U.S. military commanders declined to coordinate with local leaders in deployment of 10 Seahawk helicopters in Banda Aceh, and they flat out refused pleas from Major General Bambang Darmono, the commander of the military relief operation in Aceh, who was frantically trying to arrange for the use of aircraft to conduct damage assessment surveys in order to determine the needs of his people.
Then Father Chris Riley, who heads the Catholic charity Youth Off The Streets, arrived in Aceh and immediately announced plans to set up an orphanage to house some of the estimated 35,000 children with dead or missing parents.
Next Hilmy Bakar Almascaty, leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, warned that the orphanage should not try to convert Muslim children to Christianity and that Fr Riley ought to stick purely to humanitarian work in Aceh.
And now the Washington Times, featuring the word "al Qaeda" in its headline, warns readers that "an extremist Islamic group with links to al Qaeda has set up relief operations in Aceh province on Sumatra island, raising concerns that international relief workers will become terrorist targets as in Iraq."
There's pattern here. And it seems familiar.
The News (AU) - Religious tensions stir in Aceh
Washington Times (DC) - Group linked to al Qaeda starts 'relief' work in Aceh
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