Foreigners restricted from entering Aceh

Foreigners restricted from entering Aceh

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government issued on Tuesday a decree that restricts
foreigners from traveling to the war-torn province of Aceh.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the decree, which came into
effect immediately after President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed
it on Monday, was aimed at preventing foreigners from becoming
victims of the conflict in Aceh, which is currently under martial
law.

"The decree restricts foreigners from traveling to Aceh during
the duration of martial law for the sake of their safety. In
regard to foreign non-governmental organization activists and
journalists, we will only supervise their presence in the
province, because we want to promote transparency in the ongoing
integrated operation there," Susilo told the media.

The decree states that foreigners must secure a permit from
the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights should they insist on
traveling to the restive province. NGO activists must obtain a
permit from the Office of the Coordinating Minister for People's
Welfare while journalists, including locals working as
correspondents for foreign media, need to obtain a permit from
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A spokesman with the foreign ministry, M. Wahid Supriyadi,
said that the ministry would limit freelance journalists covering
the war in Aceh, starting from Tuesday.

"All foreign journalists have to obtain a permit from the
ministry before leaving for Aceh. The permit will be valid for 30
days and be extendible for another 30 days," Wahid said.

The restriction came after two German tourists were shot, one
of them fatally, two weeks ago and an American freelance
journalist, William Nessen, was found last week to be covering
the war from the rebels' side without notification to the
government.