Indonesia says it will raise the Abbott Government’s asylum-seeker policy with the United States, during an official visit next week.
Indonesia says it will raise the Abbott Government’s asylum seeker policy with the United States, during an official visit next week.
Jakarta has stepped up its protest to the policy, and called in the Australian ambassador in Jakarta for a meeting with a senior official.
Indonesia’s foreign affairs minister Marty Natalegawa has told local reporters that a strong protest message was given to the Australian Ambassador Greg Moriarty on Tuesday over the Abbott Government’s latest tactic in its border protection policy.
Mr Natalegawa says Australia was already violating its international commitments.
But he says putting people in lifeboats and sending them back to Indonesia is an escalation.
Mr Natalegawa says he will inform the US secretary of state John Kerry about Australia’s actions and let officials draw their own conclusions.
Mr Natalegawa says he’ll discuss Australia’s policy with other countries as well.
Despite the issues, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the relationship with her Indonesian counterpart remains positive.
“We have open lines of communication and I’m constantly talking to Doctor Natalegawa. I think he said recently that we talk almost every day,” Ms Bishop says.
“It’s a very positive relationship – of course we have challenges. Neither of us want to be in position where we have to deal with the people smuggling trade.”
Earlier this month Mr Natalegawa said it was “unhelpful” to bilateral relations for Australia to keep pursuing its policy of turning back asylum-seeker boats.
He made the comments after the Australian Government said it had entered Indonesian waters without permission while trying to stop asylum seeker boats.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison blamed the incursions on “positional errors” and said the Government took its “shared commitment with Indonesia to mutually respect the sovereignty of each nation very, very seriously”.
This prompted Indonesia to beef up naval patrols although Mr Natalegawa played down suggestions the country was going on a war footing saying they needed to ensure “things don’t get out of hand”.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said his Government is committed to continuing the policy of turning back boats, and lifeboats are now being used to send asylum seekers rescued from unseaworthy vessels back to Indonesia.
In January, the Government said the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia had fallen 80 per cent since Operation Sovereign Borders was introduced four months ago.
source: radioaustralia.net.au
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