Australia will still spy on Indonesia: Abbott

[Thunder.sea]

SYDNEY: Australia will not halt collecting intelligence on Indonesia but would work towards becoming its trusted partner, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Friday in the wake of damaging espionage allegations.
Reports last month that Australian spies targeted the phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and inner circle in 2009 sparked one of the worst diplomatic crises between the two strategic allies in years.

The two nation’s foreign ministers agreed on Thursday to establish a “hotline” and a code of conduct to restore trust, with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop expressing her regret at the situation.

Asked on Friday whether Australia had agreed to stop collecting intelligence on Indonesia, Abbott replied: “No.” “And they certainly haven’t agreed to stop collecting intelligence on Australia,” he told Fairfax radio.

“But we are close friends, we are strategic partners and I certainly want Australia to be a trusted partner of Indonesia and I hope Indonesia can be a trusted partner of Australia.”

Jakarta had responded furiously to the espionage reports, based on documents leaked by US intelligence fugitive Edward Snowden, suspending bilateral cooperations with Australia in key areas including people-smuggling.

During a visit to Jakarta on Thursday, Bishop said she and Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa had agreed to establish more open lines of communication, “a hotline, if you like”, as a first step towards resuming cooperation and “avoiding any unintended consequences”.

She also said Canberra had agreed to a six-point plan laid out by Yudhoyono last week, aimed at establishing a code of conduct to restore trust.

Canberra will not undertake “any act or use our assets or resources, including our intelligence assets, in any way to harm Indonesia”, she added.

Abbott has previously stressed the importance of the relationship with Indonesia, particularly given the strong cooperation between the countries on stopping people-smuggling.

“We are certainly very happy to have a more extensive, more formalised intelligence and security relationship because we think that is in the best interest of both countries,” he said on Friday. - AFP



Read more: Australia will still spy on Indonesia: Abbott - Latest - New Straits Times Australia will still spy on Indonesia: Abbott - Latest - New Straits Times

 

[Fsjal]

Tony Abbott is a prick. I can't believe everyone here voted for him. Anyway, Indonesia should spy on the idiot.

 

[+4vsgorillas-Apebane]

I voted for him.
Anybody is better than Rudd and Gillard.
Australia has always had bad foregn policy, especially in E Asia. Sinophile Rudd was especially bad.

 

[Developereo]

Tony Abbott is a prick. I can't believe everyone here voted for him. Anyway, Indonesia should spy on the idiot.

I don't think many people voted for Abbott. It was mostly a disgust vote against the disaster that is the ALP. Even now, they are running around like headless chickens and there's every chance Liberals will win the next election.

On topic, every country spies on others and Indonesians understand that. The issue was the spying on the President and his wife, which was a personal affront. It's like saying it's fair game for anyone to spy on Abbott's daughters and claim its all for national security.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

 

[lcloo]

Indonesia should spy on the sex life of the Aussie Premier. Circulate some on Youtube and FB will do the treat.

 

[Guynextdoor2]

Coz autralia is basically a nobody, non-entity outpost of the west (which also doesn't care about Australia BTW). And wanting to pleasure itself in thoughts it actually means something and is a 'great power' will 'spy'. Hell if it was with India we would have put them in their place right from the start.

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Spying on Indonesia is one thing & completely understandable , but East-Timor... Since when have they become a threat to the Kangaroo nation?

East Timorese stone Australian embassy
Date
December 6, 2013
Dili, East Timor

The Australian embassy in Dili, East Timor.

About 100 protesters in East Timor have thrown rocks at the Australian embassy, with police responding with tear gas as a spying row intensifies.

East Timor has expressed outrage over reports that Australia secretly bugged ministerial deliberations in Dili in 2004 to gain leverage in negotiations on an oil and gas revenue-sharing deal.

The protest followed a raid on Tuesday by Australian intelligence agents on the Canberra office of a lawyer representing East Timor in an arbitration case at The Hague over the deal, expected to be heard on Thursday.

The protesters, mostly students and young Timorese rights activists, carried banners reading "Australia is a thief" and "Australia has no morals".

The demonstrators, calling themselves the Movement Against Timor Sea Occupation, shouted "Australia, imperialist, capitalist!", and "Australia is a thief of world oil".

"The Australian leaders do not respect the people of Timor-Leste because it's very small, very poor," the group's spokesman Juvinal Dias said.

The embassy was guarded with just four police until a dozen more arrived and fired tear gas at demonstrators, saying they had no permit to protest.

Deputy Prime Minister Fernando La Sama de Araujo says he is "not happy" with Australia's actions, adding: "We demand the Australian government stops spying on the lawyer representing Timor-Leste."

East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on Wednesday described the raid on the lawyer's office as "aggressive" and "unconscionable".

The lawyer, Bernard Collaery, called the raid "intimidatory" tactics ahead of a hearing in the case Thursday.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended the move, saying it was to "protect national security".

East Timor argues that the 50-50 profit-sharing deal of $A40 billion in proceeds from the Timor Sea's resources should be torn up because of the alleged spying.

Australia is also trying to mend ties with Indonesia over allegations that it spied on the country's president, his wife and inner circle of senior officials in 2009.

The claims that Australia spied on East Timor and Indonesia are based on documents leaked by US intelligence fugitive Edward Snowden.

