Indonesia military accepts Australian apology for insult
Indonesia’s military partially suspended cooperation with its Australian counterparts after an Indonesian military officer raised concerns in November about teaching materials for army language training at a facility in western Australia.
The Indonesian military has accepted an apology from Australia’s army chief over a purported insult to Indonesia’s state ideology that caused a spat between the two countries.
An Indonesian military statement released late on Wednesday after Australian army chief Angus Campbell met with Indonesian military head General Gatot Nurmantyo said the Australian Defence Force would sanction personnel involved in the incident. It quoted Campbell as saying the sanctions would affect the careers of those penalised.
Indonesian media reported that Pancasila, the state ideology based on five principles including a unitary state and belief in one God, was renamed “Pancagila”, in effect calling it crazy in Indonesian, in laminated training materials.
Referring to the incident, Nurmantyo said in the statement that Indonesians have died to defend Pancasila. “Especially for the soldiers, it is very sensitive and it hurts us,” he said.