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| Down Under |
| Dispute With Australia Escalates Over Papuans |
| 2006-03-24 |
| Canberra, 24 March (AKI) - Indonesia has recalled its ambassador to Australia in response to the steps taken by Canberra to grant temporary visas to 42 people from the Indonesian province of Papua. The Indonesian authorities said that they "regretted" the move by Canberra and according to a report on Australia's ABC News Online, the Indonesian foreign minister, Hassan Wirajuda said that Jakarta was "afraid this would weaken cooperation" between the two countries. The decision to recall the Indonesian ambassador to Australia Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb was announced less than 24 hours after Australia's ambassador in Jakarta Bill Farmer was summoned to Jakarta's foreign ministry for a formal diplomatic protest. Australia has tried to play down the dispute by saying that they did not support the aspirations of the separatists in the Papua province. Reports say that among the 42 Papuan refugees are some pro-independence activists. Indonesia has been accused of human rights violations in the low-level insurgent movement that has been going on in Papua for decades. Papua was granted self-rule by its Dutch colonists in 1961, but was then annexed by Indonesia, which did not honour that agreement. Some newspapers in Jakarta accused the government of Australian prime minister John Howard of supporting separatism in Papua. Jakarta has said that the refugees have nothing to fear and that warned Australia that granting the Papuan's asylum would only further strain relations between the two countries. |
| Posted by:Steve |