Foreign aid groups told to leave quake-tsunami stricken Indonesia
Indonesia on Tuesday told foreign aid workers that their help was not needed in disaster-ravaged Palu and they should go home. More than 70,000 people have been displaced since the 7.5-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami tore through Palu.
They were told, "all foreign teams should make their way obviously back to their countries. They don't need them in Indonesia" ... international search and rescue teams were prevented on Tuesday from accessing hard-hit parts of Palu, where thousands are believed to be buried underneath rubble.
Ahmed Bham from South African charity, Gift of the Givers, was told that new rules barred foreign urban search and rescue teams (USAR) from playing any part in retrieving the dead.
Indonesia's disaster agency issued a set of rules over the weekend instructing international staff to leave Palu and requiring foreign donations be channeled through local partners. "The truth is that they have put out a statement saying foreign personnel should be withdrawn," World Vision Australia Chief Advocate, Tim Costello, told Australian broadcaster ABC on Tuesday.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1437869/aid-groups-frustrated-as-foreign-staff-told-to-leave-palu