Government to expel American researcher

Government to expel American researcher

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government ordered on Tuesday International Crisis Group
(ICG) researcher Sidney Jones to leave the country immediately,
citing a work permit violation.

A letter signed by head of the South Jakarta office of the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Arwin Adityawarman dated
June 1 says the office revokes Jones' stay permit and orders her
immediate exit from the country.

Jones told The Jakarta Post she received two letters regarding
her expulsion and that of the other foreign ICG staff at 6 p.m.
on Tuesday.

However, she questioned the deportation order.

"Yesterday (President) Megawati told the press that we would
not be deported, but today we are deported. I don't understand
what has happened," she said.

"There is no clear reason why we have to leave. Nobody from
BIN came to us," she said, referring to the National Intelligence
Agency, whose chief A.M. Hendropriyono was the first to hint at a
plan to expel Jones last week.

Jones demanded clarification, saying her visa was set to
expire on June 10.

Director General of Labor Development and Standard Marudin SM
Simanihuruk told the Post the manpower ministry would not extend
Jones' work permit.

"She violated her work permit. She should have worked in
Jakarta, but it turned out she worked in Papua, Aceh and other
places outside Jakarta.

"She was supposed be contributing social and/or cultural input
only, but she made a lot of trips across the country to resolve
conflicts, which is beyond her capacity. What's wrong with her?
Even a subdistrict chief is unable to do such a job," Marudin
said.

He admitted his office had "coordinated" with BIN prior to the
decision not to extend Jones' work permit.

ICG Indonesia director Todung Mulya Lubis expressed his regret
over the government's decision.

"I am in deep grief," Todung said.

Todung said the decision was unthinkable in the so-called
reform era especially because Jones, a U.S. citizen, had spent 30
years of her life in this country. He said Jones took her reports
very seriously -- out of her love of Indonesia.

ICG has 19 offices throughout the world. It established one in
Indonesia in 2000 and has since wrote numerous reports about
regional conflicts and about the Jamaah Islamiyah, an Islamic
organization allegedly linked to al-Qaeda.

Jones said she could hardly understand the government's
policy.

"There's a mixture of sadness and anger that we have been
working in Indonesia for four years with many Indonesians and now
we are treated as if we are criminals."

However, the deportation order does not mean Jones must quit
her job. "I will move somewhere in the region and keep working
and concentrating on issues about Indonesia," she said.