Sick-making thoughts

[jhetley]

Watching news footage of those US Navy transport choppers moving emergency aid around Indonesia, I just keep waiting for some shithead to pop a shoulder-fired missile at one of them. Unless I'm mistaken, Aceh Province is one of the places with a separatist movement making life difficult for the central government....

Comments

[wolfette]

disaster seems to be creating cease fires - the Tamil Tigers have apparently formed a joint committee with the Government forces in Sri Lanka to make sure aid gets distributed.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I hope you're right. I just fear that the particular separatists in Aceh might prefer to have no aid at all rather than accept help from The Great Satan.

[wolfette]

don't buy into the fear - not every Muslim is your enemy...... unless you make them.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Jette, I don't think I am being paranoid in this. Aid workers have been deliberate targets in a number of recent and current conflicts. This includes aid workers from non-political, non-USA groups, like Doctors Without Borders and Red Crescent.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

All it takes is ONE asshole.

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

I can't claim to be an expert on Aceh - the vast majority of what little I know I get from the Economist - but my understanding is that the Free Aceh folks aren't motivated by religion nearly as much as they want a cut of locally-generated oil and gas revenues.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I read the same information (from the same source...) but Indonesia does have a recent history of violent anti-western acts such as the Bali bombing. The jolly little joke of terrorism is that it doesn't have to reflect a majority opinion or even a sizable minority. One crazy bastard with opportunity and means will be sufficient.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Precisely. Timothy whasisface, anyone?

[lynx-rufus.livejournal.com]

Yep, Aceh Province has been so totally dominated by violent radical Muslims advocating a separatist state that the government banned foreigners from travel or work in that area. The tsunami relief is the first time foreigners have been permitted in that province in years.

[wolfette]

which would be why several of the missing tourists were lost in that area?

Tourists have been *discouraged* from travelling there, much as they have from travelling to the north of Sri Lanka where the Tamils have been operating. People still do it though.