Australian Spying Fails to Dent Relations Between Indonesia, United States

Jakarta Globe, Vanesha Manuturi & Kennial Caroline Laia, February 17, 2014

US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaks during a news conference with
 Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa at the Pancasila building in Jakarta
on Monday. (Reuters Photo/Evan Vucci/Pool)

Jakarta. Observers have lauded Indonesian government officials’ restraint in not confronting visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry with allegations that Washington may have benefited in a trade spat with Indonesia from espionage carried out by Canberra, saying Australia was solely to blame in the affair.

Hikmahanto Juwana, a law professor at the University of Indonesia, said on Monday that by focusing his outrage on the alleged spying by Australian intelligence, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa had wisely chosen to localize the problem.

“The fact remains that the party doing the spying on Indonesia was Australia, not United States,” he said. “Whether the US was involved before or after the spying, whether they shared information for their interests, is not the main concern for Indonesia. The main concern is why Australia [spied]. “This is a matter between Indonesia and Australia,” he added.

A report from The New York Times, published as Kerry arrived in Jakarta over the weekend as part of his Asian tour, cited documents released by former National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden as showing that the Australian Signals Directorate monitored communications between Indonesian officials and a US-based law firm representing Jakarta in a trade dispute with the United States.

Australia offered to share its findings with the NSA, including possibly “information covered by attorney-client privilege.” It was not immediately clear whether the NSA accepted the Australian offer or what the dispute in question was about, but at the time of the 2013 NSA bulletin Indonesia was embroiled in a dispute over a US ban on sales of clove cigarettes, and US claims that shrimp from Indonesia were being sold below market prices. The US later dropped its claim in the shrimp case, while the World Trade Organization has referred the clove cigarette case to arbitration.

Hikmahanto said Jakarta’s refusal to lay the blame for the spying with Washington was not because “Indonesia is taking sides with America or is trying to being nice, but simply because the alleged perpetrator of the spying is Australia.”

Aleksius Jemadu, the dean of Pelita Harapan University’s School of Social and Political Sciences, agreed that Indonesia was approaching the issue on the right tack as well as showing deference to a visiting foreign official.

“Kerry’s visit here is essentially to discuss the bilateral relationship. He is a guest in the country. It won’t do any good if Indonesia welcomes him by confronting him with these spying allegations,” he said. “After Kerry’s visit, Indonesia might air its concerns with the United States. This is about the issue of trust.”

In a joint press conference with Kerry in Jakarta on Monday, Marty said Indonesia-US relations remained strong. He also cited a speech by US President Barack Obama last month in which the latter addressed his efforts to reform US intelligence activities, and said he hoped the president’s promises would mean a change to how Indonesia was treated in terms of intelligence gathering. “Our understanding is that the kind of review or amendments signaled by the United States will also be relevant in the conduct of its relations with Indonesia,” Marty said.

Kerry said he shared Indonesia’s concern but stressed that Washington would exercise its intelligence-gathering activities as it deemed necessary for its own national security interests. “We take the issue very seriously, which is why President Obama laid down a series of concrete and substantial reforms that we believe should give greater confidence to people everywhere about their liberty and that they’re being protected, and at the same time, preserving very important tools with respect to keeping us safe in an age of major threats and terrorism,” Kerry said.

Australia has declined to comment specifically on the latest allegation, but Prime Minister Tony Abbott has justified his government’s intelligence gathering “for the benefit of our friends” — a point that Marty took issue with. “I find it extremely difficult to comprehend how talks between the US and Indonesia on shrimps has any direct or indirect implication on Australia’s security,” he said. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

Marty said that as neighbors, Indonesia and Australia must be transparent with one another. “Neighbors should be looking out for each other, not turning against each other,” he said. “We should be listening to one another, not listening in.”

