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| Southeast Asia |
| In politically sensitive south Asia, U.S. Marines find it hard to get boots on the ground |
| 2005-01-04 |
| Have to wonder, is it the govn't thinking or the folks needing help that are refusing the Marines? Down in the hull, everything is ready to go. There are tractors and trucks and three huge landing craft. There's water purifying equipment, plastic tarps and wood beams for building temporary shelters. And there are more than 1,300 Marines ready to take it all ashore and get to work. But — even for a strictly humanitarian mission — in the political minefield of southern Asia, getting American boots on the ground is a delicate concept. The first helicopter flights off this Navy flattop began relief operations on Tuesday, flying to the city of Medan on Indonesia's tsunami-struck island of Sumatra, where more than 100,000 people are feared dead and a million or more are homeless after the catastrophic Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami. Plans to put a Marine expeditionary unit ashore on Sri Lanka with heavy equipment, however, have been put on hold. After being informed that Colombo was scaling down its request for help, this ship and the USS Duluth canceled plans to spearhead relief efforts off Sri Lanka's coast and have instead joined the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its battle group off Sumatra. The USS Mount Rushmore, carrying a smaller contingent of Marines, will travel on to Sri Lanka alone. It was expected to cross the Indian Ocean by the weekend. An advance party of seven Marines arrived in the southern town of Galle Tuesday. Though no firm plans had been set, due to the uncertainty of the situation, the Marines had hoped to put more than 1,000 troops ashore in Sri Lanka to help clear roads and build shelters for refugees. The Bonhomme Richard, carrying more than 1,300 Marines, has three landing craft aboard that float on air cushions and are capable of putting the troops ashore by the hundred on almost any kind of beach. All are fully loaded and ready to go. But for the time being, that capability will not be used. Instead, the ship's helicopters will continue ferrying supplies to and from the regional airports where they have been piling up, and taking them out to the more remote places where they are needed. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #18 Re Aceh, someone with expertise in Indonesia on, I believe, belmontclub, pointed out that the rebels there are not jihadists but ethnic separatists with a completely different heritage, culture and identity from the Jakarta-based majority. ANother key grievance of theirs is apparently the rape of their natural resources, mainly natural gas, of which they have huge reserves and 95% of which cash flow is grabbed by Jakarta. No reason, really, that we should oppose these people. It's not about islamofascism. |
| Posted by: lex 2005-01-04 10:10:18 PM |
| #17 Jakarta was quick to open Aceh because it needed the help, but the image of large numbers of Marines pouring ashore would be politically sensitive to the predominantly Muslim nation. Well. There's nothing like sacrificing untold numbers of your own population just for the sake of political sensitivity, no? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-01-04 10:08:35 PM |
| #16 No talking but action. It's the cowboy way. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-01-04 10:04:14 PM |
| #15 Sweet post, SPo'D - THANK YOU! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-04 9:43:31 PM |
| #14 snipped from Davids Medienkritik: http://diplomadic.blogspot.com/ this memo written by Dutch diplomats and circulated at an EU meeting in Indonesia: The US military has arrived and is clearly establishing its presence everywhere in Banda Aceh. They completely have taken over the military hospital, which was a mess until yesterday but is now completely up and running. They brought big stocks of medicines, materials for the operation room, teams of doctors, water and food. Most of the patients who were lying in the hospital untreated for a week have undergone medical treatment by the US teams by this afternoon. US military have unloaded lots of heavy vehicles and organize the logistics with Indonesian military near the airport. A big camp is being set up at a major square in the town. Huge generators are ready to provide electricity. US helicopters fly to places which haven't been reached for the whole week and drop food. The impression it makes on the people is also highly positive; finally something happens in the city of Banda Aceh and finally it seems some people are in control and are doing something. No talking but action. European countries are until now invisible on the ground. IOM staff (note: this is a USAID-funded organization) is very busy briefing the incoming Americans and Australians about the situation. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2005-01-04 9:30:00 PM |
| #13 There are billions of moderate muslims and most of them live in the areas affected. These are the poorest of the poor and they probably bear less animosity to us than do the French or Germans. Let's get these people water and food. Good God, where's your Christian spirit ?? 99.9% of these people have nothing to do with the WOT. F^%$$ the UN, but don't use these people as pawns to do it. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-01-04 9:27:18 PM |
| #12 Wonder how much this was encouraged by UN officials who resent us actually expecting to take credit for what we donate and for the work we do. |
| Posted by: very anon 2005-01-04 9:18:03 PM |
| #11 If they say no thanks move on and make it really public that we tried. Sri Lanka is a shit hole anyhow. If Indonesia has problems tough luck. We have other places we can spend our treasure. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2005-01-04 8:52:14 PM |
| #10 If we go on the the next people I say we do very publically. Make sure that everyone knows that our assistance was turned down my the Indonesia government because of religious reasons. Leave them to the U.N. (but dont give any aid via the UN either - dont let Kofi and his theves steal the credit for our efforts!). |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-01-04 7:15:23 PM |
| #9 I'll say it out loud. Fuck 'em. History shows that any aid we give to muslims is not appreciated or remembered. It is the very crux of their desert clan death cult to either kill us or convert us and establish a world-wide ummah. Ralph Peters (generally a smart guy) notwithsatnding, there is NO SUCH THING as a moderate muslim. You either are muslim, or you are an apostate, which is worse than being an infidel. Anyway, my point is do not aid your enemy. Parabellum (Not a goddamn dime) |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2005-01-04 6:51:25 PM |
| #8 That's fine. Move on to the next folks who want the help. The Saudi navy or some other Muslim navy should be along to help these folks... ummmmmmmmmmmmm... soon. We'll let them know where you are. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-01-04 4:46:57 PM |
| #7 You got it RW, and yes, thanks for caps and lower-case. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-01-04 4:21:40 PM |
| #6 Jakarta was quick to open Aceh because it needed the help, but the image of large numbers of Marines pouring ashore would be politically sensitive to the predominantly Muslim nation. More politically sensitive than a bunch more dead people, whose deaths are attributed to avoidable religious belligerence, rather than unavoidable acts of nature? |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2005-01-04 4:04:29 PM |
| #5 We shoudl send the whole kit and kaboodle to Sri Lanka and Thiland if they'll accept the help. If the Indos don't want it, .com had the right idea. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-01-04 4:03:37 PM |
| #4 Ahem, I think the bigger problem is that the US is trying to send supplies to help people, *not* money that would go directly into the pockets of the regime. From the regime's point of view, that is the only aid worth having, and screw the peasants. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-01-04 3:46:06 PM |
| #3 good comment RW and thanks for losing the Caplocks.. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-01-04 3:32:34 PM |
| #2 It is difficult to have sympathy for the governments but not the people. If these people only understood what we stood for it would all be apparent. I agree if you don't want us, why bother. |
| Posted by: Rightwing 2005-01-04 3:17:53 PM |
| #1 And the tiny voice in my head said, "Fuck 'em. Invade and help them anyway." But soon, with a great sigh, it went away, leaving only the echoes of the screams and, later, the wailing of loss. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-01-04 3:13:55 PM |