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Southeast Asia
Indonesia president intervenes in Jones case
2005-12-01
There was consternation at Rantburg regarding this posting, Sydney Jones banned from visiting Indonesia, and rightfully so. THE END OF THE STORY, THOUGH, IS THAT YUDHOYONO HAS A PAIR.

Indonesia’s president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday ordered immigration authorities to lift a one-year ban on a prominent American terrorism expert, declaring the reasons for the ban “irrelevant,” according to a presidential spokesman.
* * *
[I]t appeared unlikely Ms Jones would be allowed to return. But in a rare public rebuff of Indonesia’s powerful bureaucracy President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono intervened on Tuesday, asking to be briefed by ministers on the reasons for Ms Jones’ ban and subsequently declaring them “irrelevant”.
* * *
Ms Jones, who said she planned to return to Jakarta on Thursday or Friday, said she was never informed of the reason for the latest ban.
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I know this is still less than persuasive to a number of Rantburgers that Indonesia is a valuable ally, but these developments are encouraging to me, at least.
Posted by:cingold

#6  I guess when there's one grain of rice in the bowl, two grains tends to look like an improvement.
Posted by: Pappy   2005-12-01 18:56  

#5  I thought we noted this before . . .

Dan, right you are; and (might I add) you're always beating me to the punch with very insightful stories on Indonesia. I posted this article because it added a couple points missing in the article you posted Tuesday. Namely, that Yudhoyono had called the bureaucrats on the carpet; and that he appears to be reining in some loose cannons.
Posted by: cingold   2005-12-01 16:22  

#4  very good
Posted by: liberalhawk   2005-12-01 15:17  

#3  very good
Posted by: liberalhawk   2005-12-01 15:17  

#2   I thought we noted this before, though it might have been lost in the previous shuffle. The ban was a bureaucratic holdover from the previous administration and I'd be quite interested in knowing whether or not Hamza Haz had anything to do with it.
Posted by: Dan Darling   2005-12-01 03:54  

#1  What you are seeing in indonesia is democratic control by elected officials slowly take hold.
Posted by: phil_b   2005-12-01 03:21  

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