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Oz should apologize, move on
Mounting pressure: Protesters grouped under the Civil Society Coalition for Defense and Security demonstrate outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday
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Mounting pressure: Protesters grouped under the Civil Society Coalition for Defense and Security demonstrate outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday. They condemned the Australian government for its wiretapping activities against Indonesia, and demanded that Canberra apologize. (JP/Jerry Adiguna) (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
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span class="inline inline-none">Mounting pressure: Protesters grouped under the Civil Society Coalition for Defense and Security demonstrate outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday. They condemned the Australian government for its wiretapping activities against Indonesia, and demanded that Canberra apologize. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
With public anger in Jakarta unabated over Canberra's spying allegations, a former Australian foreign minister said that it was high time the country apologized and did more than just wait 'for the storm to pass'.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to heed Indonesia's demands for an apology, saying that his country should not be expected to apologize for measures taken to protect it. As of Thursday, the Australian leader showed no indication that he would issue a formal apology.
'An apology is the least Australia can offer now and, even with one, a long and rocky ride is inevitable,' former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans said on the sidelines of a discussion on Thursday. 'The most valuable currency in international diplomacy is personal trust and we breach that at our peril.'
He said it was not unusual for countries to devote intelligence resources to collecting information vital to their national interest. 'That's what intelligence agencies have always done and these roles are universally understood.'
He noted that Australia cannot just 'batten down the hatches, wait for the storm to pass and maintain technical operations as usual', especially to a nonthreatening Indonesia.
'Indonesia is an open, democratic society in which information is freely available even on the most sensitive issues, if asked by a friendly neighbor such as Australia.'
Evans said that bilateral relationships anywhere in the world faced problems from time to time. 'Resolving them depends [on] trust and confidence of the highest level, the kind that has now been put at serious risk,' Evans said.
Former Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda concurred with Evans' sentiments, saying that it was 'a reasonable expectation' to expect an apology. 'We can see support for that in Australia.'
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sent an official letter demanding a formal response and clarification from Australia, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said. 'We understand that Abbott communicated sincere regret. However, a formal gesture in response to our letter is needed.'
Abbott was quoted by Australian media on Thursday as saying he had received the letter and would respond to it quickly and courteously.
On Thursday, the Jakarta Police deployed 500 officers and two Barracuda armored vehicles to the Australian Embassy in Kuningan, South Jakarta, as hundreds of Laskar Merah Putih paramilitary members swarmed the facility, demanding an apology from Abbott. The protesters burned paper replicas of Australian and US flags while chanting the national anthem.
Separately, a Twitter user, using the handle @MD_JKT48, and self proclaimed 'newbie hacker', claimed to have attacked the websites of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Reserve Bank of Australia early on Thursday. The hacker threatened to launch his second salvo if Australia continued to refuse to apologize for its snooping operation. The two institutions confirmed that their websites fell afoul of cyber attacks.
The National Police ensured the security of Australia nationals and its facilities in Indonesia. National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said that the force had deployed more than 1,600 personnel to guard nine spots in Jakarta deemed to be potential targets of attacks or locations for protests. 'Among them were the Australian and US embassies.'
According to Agus, the police would boost security measures at the embassies until conditions returned to normal. 'Foreign embassies in Indonesia, as much as our embassies overseas, are the representatives of those particular countries. We have an obligation to protect them,' he said.
A night before the protests, Australians planning to travel to Indonesia had been warned to 'exercise a high degree of caution' over the possibility of 'civil unrest and political tension'. 'Australians should monitor local media, avoid protests, maintain a high level of vigilance and security awareness,' the advice says.
Meanwhile, Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin said that the diplomatic row would not affect the long-awaited parole for convicted Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby.
'Our law clearly stipulates the process of parole. So, she will not be affected,' he said after a hearing at the House of Representatives.
In 2004, Corby was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to smuggle 4.2 kilograms of cannabis into Bali. Yudhoyono granted her a five-year sentence reduction in 2012.
The parole, which has been caught up in bureaucratic red tape for weeks, will allow her to live outside Bali's Kerobokan Penitentiary, but remain on the island, until 2017. (asw)
