Australia-Indonesia relations threatened

By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Sydney

Australia and Indonesia remain locked in a fiery diplomatic dispute sparked by Canberra's decision to grant visas to 42 Papuan asylum seekers.

The issue of the Papuan refugees has caused a huge rift

They arrived in northern Queensland in January and claimed to be fleeing abuses by the Indonesian military in the troubled province.

Much snarling and posturing has followed.

Jakarta was infuriated and accused its southern neighbour of meddling in its domestic affairs.

It withdrew its ambassador and said he would not return until the row had been defused.

Australia has been taken aback. After all, the bilateral relationship was as warm as it had been in years. Canberra's swift and generous response to victims of the Asian tsunami in Aceh had cemented the friendship and co-operation that emerged from the Bali bombings in October 2002.

An effective way for Indonesia to retaliate is to lessen its attention to the parts of the anti-terrorism campaign that most concern Australia Michelle Ford, Sydney University

It was a remarkable turn-around for two countries who were at each other's throats over East Timor in 1999. Australia supported independence for the breakaway Indonesian province and led international peacekeepers during its violent transition to nationhood.

The Papuan affair has ripped open some of the old wounds. If Australia was expecting a democratic Indonesia to be more understanding these days it has had a rude surprise.

It seems that Jakarta will not tolerate any interference - perceived or otherwise - in Papua, its resource-rich province that lies at the eastern end of its vast archipelago.

"Australia has¿ ended up at Indonesia's feet partly because the Howard government misjudged Indonesian fervour over Papua," said an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The challenge for the Australian Prime Minister John Howard is to find a face-saving way to rebuild these damaged ties. He has sent his most senior diplomat Michael L'Estrange to Jakarta to try to ease the tensions.

His job is to explain why the 42 Papuans were granted temporary visas and to clarify recent changes to Australia's asylum laws.

Placatory move?

The Howard government significantly amended its immigration legislation to try to deter other boat people from making the hazardous voyage from Papua.

All asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat will now be sent to off-shore camps.

Critics see it simply as a way of appeasing Jakarta. They have accused Mr Howard of kowtowing to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Indonesia has been an invaluable partner in protecting Australia's borders from boatloads of asylum seekers. A critical alliance has also been formed to fight extremism in South East Asia.

Michelle Ford from Sydney University says that the current rift could harm security.

"Australia and Indonesia have co-operated remarkably in the anti-terrorist campaign," she said.

"The Papuan issue has a very strong possibility of undermining that because an effective way for Indonesia to retaliate is to lessen its attention to the parts of the anti-terrorism campaign that most concern Australia."

The row has sent rumblings not only through diplomatic circles but among Australia's Indonesian community. It is estimated there are 50,000 expatriates and students living here.

"It's very disappointing for me. I am very worried," said a downcast Denny Christian, a Jakarta-born waiter at the Asian Style Restaurant in Sydney's Randwick district.

"I worry a lot because many Indonesians want to study here so if there is a problem it could be bad for them and for those people [from Indonesia] already here in Australia," he added.

The next week could determine how quickly this fractured relationship heals. The visit to Jakarta by Australia's special envoy is an important step but much more soothing diplomacy could be needed.

Almost everyone agrees that neither country can afford to see such a valuable partnership fall apart.