Jakarta – Human rights group Amnesty International has joined a chorus of criticism against Indonesia's decision to expel a US researcher, saying the tactic was reminiscent of former dictator Soeharto.

The US government and several local and foreign rights groups have also criticised the move against Sidney Jones, the Southeast Asia director of the International Crisis Group (ICG), and an Australian colleague.

Amnesty, in a statement received Friday, said the decision was a "serious blow to freedom of expression in Indonesia and the right of the public to access information." The Brussels-based ICG, which researches the causes of conflicts worldwide, has published critical reports on Jakarta's handling of separatist conflicts in Aceh and Papua provinces.

It has also reported extensively on the Indonesian-based and Al Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah terror group.

The head of the state intelligence agency, retired general A.M. Hendropriyono, has described ICG and another 19 non-government organisations as a threat to national security.

The ICG said no official had taken responsibility for the expulsion decision and no one had complained to its office about the reports.

"This heavy-handed approach combined with the total lack of transparency appears calculated to create fear within the domestic and international NGO community," Amnesty said in a statement. "Such tactics were the hallmark of the authoritarian former President Soeharto. It is shocking to see them being employed at a moment when Indonesia claims to be on a path of democratic reform."

National assembly speaker Amien Rais, a candidate in the July 5 presidential election, said Thursday the expulsion "will have a negative impact because Sidney Jones has an international reputation."

Former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the front-runner in the presidential race, has urged the government to explain its reasons. "If it does not, it will become a problem for democracy," he said Wednesday.