"Go to Hell With Your Aid!"

This probably explains the Indonesian government’s attitude toward the American troops and their assistance in the aftermath of the disaster.

Over the last 40 years the Indonesians have used both Russian and American war materiel; the Air Force currently is flying US-made Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft from the 1960s, which are overdue for replacement. The Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs from the 1970s are looking pretty long in the tooth, too; and even the newer F-16s have issues with spare parts. While most of its major weapons systems are US-made, Indonesia is under a US embargo, thanks to US disapproval of Indonesian suppression of East Timorese separatists. Even if the embargo was lifted, any arms supplied by the US would probably have strings attached limiting their utility against other separatist movements --which is the primary reason the Indonesians, beset by several such movements, want modern weapons. One Indonesian politician's response to the US embargo, in mid-December before the tidal wave brought American aid en masse, was succinct: "Go to Hell with your aid!" [bold mine]

In spite of the Indonesian government’s method of diplomacy, they may soon be looking squarely in the face of the second wave of the disaster.

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - Malaria could kill up to 100,000 people in coming months across Indian Ocean communities devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami if authorities do not quickly move to kill mosquitoes, a health expert warned Thursday.

Health agencies were planning to launch a massive spraying campaign in Indonesia - the hardest-hit country - on Friday to kill mosquitoes that carry the disease, said Richard Allan, director of the Mentor Initiative, the aid group leading the malaria campaign in Indonesia.[SNIP]

In communities along the west coast of Sumatra, where almost all buildings were wiped out, the main defense will be pesticide-impregnated plastic sheeting, which villagers use for shelter.

What kind of pesticide does the Mentor Initiative use to kill mosquitoes? Anyone know? Surely not this one.

(Thanks to reader Bucky Katt)

INTERESTING ASIDE: Did you know that people born with either the sickle-cell trait or with sickle-cell anemia are far more likely to survive malaria than those who are free of the trait?

UPDATE: Losing the Popularity Contest

Commenter Christopher Taylor points out yet another reason that certain other Indonesians want the westerners out ASAP.

THE spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah says he is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Aceh's tsunami survivors because of the humanitarian assistance from Australian and US military forces.

A spokesman for Abu Bakar Bashir said the Indonesian cleric, who is on trial for terrorism, regarded the relief operations by Australian and US military personnel as a dangerous development, overshadowing the role of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI). [SNIP]

"It's dangerous, this idea by Acehnese that US and Australian forces are their guardian angels - more popular than the TNI."[SNIP]

Comments

[Christopher Taylor]

Cool but logical about the sickle-cell anemia point, people with a tendency toward that often are the people who come from malaria-heavy areas.

By the way, here's the real reason the Indonesians want the US out:

"THE spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah says he is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Aceh's tsunami survivors because of the humanitarian assistance from Australian and US military forces.

"A spokesman for Abu Bakar Bashir said the Indonesian cleric, who is on trial for terrorism, regarded the relief operations by Australian and US military personnel as a dangerous development, overshadowing the role of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI)."

Source:
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11917718%5E28477,00.html

[Bucky Katt]

I agree JI and the Indonesian government have a relationship however uneasy it might be. We need to keep our militant/separatists groups straight here. The Indonesia gov't has been fighting against the Aceh separatist groups for a considerable time. From the LA Times- Militants Jump Into Aceh Relief Efforts

"For nearly three decades, the Acehnese separatists have battled the central government in a war that has claimed thousands of lives. The rebels, who call their organization the Free Aceh Movement, contend that Aceh was annexed illegally by Indonesia when the country was founded in 1945.

In May 2003, the Indonesian government placed the province under strict military control in an attempt to crush the rebels. Human rights groups and victims' families have charged that Indonesian troops have singled out and killed civilians, some boys as young as 12.

The government has granted Aceh partial autonomy that permits the limited implementation of Islamic law. Although the separatists are devout Muslims, they reject autonomy, saying they are seeking independence, not Islamic law.

But for the Muslim militants, having Islamic law should be enough.