Related Article:

Indonesia Says Reports of Australian Spying ‘Mind-Boggling’

Indonesia Says Reports of Australian Spying ‘Mind-Boggling’

Jakarta Globe – AFP, February 17, 2014

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa (R) walks with US Secretary of
State John Kerry before the US-Indonesia fourth Joint Commision Meeting at
the Foreign Ministry office in Jakarta on February 17, 2014. (AFP Photo)

Jakarta. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Monday that reports of Australian spies targeting Indonesian officials during a trade dispute with the United States were “mind-boggling.”

Indonesia has been embroiled in trade disputes with the US over its exports of clove cigarettes and shrimp in recent years, and has lashed out at Canberra over previous allegations that it spied on the Indonesian president and other top officials.

“I find that a bit mind-boggling and a bit difficult how I can connect or reconcile discussion about shrimps and how it impacts on Australia’s security,” Marty told reporters, referring to claims made in a weekend report by the New York Times.

The report said Australia offered intelligence to the US National Security Agency (NSA) to give Washington leverage during a trade dispute with Jakarta.

Marty’s comments came during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry, who responded to questions about the report, saying: “We take this issue very seriously, which is why President Obama laid down a series of concrete and substantial reforms.”

The report, based on leaked documents by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden, said that the Australian Signals Directorate offered the NSA information “including communications between Indonesian officials and the American law firm” that was representing Jakarta in the trade dispute.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott defended Sunday his government’s use of intelligence material, but refused to confirm the allegations made in the New York Times.

However, Abbott said that Australia did not “use anything that we gather as part of our ordinary security and intelligence operations to the detriment of other countries.”

“We use it for the benefit of our friends. We use it to uphold our values,” he said. ”We use it to protect our citizens and the citizens of other countries, and we certainly don’t use it for commercial purposes.”

Jakarta has responded furiously to previous reports of Canberra’s spying that led to a major breakdown in bilateral ties, and tensions are simmering between the countries over a hardline Australian military operation to turn people-smuggling boats back to Indonesia.

Agence France-Presse

Tony Abbott: Broadcaster ABC on 'everyone's side but Australia'

BBC News, 29 January 2014

Tony Abbott said the ABC should not "leap to be critical" of Australia

Related Stories

• Canberra 'spied on Indonesia leader'
• Australia rejects asylum abuse claim
• Abbott defends asylum 'closed book'

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has criticised national broadcaster ABC for "taking everyone's side but Australia's".

Mr Abbott said the publicly-funded broadcaster should show "some basic affection for the home team".

The ABC has been at the forefront of reports on abuse claims from asylum seekers and reports that Australia had spied on Indonesia.

The ABC had no immediate comment on Mr Abbott's statements.

However, the opposition said that the government should welcome media scrutiny.

'Benefit of doubt'

Mr Abbott made the comments during an interview with radio station 2GB.

He said he was "worried and concerned" by the ABC's role in reporting spying claims in documents leaked by former CIA contractor Edward Snowden.

The documents appeared to show that Australian spy agencies named the Indonesian president and other senior ministers as targets for telephone monitoring.

The reports led to a diplomatic row, with Indonesia suspending military co-operation with Australia.

Mr Abbott also criticised the ABC's coverage of allegations that Australian navy personnel had mistreated asylum seekers.

Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said it was right that the
ABC scrutinised government

Footage obtained by the ABC showed asylum-seekers being treated for burns that they said had been caused when they were forced to hold on to a hot boat engine.

Indonesian police said some asylum-seekers had burn marks on their hands, but they did not know who had inflicted them.

The claims were strongly rejected by both the Australian military and government, which has offered to co-operate with an Indonesian investigation.

"If there's credible evidence, the ABC, like all other news organisations is entitled to report it," Mr Abbott said.

"[But] you can't leap to be critical of your own country," he said, adding that the ABC should be prepared to give the Australian navy "the benefit of the doubt".

'Welcome scrutiny'

Acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said every government had "been subject to the close scrutiny of the ABC, and we should all welcome that".

"From emergency broadcasts in times of trouble to coverage of the events that shape our nation, the ABC is there, free for all Australians," she said.

