Posted on 01/13/2005 4:09:46 AM PST by kattracks
The Indonesian government yesterday showed its appreciation to U.S. soldiers who have been risking their lives helping tsunami victims by ordering them to get out of the country by the end of March.
"Three months are enough," Vice President Jusuf Kalla told the official Antara news agency. "In fact, the sooner [they leave] the better."
Kalla's government also forced the Abraham Lincoln, from which Navy pilots have flown dozens of food supply missions to the hard-hit Aceh Province, to steam out of Indonesian waters because they refused to let U.S. pilots fly training missions in their air space.
The Indonesians also refused to let the Marines coming ashore rebuild roads, establish a base camp or carry arms.
Lynn Pascoe, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, reacted to Kalla's ingratitude by declaring that American troops will help as long as they were needed and "not a minute later."
But in Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan demanded "further clarification from Indonesia about what this means."
"We hope that the government of Indonesia and the military in Indonesia will continue the strong support they have provided to the international relief efforts so far," he said.
Although most Indonesians have expressed thanks for U.S. help, nationalist politicians in the world's most populous Muslim country have been grumbling about "American interlopers."
Indonesia's new president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is a former general in a country that has been under martial law for much of its recent history.
Always wary of America, Indonesia reluctantly allowed U.S. soldiers in when it became clear it could not deal with the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami on its own.
Yudhoyono's government also moved to reassert control over wave-walloped Aceh by ordering aid workers and journalists to declare their travel plans - or face expulsion.
"It is important to note that the government would be placed in a very difficult position if any foreigner who came to Aceh to assist in the aid effort was harmed through the acts of irresponsible parties," the government said in a statement.
The Indonesian government was referring to the rebels who have largely stayed out of the way as the international rescue missions have been mounted.
With News Wire Services
Originally published on January 13, 2005
What more can the world expect from Muslims?
Mu-slime gratitude at its finest.
"the sooner, the better"
Well, what the hell are we waiting for?
Give them a bill for the amount money we have spent and get out. Thank you very much A--h's.
To hell with him! I say we stop giving aid of any kind to all nations with this attitude.
You want a ceasefire, then you order all the foreigners out and have the UN pay us to do the work.
Terrorism pays.
The radical Muslims have had to curtail Christian slaughtering while the relief effort has been underway. As soon as they remove the aid and relief workers, their living hell can resume.
Like if someone was converted to Christianity. Blech!
To me it sounds like the president wants people who would see that the money is spent on the victims out so he can squirrel away the cache for his own benefit. If there's no oversight, the donations could easily end up in the hands of al Qaeda.
Maybe this was behind Powell's statement.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1317543/posts
No problem...FARTS on you!.....
I hate to say it but the sooner the better for me as well. It makes me nervous having them there, especially since the marines had to agree not to carry weaponry. It's like inviting the muslims to commit some atrocities.
Leave now!!!!!!
"Three months are enough,"
Why wait that long? Let's get out NOW.
Now we know where we should not have sent our personal contributions. I am truly sorry that the Indonesian government hates itself so much that it fears being made to look lesser by accepting aid. The government would look better by having its priorities straight.
The focus should be on helping the victims of the disaster, not the victims of bad government in Indonesia. That the government would offer up human sacrifices to recover its own ego is what is saddest of all.
Goodnight sweetheart...well it's time to go....
On the point of this thread:
The Gov't is completely corrupt and severely represses the population - Hence the concern that outside influences might take hold during the aid efforts. The longer these take, or are allowed to continue, the more outside influence will be possible and the more the people will see just how repressive and ineffectual the Gov't is in meeting the needs of the survivors. This more than anything would explain the need to strictly control aid activities and curtail them as much as possible.
IMO another example of a Gov't more concerned with self-preservation than the welfare of those it "Governs" - Sound familiar?
Typical response from most countries in the world toward the US, especially a muslim country.
Just another reason why we should NOT give aid to any country that does not support the US on international matters. For too long these countries have observed that the more anti-American that they are, the more money that we give them based on our misconception that doing so will make them like us more.
Whiny child screams for a new toy.
Mommy and Daddy give whiny child a new toy to shut him up.
Whiny child screams for another new toy.
Mommy and Daddy give whiny child another new toy.
Whiny child grows up and brutally stabs Mommy and Daddy to death because they won't give him a car.
9.0 on the ungrateful scale? Looks like a perfect ten to me.
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