movements are restricted to the provincial capital Banda
Aceh and the province's 15 regency capitals.

Endang said that foreigners holding work permits in Aceh must
exit or reenter Aceh through Iskandar Muda Airport in Banda Aceh.

The decree also bans foreigners from providing any form of
assistance to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists, against
which Jakarta is waging war. It said foreigners must not spy,
engage in political activities, communicate or provide aid to
members of GAM or their supporters.

Foreigners must not speak to the press without a permit from
the military administration.

Expatriates in the oil and gas industry are asked to report to
the martial law administration. They must show their IDs,
passports and their work contracts.

The natural-resource rich province is home to American based
oil and gas company PT ExxonMobil Indonesia Inc., among others,
which is developing the Arun gas fields for export and domestic
use. Exxon's expatriates as with all foreigners in the oil and
gas industry work under a contract with state owned oil and gas
company Pertamina.

Meanwhile, foreign aid workers or organizations are banned
from issuing any public statements without the consent of the
martial law administration.

The decree also prohibits them from representing Indonesian
aid groups in Aceh and bans any form of assistance for GAM.

As for bilateral or multilateral aid, the decree requires such
assistance to comply with the government-sponsored humanitarian
program.

Meanwhile, foreign journalists and correspondents for foreign
media must report to the military if they change their residence
in Aceh. They must report their move to the military post at the
place they plan to leave and at their new residence.

The decree also suggested that the foreign journalists and
correspondents travel accompanied by the police or the military.

Endang warned that foreigners who violate the decree must
leave Aceh within 24 hours unless they have also broken the law,
which means they would face legal charges here.

The new restrictions followed a string of incidents involving
foreigners in Aceh.

American journalist William Nessen angered the Indonesian
Military (TNI) as he had been covering the war from the rebels'
perspective. He left GAM on Tuesday, and TNI has since been
seeking charges to indict him.

Early on in the military operation, soldiers accidentally shot
dead a German tourist and wounded his wife as they were camped on
a beach at night.