AFP


Read more: East Timorese stone Australian embassy

 

[Indos]

Australia want to be a RIVAL of Indonesia........Very Good. It will improve our nation motivation to exceed that nation in any aspect. Our Military budget and defense industries needs some "push" from an external factor .

 

[Thunder.sea]

Indonesia should be closer to China and Russia
Aussie will get Fever, if We do that

 

[Thunder.sea]

I voted for him.
Anybody is better than Rudd and Gillard.
Australia has always had bad foregn policy, especially in E Asia. Sinophile Rudd was especially bad.

In Indonesian Eyes, Abbot is ...

 

[xdrive]

Of course Australia will still spy on Indonesia. Indonesia will still spy on Australia. This is what every single country in the world does and the Indonesian government knows it. Its extremely bizzar that the Indonesian government would behave in this way over such an issue.

Why are people so delusional that they think a commitment of "we won't spy on you" would be offered up? No country in the world would ever say "we won't gather information or spy"

Tony Abbott is a prick. I can't believe everyone here voted for him. Anyway, Indonesia should spy on the idiot.

Tony Abbot is just being a responsible Prime Minister. It doesn't matter who is Prime Minister of Australia, Australian intelligence agencies will ALWAYS gather information. If they didn't there would be no point of them existing.

Indonesian is currently spying on Australia, how do i know? Because that's what EVERY GOVERNMENT in the world does. It's a sure thing.

I voted for him.
Anybody is better than Rudd and Gillard.
Australia has always had bad foregn policy, especially in E Asia. Sinophile Rudd was especially bad.

There is nothing bad about this. People act as if spying and intelligence gathering is something out of the norm and wrong when in reality every government gathers information and every other government knows it.

Coz autralia is basically a nobody, non-entity outpost of the west (which also doesn't care about Australia BTW). And wanting to pleasure itself in thoughts it actually means something and is a 'great power' will 'spy'. Hell if it was with India we would have put them in their place right from the start.

Every single government in the world has an intelligence agency no matter how big or small it is(not that im agreeing with you pathetic attempt at an insult"

Australia want to be a RIVAL of Indonesia........Very Good. It will improve our nation motivation to exceed that nation in any aspect. Our Military budget and defense industries needs some "push" from an external factor .

Gathering information doesn't mean you want to be the countries "rival" It's just the normal actions of a government.

Indonesia should be closer to China and Russia

Do you actually believe China and Russia don't spy on Indonesia? I'll repeat it once again, EVERY country in the world gathers intelligence from EVERY other country in the world.

Just because you are friends with a country, it doesn't exempt you. We have seen this from the U.S spying on Germany. They are great friends yet they are gathering intelligence on each other.

 

[Thunder.sea]

Do you actually believe China and Russia don't spy on Indonesia? I'll repeat it once again, EVERY country in the world gathers intelligence from EVERY other country in the world.

Just because you are friends with a country, it doesn't exempt you. We have seen this from the U.S spying on Germany. They are great friends yet they are gathering intelligence on each other.

are you moron?
can you distinguish between Intelligence and Tapping our Leader and His Wife Private Mobile Phone?

Aussie Never Care about Asian Manner. That why all of you, always afraid about threats from "NORTH"
because you know yourself, is Bad Neighbour.

At least China and Russia not Backstabbed us, Like Aussie did in East Timor Case

Lol Nice Panties Abbot

​

 

[Guynextdoor2]

Of course Australia will still spy on Indonesia. Indonesia will still spy on Australia. This is what every single country in the world does and the Indonesian government knows it. Its extremely bizzar that the Indonesian government would behave in this way over such an issue.

Why are people so delusional that they think a commitment of "we won't spy on you" would be offered up? No country in the world would ever say "we won't gather information or spy"



Tony Abbot is just being a responsible Prime Minister. It doesn't matter who is Prime Minister of Australia, Australian intelligence agencies will ALWAYS gather information. If they didn't there would be no point of them existing.

Indonesian is currently spying on Australia, how do i know? Because that's what EVERY GOVERNMENT in the world does. It's a sure thing.



There is nothing bad about this. People act as if spying and intelligence gathering is something out of the norm and wrong when in reality every government gathers information and every other government knows it.



Every single government in the world has an intelligence agency no matter how big or small it is(not that im agreeing with you pathetic attempt at an insult"



Gathering information doesn't mean you want to be the countries "rival" It's just the normal actions of a government.



Do you actually believe China and Russia don't spy on Indonesia? I'll repeat it once again, EVERY country in the world gathers intelligence from EVERY other country in the world.

Just because you are friends with a country, it doesn't exempt you. We have seen this from the U.S spying on Germany. They are great friends yet they are gathering intelligence on each other.

there is a difference between spying and telling heads of government we will spy on you.

 

[katarabhumi]

Of course Australia will still spy on Indonesia. Indonesia will still spy on Australia. This is what every single country in the world does and the Indonesian government knows it. Its extremely bizzar that the Indonesian government would behave in this way over such an issue.

you spying on our military? fine.. our cabinet? fine.. but It is the spying on our president and his wife that makes us angry.. How come Mrs. Yudhoyono is a national threat to Australia?.
I am not vote for SBY in last election but after all he is our president, and Australia treat his wife like a terrorist suspect.. It's insulting.

Most likely Australia did that to find a hole for blackmailing the president SBY.. a president who of all Indonesian presidents has the warmest feeling towards Australia (and the west). This Australian style of spying is definitely not the behavior of a friend.