The number of asylum boats travelling to Australia from Indonesia rose
in 2012 and the beginning of 2013

"[Mr Abbott] should stop complaining about media coverage and start behaving like a prime minister," she added.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said: "We need strong voices in parliament to stand up for the public's right to an independent national broadcaster".

Critics have accused the government of secrecy over asylum policy.

The government has refused to comment on reports that the navy are towing asylum boats back to Indonesia. It has however recently issued an apology to Indonesia for "inadvertently" violating its waters on multiple occasions.

The government has also limited information on asylum arrivals and vessel-related incidents to a weekly e-mail, citing operational needs.

The ABC charter describes the corporation as "the provider of an independent national broadcasting service".

In December, ABC managing director Mark Scott defended the ABC's coverage of the spying allegations.

"We are an independent media organisation and of course sometimes we will publish stories that politicians won't be happy about," he said. "That's the role we have to play."

Related Article:

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“…  Government

Let us speak of government. We're not speaking of your government, but of any government - the way it works, how it survives, how it has survived, the way it campaigns, and how it elects leaders. It's going to change.

Years ago, I told you, "When everybody can talk to everybody, there can be no secrets." Up to this point on this planet, government has counted on one thing - that the people can't easily talk to each other on a global scale. They have to get their information through government or official channels. Even mass media isn't always free enough, for it reports that which the government reports. Even a free society tends to bias itself according to the bias of the times. However, when you can have Human Beings talking to each other all at once, all over the planet without government control, it all changes, for there is open revelation of truth.. 

Indonesia, Malaysia in Push for Wire-Tap Agreement

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, December 20, 2013

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, left, talks to his Indonesian counterpart
 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, right, during their meet in Jakarta, on
Dec. 19, 2013. (EPA Photo/Bagus Indahono)

Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to push for an anti-wiretapping agreement within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, at the next group summit, in Myanmar in April 2014.

After a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told a joint press conference that Malaysia had agreed to support Indonesia’s proposal for an Asean agreement to reject illegal spying practices within the region.

“I think mutual trust and mutual respect are key in international relations. That’s why I am happy the prime minister agrees with the proposed anti-spying agreement that I will table at the next Asean summit,” he said.

While Yudhoyono did not specify what countries he was referring to the proposal comes in the wake of allegations that he, his wife and key officials were wiretapped by Australia in 2009.

Indonesia-Australia relations plummeted to their lowest depths since the 1990s after Jakarta recalled its ambassador in Canberra. The ambassador has yet to return to his post.

For his part, Najib said Malaysia was ready to support Indonesia during the Asean summit, underlining that spying was unethical among friends and neighbors.

“If Indonesia proposes it then Malaysia with provide strong support,” he said.

However, the proposal could stall as Singapore, a member of Asean, has been accused of helping Australia and US in spying on both Indonesia and Malaysia.

Both Malaysia and Indonesia have filed formal protests to the Singaporean government.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s proposal gained a strong momentum after the UN General Assembly on Wednesday called for an end to excessive electronic surveillance and expressed concern at the impact such scrutiny, including spying on foreign states and the mass collection of personal data, may have on human rights.

The call was included in a resolution drafted by Germany and Brazil, and which the 193-member General Assembly adopted by consensus.

The United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand — known as the Five Eyes surveillance alliance — supported the resolution after language that had initially suggested foreign spying could be a human rights violation was weakened to appease them.

The resolution notes “that while concerns about public security may justify the gathering and protection of certain sensitive information, states must ensure full compliance with their obligations under international human rights law.”

It calls on nations to review procedures, practises and legislation on communications surveillance and “to establish or maintain existing independent, effective domestic oversight mechanisms capable of ensuring transparency, as appropriate, and accountability for State surveillance of communications, their interception and collection of personal data.”

Back in Jakarta, Yudhoyono and Najib took time to watch Indonesia defeat Malaysia for a spot in the Southeast Asia Games football final in Myanmar.

