Furore ahead of Australian leader’s Jakarta visit
Indonesia concerned at new Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's hard-line policy on illegal immigrants arriving by boat ahead of state visit
A furore over Australia’s policy of turning boats full of asylum seekers back to Indonesia has erupted ahead of Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s first visit as Australian leader to its important neighbour.
Indonesia has warned that the Australian navy’s plan to intercept and force back Indonesian fishing boats crowded with asylum seekers from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Myanmar could breach Indonesian sovereignty.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa drove home that message in a meeting with his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in New York this week.
“Indonesian-flagged boats ... are breaking our laws bringing people into our territorial waters.”
Indonesia feared such “unilateral measures” would “risk the close collaboration and trust” between the countries on combating people smuggling and “therefore should be avoided,” according to notes on Monday’s meeting released by Indonesia’s foreign ministry.
Alexander Downer, who was Australian foreign minister for 11 years until 2007 when Abbott’s conservative Liberal Party was last in power, dismissed Natalegawa’s stance as “pious rhetoric”.
“Indonesian-flagged boats with Indonesian crews are breaking our laws bringing people into our territorial waters. This is a breach of our sovereignty,” Australia’s longest serving foreign minister told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television late on Thursday.
“Instead of a lot of pious rhetoric about that Australian government threatening their sovereignty, their people, their boats, their crews are breaching our sovereignty,” he added.
