San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, January 7, 2005
Aid officials won't scale back efforts because of radical Islamic
group in Indonesia, but are taking precautions
CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer
(01-07) 11:31 PST BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) -- Aid officials said Friday they
would not scale back relief efforts on Indonesia's tsunami-stricken Sumatra island,
despite security fears raised by the presence of an extremist Islamic group with
alleged links to al-Qaida.
Relief groups setting up operations at the main airport in the provincial capital, Banda
Aceh, said they were aware of security concerns in the region and had taken
precautions, but they were relying on goodwill surrounding the relief effort for their
safety.
The presence of Laskar Mujahidin, known for killing Christians in another part of
Indonesia, has generated fears that U.S. military personnel and others involved in
relief work in Aceh province could become terror targets.
Laskar Mujahidin set up a camp in Aceh and posted a sign that read -- in English --
"Islamic Law Enforcement." Its members say they have been collecting corpses,
distributing food and providingg Islamic teaching for refugees.
Indonesian military spokesman Maj. Gen. Syafrie Syamsuddin held a news
conference in the capital, Jakarta, to deny rumors that U.S. troops helping in the relief
effort were spies and that the U.S. military was trying to set up a long-term base in
Aceh.
"They are merely dealing with a humanitarian operation, not a military one,"
Syamsuddin said Friday. "They should not be accused of various things ... that can
make them upset. Every step of their movement in Aceh is by design and
well-directed."
It was not clear what the source of the rumors was, nor how widely they had
circulated, though opposition politicians have accused the Indonesian government of
being unprepared to cope with the disaster and of being forced into the "shameful"
position of having to accept foreign help.
"If the United States and Australia act beyond their humanitarian task, then we have
to resist," said Amien Rais, who heads Indonesia's highest legislative body. "But if
otherwise, we ought to thank them."
U.S. Navy and Marine helicopters have flown scores of relief missions in recent days,
reaching remote villages along the stricken western coast of Sumatra.
American helicopters have landed briefly at the airport in Banda Aceh to pick up aid
and deliver evacuated villagers, but have returned after each day's mission to ships in
the Indian Ocean.
A security official in the Philippines, one of several Southeast Asian countries,
including Indonesia, where the al-Qaida-linked terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah
operates, warned that extremists would take whatever opportunity they could to
launch attacks on Americans -- including those involved in the aid effort.
An attack would become more likely if outsiders were perceived to have motives other
than delivering aid to Aceh, where separatist guerrillas have fought the government for
two decades.
There have been unconfirmed reports of isolated skirmishes between Aceh rebels and
government soldiers since the tsunami, and the United Nations and other aid
agencies have deployed security officers or taken other precautions.
Adding to security concerns was the appearance of Laskar Mujahidin among the
scores of groups at the Banda Aceh airport. The group says it is in Aceh to help the
aid effort and offer religious solace to survivors.
U.S. officials say they are aware of the group's presence and are watching its
movements, but have not upgraded their security posture.
The United Nations said Friday it had no immediate concerns about Laskar Mujahidin.
"This is a situation where everyone is pulling together to help the people who have
been affected by this disaster," Michael Elmquist, the U.N. official in charge of
operations on Sumatra island, told The Associated Press. "We need all the
assistance we can get."
The Singapore armed forces, which is flying helicopter relief missions from an
Indonesian military base in Meulaboh on Sumatra's western coast, said it was aware
of potential security threats.
"We have contingencies if the situation deteriorates. Right now there is nothing
specific," said Col. Tan Chuan-in, who heads the humanitarian support group in
Meulaboh.
Associated Press writers Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta and Yeoh En-Lai in Meulaboh
contributed to this report.
© 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
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