The Australian government said yesterday it had just received information on 'disturbing new threats' against Western interests in Indonesia and urged its citizens to leave the country.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told parliament that the warning was based on 'intelligence material' he received 'in the last few hours'.
'We've been recommending since the Bali atrocity that Australians defer all non-essential travel to Indonesia,' he said. 'We're now recommending that all Australians in Indonesia who are concerned about their security should consider departure.'
Mr Downer said all short-term visitors to Indonesia whose travel was non-essential should quit the country, and he urged Australians to exercise extreme caution in clubs, restaurants, bars, places of worship and tourist areas.
He declined to give any specific details of the new threats, saying only that they were generic and were made against all Westerners, not just Australians.
The Foreign Affairs Department estimated there were about 10,000 Australians in Indonesia, not counting thousands of others believed to be in Bali.
