Reply #63: Indonesia...

[Violet_Crumble]

Apparently Indonesia had the resources to be a member of the Pacific Tsunami warning system. Damn, that spoils the whole picture being painted. Considering the epicentre of the quake was just off Sumatra, and how far inland the tsunami reached, no country could have been prepared for what happened seeing as how they only had a few minutes warning...

The people of Aceh aren't 'radical Muslims', and it's the people of Aceh that the Indonesian military was until very recently 'coping with'. Why do you think international aid groups weren't allowed into the province prior to the tsunami? Could it have something to do with human rights abuses being carried out on the civilians in Aceh?

btw, the US has designated itself the worlds policeman, at least when it comes to telling other countries what to do. Check out the Bush Doctrine if yr in doubt. And while no-one's expecting that the US has to provide basic services for every other country in the world, what is expected that the US would pass on any warnings of impending natural disaster to other countries if the US becomes aware of it. US scientists in the Pacific did try to warn the affected countries of the tsunami but were hampered by first misjudging the magnitude of the quake, and then when it became clear how huge it was, not having a contact point in those countries to get the ball rolling. Anyone who thinks the US shouldn't have a responsibility to pass on warnings really isn't living in reality-land...

Violet...