I was watching CNN this morning. There was a brief item concerning a decision by the Government of Indonesia (GoI) to "order" all American relief workers and agencies out of Indonesia by March. CNN for once didn't comment on either the decision or its possible ramifications. Unfortunately, they also didn't provide many details beyond the bare announcement.
I'm hoping that one of our Indonesian posters can provide additional details on this decision.
I am aware of GoI concerns relative to the on-going Sumatran independence movement/low-level guerrilla insurgency. However, one of the practical aspects of concern was expressed by my wife (who, as a senior foriegn service officer with USAID, has a great deal of experience being involved with and leading international disaster relief and recovery efforts around the world): simply rebuilding basic infrastructure in Banda Aceh, for instance, will take a full-court press using every resource available for
at least a year. If the GoI is concerned about foreign meddling in their insurgency, kicking out key players before the relief effort is completed would seem to provide the guerrillas with even more justification and recruits.
In addition, the possible political ramifications would appear extraordinary. Even I (and I consider myself relatively multiculturally-oriented and able to understand - even if I don't agree with them - other nations' sovereignty issues, etc), could come up with no more charitable phrase than "ungrateful" or "short-sighted" when considering this decision. To the average American, given the overwhelmingly generous private donations, not to mention government donations, that have been provided both to the region generally and Indonesia in particular, this is going to appear a major slap in the face and insult.
I'd appreciate any input bearing on the rationale for this decision on the part of the GoI.