Additional reporting from AFP

Indonesia ‘In No Rush’ to Restore Australia Ties Over Spying

Jakarta Globe, December 8, 2013

Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott, left, is welcomed by Indonesia’s
 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as he arrives for the ABAC Dialogue with
 Leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Nusa Dua,
Bali in this Oct. 7, 2013 file photo. (Reuters Photo/Romeo Gacad)

The office of the Indonesian president suggested on Sunday that it was reluctant to immediately “normalize” the country’s strained bilateral relations with Australia after Prime Minister Tony Abbot said in a radio interview that the country would continue to gather intelligence on Indonesia.

Teuku Faizasyah, the Indonesian presidential spokesman for foreign affairs, said there was a “different nuance” to Abbott’s statement that contrasted with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s comments a day earlier during her meeting in Jakarta with Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa. Marty said after the meeting he was reassured Australia would cease targeted surveillance of Indonesian officials.

“We need to further study PM Abbott’s statement because it seems to have a different nuance to that of Foreign Minister Bishop,” Faizasyah said on Sunday.

“We won’t be in a rush to normalize the bilateral relations until we’re convinced that Australia sincerely wishes to move the relationship forward.”

Indonesia-Australia ties plumbed the lowest depth since the 1990s in the wake of allegations that Australia had wiretapped phone conversations of Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and key officials in 2009.

The response from the Indonesian government was to suspend cooperation in areas spanning people smuggling and intelligence sharing.

Yudhoyono has hashed out new “protocols and codes of conduct” as a precondition for the relationship to resume to business as usual. Marty, however, has referred to his Thursday meeting with Bishop, which focused on the code of conduct talks, as “very constructive and open”

“There is almost no problem that cannot be resolved,“ the Indonesian foreign minister said. “Australia has declared its regret about the incident that has disrupted and hurt Indonesia’s interests.”

On Friday, though, Abbot said in an interview with Australia’s Fairfax radio that Australia would not stop collecting intelligence on Indonesia.

Asked whether Australia had agreed to stop collecting intelligence on Indonesia, Abbott replied,

“No. And [Indonesia] certainly has not agreed to stop collecting intelligence on Australia.”

Although after that he added, “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.”

Related Articles:

Australia Will Still Spy on Indonesia: PM

Australia Foreign Minister Airs Regret on Indonesia Spy Row, Agrees to ‘Hotline’

Australia Will Still Spy on Indonesia: PM

Jakarta Globe – AFP, December 6, 2013

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott prepares for Question Time in the
 House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on Nov. 21, 2013.
(AFP Photo/Mark Graham)

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 cooperation 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 formalized intelligence and security relationship because we think that is in the best interest of both countries,” he said on Friday.

Agence France-Presse

Related Article:

Australia Foreign Minister Airs Regret on Indonesia Spy Row, Agrees to ‘Hotline’

Australia Foreign Minister Airs Regret on Indonesia Spy Row, Agrees to ‘Hotline’

Jakarta Globe – AFP, December 5, 2013

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, left, shakes hands with her Indonesian
 counterpart Marty Natalegawa at the latter’s office in Jakarta, on Dec. 5, 2013.
(Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)

Australia’s foreign minister Thursday expressed regret over a spying row with Indonesia during talks in Jakarta aimed at repairing strained ties, agreeing to establish a “hotline” and code of conduct to restore trust.

Reports last month that Australian spies tried to tap the phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and several top officials in 2009 sparked one of the worst diplomatic crises between the two strategic allies in years.

“Obviously we regret the events that led to this situation. We regret the hurt caused to President Yudhoyono and to the Indonesian people,” Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said after a meeting with her Indonesian counterpart.

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

Bishop said she and Indonesian Foreign Minister 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.

“We note the steps set out by President Yudhoyono that must be taken in order to normalize the relationship and of course we agree to adhere to those steps,” Bishop said.

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

Natalegawa said the suspension in cooperation would remain in place until the code of conduct was finalized, but said that the meeting with Bishop was “constructive” and that Yudhoyono was “pleased by the progress made today.”

“I did not share any specific deadline [with Australia], except I remind [them] once again we have the six steps to go through. We are now at step one,” he said.

