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Journalism of Courage
Foreign troops helping with relief efforts in Indonesia8217;s Aceh should leave by the end of March, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Wednesday.
Forces from Australia, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, China, Spain, Pakistan, Japan and Switzerland have scrambled to help with relief efforts in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, following the Dec. 26 disaster. More than 106,500 people were killed in Indonesia by the magnitude 9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, with almost all those deaths occurring in Aceh.
8216;8216;Three months are enough. The sooner they leave the better,8217;8217; said Kalla, quoted by the official Antara news agency, when asked how long should foreign troops should stay in Aceh. When asked about long-term relief efforts, he said: 8216;8216;We don8217;t need foreign troops.8217;8217;
The issue of foreign troops is sensitive in Indonesia, the world8217;s most populous Muslim nation. Their presence in Aceh, scene of a long-running separatist rebellion, has also raised some nationalist hackles. Many Indonesians, however, have praised the helping hand.
In Paris, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda dismissed suggestions that the request for foreign troops to leave by end of March meant Jakarta had something to hide.