"They have been granted autonomy to implement the Islamic law formally already, so why do they want to have their independence?" asked Almascaty. "They have no reason for independence." "

Basically, the Indonesian gov't and their militant Islamic allies don't want any outside witnesses if they decide to re-start their campaign against Aceh.

[Javahead]

Agree with Bucky that the Indonesian gov't doesn't want any witnesses. And given the kind of Islamist rhetoric that's come from them over the years (largly as cover for their out-and-out corruption), I am surprised that anyone (except CNN and the New York Times)has any illusions that they are in any way our friends. Or even neutral.

Regarding sickle-cell anemia, I've seen speculations that it has spread as far as it has in sub-saharan Africa precisely because being a sickle-cell carrier is a genetic advandate in areas with endemic malaria and no modern medicine.

Non-carriers often don't live long enough to have children (malaria). The unfortunate children that inherit sickle-cell from both parents don't tend to live long enough to have families, either. But no matter who a carrier marries, half their children will also be carriers - and have a higher likelihood of living to adulthood and having children of their own.

If all it gave was protection from malaria, with no down side, I expect that the gene would be even more common.

[jeff]

Right, the sickle cell gene spread in ancient Africa because avoiding malaria outweighed the risk of Sickle cell. Genes often have more than one effect, or even different effects on men than they do on women. In terms of evolution, the only thing that matters is if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

One possible genetic explanation for homosexuality - which would not seem to be an evolutionary benefit, to say the least - is that it's a byproduct of a gene that confers some other benefit we're unaware of. If a gene produced a predisposition to male homosexuality, say, but also made women have healthier babies, then it would continue to be passed on, because healthy babies trumps a negligible incidence of exclusive homosexuality.

BTW, I was unable to include you in my FOOT POST ;p

[baldilocks]

jeff: Oops! Forgot to give up the boots! (Starting rumors.)

[Walter E. Wallis]

I believe that Sukarno [sic] also told the United States to stick our aid, back in the 50's.

[Ken Summers]

The sickle cell/malaria issue is fascinating, even more so on the cellular level. The malaria parasite lives inside red blood cells. Carriers have slightly irregular blood cells, only "half-sickled", as it were, in which the malaria parasite can't survive. There are a number of other genetic conditions in which a heterozygous individual is stronger or healthier than either homozygous condition. But that's probably TMI and only interesting to people like me.

Jeff, there's actually a somewhat simpler explanation for why homosexuality wouldn't be eliminated in the population despite not leaving offspring. If the point of Darwinism is to pass on one's genes, this can be accomplished by having offspring, or by ensuring the survival of relatives. This is getting too long so I'll just quote a famous scientist whose name is escaping me at the moment: "I would gladly lay down my life for two brothers or eight cousins".

[Ken Summers]

Juliette, apologies for going OT. Genetics was one of my favorite classes in college.

[baldilocks]

Ken: no apology necessary. It's part of the post's subject. :-)

[B. Durbin]

Continuing the OT— they've discovered a similar genetic link with allergies. Seems that allergies don't develop in areas with internal pests (such as tapeworm) because the system that causes it seems to have an effect in removing such parasites.

In other words, allergies develop when a system evolved to take care of parasites can find no such parasites, and overreacts to some indicator of those parasites. (Certain markers on the peanut protein, for example.)

They've even started clinical trials where severe allergy sufferers take benign parasites to control their allergies. It seems to work extremely well, though the participants note that they try not to think about what they're swallowing.

[ricardo]

actually it's the trait (half normal half sickle cell gene pair) that makes you live longer. normal red blood cells are susceptible to the malaria infection, and well if u got sickle cell u die..

[skinner]

actually queers fit into darwins theorys perfectly the female tortoises would take theyre offspring to the fag beach and make them watch these sickining homo tortoises trying to perform unnatural acts the young offspring would puke and then return home and would eventualy [ as they came of time]
find a nice sexy tortoise { OF THE OPPOSITE SEX } with a nice rack on her shell and such, and consummate the crap out of things on a beach far away from the degenerate {light in the loafers tourtices} when they had offspring they would return to the gay beach to pass on the lesson but luckily the beach was full of peta people enjoying theyre tuftle soup { they where told by the native it was made from local mushrooms and seemed to enjoy it emmencely yummy