Govt reopens door for foreigners in Aceh

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has eased its restrictions against foreigners in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam by allowing five international organizations to resume their humanitarian activities in the war- ravaged province.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Tuesday that the selected groups were the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Education, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Susilo emphasized that the new policy was part of "the government's intention to boost transparency and accountability" during the "integrated operations", which have been in place in Aceh for over seven months to quell three decades of armed rebellion.

The government had also allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to resume its operation in Aceh.

"We have given room to these five international organizations. We will consider allowing (other foreign institutions) to resume their operations in line with the improvement in security conditions in Aceh," he publicly announced after leading a security meeting at his office here.

The meeting was attended by, among others, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, Attorney General M.A. Rachman and Commander of Military operations in Aceh Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya.

Weeks after the May 19 martial law was declared, the government issued tough regulations to curb the presence of foreigners, including journalists and organizations in Aceh, virtually closing the province to independent scrutiny.

The restrictions came after two German tourists were shot by the military, one of them dead, two weeks after Jakarta imposed martial law.

Indonesia has come under persistent pressure from international rights groups for banning foreign observers from Aceh, which has turned the major offensive against rebels into a secret war.

UNICEF spokesperson here, Kendartanti, said the organization would continue their activities in Aceh, which had been postponed due to the restrictions.

"We are focusing on education and health. We have provided tents for emergency schools, medicines and school equipment," she said.

When the government banned foreigners from Aceh, UNICEF foreign officers abandoned the conflict-torn province. However, the organization maintained its Indonesian representatives there.

The old policy allowed foreign aid workers to stay in the province for 14 days and a maximum extension of 30 days depending on the approval of the martial law administration.

Susilo said that the government had considered an improvement in the extended period of martial law in Aceh, but needed to "sharpen" it.

He said the government would set up special teams to monitor the ongoing integrated operation in Aceh to ensure that it met its target, particularly on budget spending.

"Many students and NGOs there have complained about misuse of government funds," he said, saying that teams would be posted in the central government and in the provincial government.

The teams, to consist of government and independent persons, would have no authority but to advise either the government or the military administration on possible moves to tackle misuse of funds during the operations.

Susilo added that the government is also considering whether to allow international election monitors to work in Aceh for the upcoming elections, as required by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

"We have to be careful about which NGOs are allowed to monitor the elections in Aceh. We must be sure that they are there only to monitor the elections and not to do other things that provoke Acehnese to demand a referendum, which is considered a crime against the state," he warned.

Susilo claimed that the military administration in Aceh would not disrupt the free elections in the province, despite concerns from several observers.

"The military is neutral, the military chief has repeatedly said that," he said.