Tuesday, November 19, 2013

RI recalls envoy from Canberra - Jakarta Post


adjib Riphat Kesoema. JP Followig a stadoff over boat people last week, relatios betwee Idoesia ad Australia took a ose-dive o Moday with Jakarta recallig its evoy to Caberra over allegatios that a Australia spy agecy attempted to bug the phoes of Presidet Susilo Bambag Yudhoyoo ad First Lady Ai Yudhoyoo.


“Idoesia is very disturbed by this matter. I short, it has ot bee a good day for the Idoesia-Australia relatioship,” Foreig Miister Marty atalegawa told a press coferece o Moday.


“[The alleged wiretappig] was ot a clever thig. It was ot a smart thig to do. It violates every sigle decet ad legal istrumet that I ca thik of, atioally i Idoesia ad Australia, iteratioally as well,” he added.


&bsp;Marty said Idoesia Ambassador to Australia adjib Riphat Kesoema had bee recalled for a “cosultatio”, though the gesture was clearly see as Jakarta’s ster rebuke to Caberra followig the soopig allegatios. The last time Jakarta recalled its evoy to Australia was i 2006 i protest at its souther eighbor’s decisio to grat temporary visas to 42 Papua asylum seekers.


Whe asked how log adjib would be i Idoesia, the outspoke foreig miister said, “I caot say for how log, but I told him ot to carry oly cabi baggage.”


Several iteratioal media outlets released o Moday secret documets leaked by US itelligece fugitive Edward Sowde which claimed that Presidet Yudhoyoo ad the First Lady had bee targets of Australia’s surveillace operatios. The documets were said to be from Australia’s electroic itelligece agecy, the Defece Sigals Directorate (DSD), ow called the Australia Sigals Directorate, dated aroud 2009.


The surveillace targets, accordig to the documet, icluded Vice Presidet Boedioo, former vice presidet Jusuf Kalla, Yudhoyoo’s the-spokesma for foreig affairs Dio Patti Djalal, the-coordiatig political ad security affairs miister Widodo AS, ad the-state secretary (ow Coordiatig Ecoomic Miister) Hatta Rajasa.


The documet shows how the DSD moitored the call activity o Yudhoyoo’s hadset for 15 days i August 2009. “I eed quite desperately a explaatio how a private coversatio ivolvig the Presidet of Idoesia, ivolvig the First Lady of Idoesia, ca eve have a hit of relevace impactig o the security of Australia,” Marty demaded agrily.


Whe asked if Australia officials i Idoesia could also be expelled, the miister said, “I do’t wat to eter ito who shall be leavig or who will ot be leavig.”


I Australia, Prime Miister Toy Abbott defeded his coutry agaist the latest allegatios, sayig: “All govermets gather iformatio, ad all govermets kow that every other govermet gathers iformatio,” he said as quoted by the Associated Press.


“The Australia govermet uses all the resources at its disposal — icludig iformatio — to help our frieds ad our allies, ot to harm them,” he added.


Last week, Abbott courted Vice Presidet Boedioo durig his visit to Caberra to reiterate the eed for stroger relatios betwee the two atios amid a stadoff over Idoesia’s refusal to accept a boatload of udocumeted migrats itercepted by a Australia vessel. That icidet took place as Idoesia was protestig earlier allegatios that Australia was spyig o Jakarta.


Coordiatig Political, Legal ad Security Affairs Miister Djoko Suyato said that the govermet would review the cooperatio betwee Idoesia ad Australia, particularly the exchage of iformatio ad icludig the assigmets of Australia officers i the Australia embassy i Jakarta.


Meawhile, Bambag Wiyoo, the deputy for commuicatios ad iformatio at the atioal Itelligece Agecy (BI), said it would be impossible for ay party to liste i to the telephoe coversatios of the Presidet ad the First Lady.


“I this era, it is impossible to guaratee that commuicatios via electroic meas are free from ay possible iterceptio. Therefore, the use of ecryptio i commuicatios is vital,” he told The Jakarta Post. “Eve though the commuicatios were itercepted, the cotets could ot be uderstood because they are ecrypted.”


Lawmaker Mahfudz Siddiq from the House of Represetatives’ foreig affairs commissio, supported the govermet’s decisio to review all cooperatio with Australia.


“It’s clear that Australia is ot a good eighbor, ad is eve a threat,” he said. Earlier o Moday, the Foreig Miistry summoed the Australia Charge d’Affaires David Egel for questios as the Australia Ambassador to Idoesia Greg Moriarty has bee out of tow. Egel spoke to the Foreig Miistry’s director geeral for Asia Pacific ad Africa, Yuri O. Thamri.



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