Bishop will also visit China, where relations are likewise on edge after Canberra’s criticism of Beijing’s new air defense identification zone, which covers East China Sea islands disputed with Japan.

Agence France-Presse

Related Articles:

Indonesia, Australia take steps to calm spy row

Australian Foreign Minister Off to Indonesia, China After Spy Row

Jakarta Globe – AFP, December 4, 2013

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop speaks at a press conference at the
Bali Democracy forum in Nusa Dua, on Nov. 8, 2013. (AFP Photo/Sonny Tumbelaka)

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will hold talks with Indonesia on Thursday to help repair ties strained by a spying row and draw up a code of ethics to govern relations.

The nation’s top diplomat will also visit China, where relations are likewise on edge after Canberra’s criticism of Beijing’s newly-declared air defense identification zone.

“The minister will lead a high level delegation to Jakarta for broad-ranging discussions about the bilateral relationship, following President [Susilo Bambang] Yudhoyono’s recent statement,” her office said.

Reports last month that Australian spies tried to tap the phones of Yudhoyono, his wife and his inner circle in 2009 sparked one of the worst diplomatic crises between the two strategic allies in years.

Jakarta reacted furiously, ending cooperation on military exercises and in the key area of people-smuggling while recalling its ambassador from Canberra.

Tensions calmed after Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott sent Yudhoyono a letter of explanation, with the two leaders agreeing that top-level envoys would discuss protocols and a code of ethics to govern relations that were “clear, fair and abided to”.

Abbott has also suggested a security roundtable to build trust.

While Bishop will meet with her counterpart Marty Natalegawa, Australian Defense Minister David Johnston admitted the damage would not be immediately repaired.

“It will take some time for current issues in bilateral relations to be worked through, but they will be resolved in time,” Johnston said.

“As defense minister I will do my best to contribute to that by being a frequent visitor to Indonesia. Building trust is essential and that can only be done through personal contact and mutual respect.”

From Jakarta, Bishop will travel to China, primarily for the annual Foreign and Strategic Dialogue with counterpart Wang Yi, which will focus on a bilateral agenda and regional and global issues of common concern.

The visit comes after Beijing reacted angrily last month to Bishop summoning its ambassador to voice opposition to the East China Sea air zone, with China demanding Australia correct its “mistake” immediately.

Canberra refused, proclaiming a right to speak out where Australian interests were concerned.

Agence France-Presse

Indonesia, Australia take steps to calm spy row

Google – AFP, Olivia Rondonuwu (AFP), 26 November 2013

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abott (C) and Indonesia's President Susilo

 Bambang Yudhoyono (R) are followed by Margie Abbott (L) and Ani Yudhoyono (2L)

 during a visit to the presidential palace in Jakarta on September 30, 2013 (AFP/File,

Adek Berry)

Jakarta — Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Tuesday Australia's leader had made "important" commitments aimed at ending a row over spying but warned much more work was needed before ties returned to normal.

But even as tensions calmed with Canberra, they threatened to escalate elsewhere, with Yudhoyono saying his government would summon the South Korean and Singaporean envoys over new espionage claims.

Allegations that Australian spies tried to listen to the phones of Yudhoyono, his wife and his ministers in 2009 surfaced last week and sparked a diplomatic crisis.

Jakarta reacted furiously, ending cooperation on military exercises and in the key area of people-smuggling and recalling its ambassador from Australia.

Indonesia was further infuriated by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's failure to apologise or offer what it saw as a clear explanation.

But on Tuesday Yudhoyono struck a conciliatory tone after receiving a letter from Abbott aimed at calming the row with a key ally and trading partner.

The letter contained a "commitment from the Australian PM that Australia will not do anything in the future that will disadvantage or disturb Indonesia", the president said.

"That is a very important point," Yudhoyono added.

He said Abbott supported his proposal to come up with a "protocols" and a code of ethics to govern relations between the neighbours that were "clear, fair and abided to".

