Indonesia sets March deadline for foreign troops

Indonesia has said foreign troops helping in the wake of the tsunami disaster must be gone by the end of March.

Indonesia has said foreign troops helping in the wake of the tsunami disaster must be gone by the end of March.

There has been a massive influx of foreign troops and aid workers into the Aceh province since the December 26th tsunami disaster.

Three months are enough. The sooner, the better
Indonesian vice president Mr Jusuf Kalla sets a deadline for the exit of foreign troops

The area is home to rebels who have been fighting for independence for three decades but they and government forces have been holding back during the relief operation.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said troops from about 10 foreign nations should leave by the end of March.

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"Three months are enough. The sooner, the better," he said.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has warned it will crack down hard on anyone exploiting the disaster by diverting aid for their own enrichment.

Corruption joined separatist attacks and religious friction on a list of possible troubles that could complicate efforts to help the Aceh are, a part of Indonesia which lost two thirds of the 158,000 people known to have been killed by the waves across Asia and east Africa.

Indonesian chief social welfare minister Mr Alwi Shihab, co-ordinating relief in Aceh, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had called for strict measures to prevent corruption.

"He has warned those who have something in their minds in terms of their usual practices, that they will be severely punished," he said. Governments across the world have promised $5.5 billion in aid, with individuals and corporations pledging at least $2 billion more.

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The Paris Club, a group of creditor nations meeting today, is due to approve a plan for countries hit by the tsunami - some of the world's poorest - to suspend repayments of debt.

"We will approve this decision this morning in Paris," French Finance Minister Herve Gaymard said. The Group of Seven industrialised nations, all of which are in the Paris Club, has already agreed a similar move despite some divisions over whether it is really the best way to help.

Jakarta owes about $48 billion, and would have to pay more than $3 billion in principal repayments alone this year - about the same amount it says it needs to recover from the crisis. It is lobbying to ensure relief has no strings attached, while donors and anti-corruption groups - like Transparency International, which ranks Indonesia as the fifth most corrupt country - will watch to ensure all funds make it to the victims.

The United Nations said donors had moved with record speed to meet a near $1 billion appeal for immediate aid - cash already given, not just promised - with over 70 per cent already raised.

The giant sea surges killed 106,500 people in Indonesia, 30,000 in Sri Lanka, 15,000 in India and more than 5,000 in Thailand, where many victims were foreign tourists.

The tsunami has already created a deep divide between haves and have-nots in Banda Aceh, the devastated capital of Aceh province. It serves as an aid HQ with a tent city of 1,125 aid workers from around the world now erected at the airport.

Tens of thousands of locals are homeless, but those whose homes were safe above the tsunami waterline can now make a year's wages in a few weeks, renting out homes to aid workers and media.