Letter : Indonesian citizens abroad

I refer to “The Tragedy of Indonesia’s international diplomacy (the Post, May 5).

The Indonesian government, at its highest levels, was advised over two years ago that many children, some as young as 13, were being held among the worst and most depraved criminals in Australian adult maximum security prisons. They did next to nothing until the media got involved.

Almost every month, an Indonesian imprisoned in Western Australia loses a dependent. A 3-year-old suffocated to death due to a lack of money for asthma medication, an 8-month-old and a 5-year-old starved to death in poverty. The Indonesian government has and is doing next to nothing.

An Indonesian maid is valued at between US$1,000 to $5,000 (the maximum fine for causing her death by making her wash outside windows from 30 floors up) according to Singapore, but scratch a car and jail, caning and a huge fine awaits you.

President Yudhoyono wants to be head of the UN. If he does not care for his own people when they are vulnerable, what chance would the rest of the world have?

Michael Flanagan
Perth, Australia