Yudhoyono described a long process, that would involve assigning the foreign minister or a special envoy to work with the Australians.

After the details were hammered out, a formal ceremony would have to take place to bring the new agreements into place, attended by both Abbott and Yudhoyono, said the president.

Only after the two countries have "regained trust" in this fashion could normal relations and cooperation be restored, said the president.

However Yudhoyono reacted angrily to new reports that South Korea and Singapore helped with US-Australian surveillance in the region.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday that both countries played key roles in a "Five Eyes" intelligence network grouping the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

It quoted a top-secret US National Security Agency map that it said was published by Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

The president said that even though Indonesia was not specifically named in the reports, he was nevertheless angry as the whole of Asia was mentioned.

"I have instructed our foreign minister to ask for an explanation from the ambassadors of those countries," he said.

A presidential spokesman confirmed Yudhoyono meant the envoys would be summoned.

Malaysia's foreign ministry earlier Tuesday summoned the ambassador from neighbouring Singapore over the same report.

The report said that as a major hub for regional telecommunications traffic, Singapore was an important link in the surveillance network.

The allegations that Australian spies targeted Indonesian officials has also sparked anger among the Indonesian public, and on Tuesday a crowd of demonstrators in military-style uniforms protested outside the Australian embassy.

The protesters, from a paramilitary group, burned photos of Abbott and demanded the Australian ambassador leave the country.

The alleged spying was first revealed by Australian media last week, which based its reports on leaked documents from US intelligence fugitive Edward Snowden.

They showed that Australia's electronic intelligence agency tracked Yudhoyono's activity on his mobile phone for 15 days in August 2009 under the previous Canberra government.

At least one phone call was reportedly intercepted.

Members of Pemuda Pancasila burn a picture of Australia’s Prime

 Minister Tony Abbott during a protest against claims that Australian

 spies targeted the phone of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang 

Yudhoyono, outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta on Nov. 26,

2013. AFP Photo/Adek Berry)

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SBY Focus of Australia Spy Attempt: Report

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Martin Parry,November 18, 2013

Australian spy agencies attempted to listen in to the phone calls of Indonesian
 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and also targeted his wife and senior ministers,
 reports said on Nov. 18, 2013, in revelations described as ‘shocking’. (AFP Photo/Torsten
Blackwood)

Sydney. Australian spy agencies attempted to listen to the phone calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and targeted his wife and senior ministers, reports said Monday, drawing a demand for answers from Jakarta.

Secret documents leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden, obtained by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The Guardian newspaper, name the president and nine of his inner circle as targets of the surveillance.

The embarrassing details emerged with bilateral ties between the strategic allies already strained over previous spying allegations and how to deal with asylum seekers heading for Australia via Indonesia.

The documents show that Australia’s electronic intelligence agency, the Defense Signals Directorate, tracked Yudhoyono’s activity on his mobile phone for 15 days in August 2009, when Labor’s Kevin Rudd was prime minister. It reportedly intercepted at least one call.

A list of targets also included his wife Ani, Vice President Boediono who was in Australia last week, former vice president Jusuf Kalla, the foreign affairs spokesman, the security minister and the information minister, the reports said.

Yudhoyono’s office demanded an explanation from Canberra.

“The Australian government urgently needs to clarify on this news to avoid further damage,” spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told AFP in a text message.

“The damage has been done,” he added.

The ABC said one of the documents was titled “3G impact and update” and appeared to chart attempts by Australian intelligence to keep pace with the rollout of 3G technology in Indonesia and across Southeast Asia.

A number of intercept options were listed and a recommendation was made to choose one of them and to apply it to a target — in this case the Indonesian leadership, the broadcaster said.

The latest release of Snowden documents comes just weeks after reports claimed Canberra’s overseas diplomatic posts, including in Jakarta, were involved in a vast US-led surveillance network, which sparked an angry reaction from Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

This was followed by The Guardian reporting earlier this month that Australia and the United States mounted a joint surveillance operation on close neighbor Indonesia during 2007 UN climate talks in Bali.

