Boyce's job in Indonesia

The new U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Ralph L. Boyce, has surely found out that his job here will not be a boring one. When the massive anti-American demonstrations by political parties and Islamic organizations that took place following the U.S. bombing campaign in Afghanistan seemed to have become a thing of the past, school children and students of secondary educational institutes in Jakarta stopped before the American embassy demanding that the American military attacks should spare the innocent children of Afghanistan. The ambassador may have wondered why nobody has reminded the demonstrators that the tons of food aid dropped by the U.S. and international humanitarian aid agencies from the air are meant to benefit the children as well.

On another occasion Ambassador Boyce was also asked to demand that the American government stop its bombing campaign for a month during the (holy) fasting month of Ramadhan. He did not betray any sense of irritation when answering the question coming from the suspicious audience. Perhaps he found the session interesting in that he could learn more of bahasa Indonesia, which he is trying to master as a diplomat.

Of course, when further pressed, Boyce could not say or deny publicly whether the al Qaeda had already made inroads into Indonesia. But what he could say is that there are still those who expressed sympathy for the Bin Laden cause even after his supporters had to give up Kabul and other cities and are apparently in disarray. The official U.S. sentiment in Washington seems to be one of high suspicion that some members of society are supporters of Bin Laden although they are in the minority.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta