Abbott adviser's 'porn star' jibe at Indonesian minister stokes spying row
Close ally of Australian premier apologises for insulting Twitter remark about Indonesian minister as anger grows in Jakarta over spying claims
A strategist for Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's Liberal Party apologised yesterday after describing a person widely reported to be the Indonesian foreign minister as resembling "a 1970s Filipino porn star".
Mark Textor made the derogatory comment on Twitter as ties between Canberra and Jakarta plunged to their lowest point in years amid a spying row.
Frankly, I was quite shocked. They're highly inappropriate comments
"Apology demanded from Australia by a bloke who looks like a 1970's Pilipino (sic) porn star and has ethics to match," said the tweet, which has since been deleted.
Reports said he was referring to Marty Natalegawa, who called for Canberra to say "sorry" after documents leaked by US intelligence fugitive Edward Snowden showed Australia tried to listen to the phone calls of the Indonesian president, his wife and ministers in 2009.
The anger over the alleged spying yesterday spilled over to the public in Jakarta, where demonstrators wearing military-style uniforms protested outside the Australian embassy, pumping their fists in the air and waving the Indonesian flag.
"We're ready for war with Australia," read one of the banners waved by the crowd of about 100 demonstrators, who used red spray paint to daub graffiti on the Australian mission.
Although Textor apologised for his comment, he said he was not referring to "anyone in particular" when questioned by the media at Parliament House in Canberra. "Apologies to my Indonesian friends - frustrated by media-driven divisions - Twitter is indeed no place for diplomacy," he later tweeted, adding: "Conduct unbecoming."