In an interview with the ABC on Sunday, before the latest revelations, Vice President Boediono played down suggestions of a rift with Australia, shrugging off the disputes as normal neighborly problems.

“It’s normal for next-door neighbors to have problems,” he said. “I think Australians and Indonesians are quite committed to the long-term interests of both countries.”

But he admitted to public concern in Indonesia over the espionage allegations.

“And therefore we should find some joint ways to allay public concern,” he said.

Alexander Downer, the foreign minister under John Howard’s conservative government, said the revelations were damaging to Australia.

”It’s a shocking situation in which Australia will pay a big price,” he told Sky News, while Greens leader Christine Milne said it showed the “extent to which this country has slipped down the US path of universal surveillance.”

“The question here is what is the justification for trying to spy on the phone calls of the president or his wife? Is it national security, in which case are we saying we think our closest neighbor’s president is a security risk to Australia?” she asked.

Former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Snowden was given asylum in Russia in August, to the fury of the United States where he is wanted on espionage charges following disclosures that have provoked international uproar and strained ties with allies.

He is also behind revelations of American spying in Germany, including the tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone.

Agence France-Presse

The Indonesian Ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema is seen leaving

 for Jakarta at the airport in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 19, 2013. (EPA

 Photo/Daniel Munoz)

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The ‘Royal Concierge’ secret program logo showing a penguin wearing a crown.

The black and white penguin might be mocking luxury hotels’ staff uniform.

Australia denies rift with Indonesia

Googel – AFP, 6 November 2013

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop addresses the press during the 68th

United Nations General Assembly, in New York, September 25, 2013 (AFP/File,

Emmanuel Dunand)

Sydney — Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has denied a rift with strategic ally Indonesia over spying allegations as she left Wednesday for the Bali Democracy Forum.

Canberra's relationship with Jakarta is under pressure after reports last week that Australia's overseas diplomatic posts were involved in a vast US-led surveillance network.

The problems were compounded by a report on Sunday citing a document from US whistleblower Edward Snowden showing that Australia and the United States mounted a joint surveillance operation on Indonesia during 2007 UN climate talks in Bali.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa

 addresses the 68th United Nations General

 Assembly at UN headquarters in New York,

 September 27, 2013 (Pool/AFP/File, Eduardo

Munoz)

An angry Jakarta on Monday said it would co-sponsor a draft resolution at the UN General Assembly highlighting concern at US-led data snooping while threatening to review its bilateral cooperation with Australia.

Despite this, Bishop denied relations were frayed.

"I don't accept that there has been a rift," she told ABC television late Tuesday.

"I'm looking forward to having a very productive conversation with Dr Natalegawa and other Indonesian ministers."

Bishop added that she had a "very fruitful" discussion with visiting Indonesian ministers on Tuesday about the mutual benefit of working together on issues such as combating terrorism and people-smuggling.

"The bilateral cooperation that exists between our two countries in areas such as people-smuggling and counter-terrorism is of mutual benefit, of mutual advantage to both countries, and that will continue to be the case," she said.

But Labor opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said it was clear the relationship was in trouble after some "serious mis-steps" since the new conservative government led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott was elected in September.

"The relationship with Indonesia was handed to the incoming Australian government in very good working order," she said, adding that former foreign minister Bob Carr had a "very close rapport" with Natalegawa.

"And now we have an Australian foreign minister having to fly to Indonesia to explain herself and apologise."

Plibersek pointed to the government's lack of consultation with Jakarta over asylum-seeker policy, a lock-out of Indonesian journalists at an Abbott press conference and its failure to adequately explain the spying claims.

Indonesian elections are expected in the coming months, but Bishop refused to speculate on whether the polls were influencing Jakarta's recent rhetoric.

"That's a matter for Indonesia to answer," she said.

The annual Bali Democracy Forum, established by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2008 to promote the development of democracy in the Asia-Pacific region, is being held from November 7-8.

Bishop will speak on the topic "Building and Strengthening Democratic Institutions".

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