Indonesia annoyed at fresh travel warning
A report in The Australian says that Indonesia has expressed concern about Australia’s decision to revise travel warnings for tourists, insisting the nation remains calm.
A spokesman said Indonesia’s national police had no plans to review its assessment despite the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade alert that terrorist attacks in the island nation could be imminent.
The Australian travel warning remains unchanged at the second-most serious level of caution, where tourists are advised to avoid travel to the area. But while the previous Indonesian warning mentioning possible terrorist attacks had not been time-specific, the new note warns they could be imminent.
Although John Howard said yesterday the warning had been “upgraded”, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said it had actually been “reissued” because there was no specific new information.
The Prime Minister said there was sufficient firm intelligence to justify the new warning, adding, “We don’t change these things, we don’t upgrade them, we don’t make statements unless there is sufficient reason”.
“We recognise the sensitivities within Indonesia whenever something like this is done, but we have a greater duty to the safety of Australians.”
The latest travel alert was prompted by intelligence agencies picking up increased “chatter” from Indonesia referring to the possibility of new attacks, without pointing to any precise targets.
The updated DFAT advice mentions the troubled Indonesian provinces of Maluku and central Sulawesi, citing recent terrorist violence, including bombings and shootings. Referring to the tourist island of Bali, it warns of a “very high threat of terrorist attack” and recommends that Australians reconsider travelling there.
An Indonesian embassy spokesman said the Indonesian Government had noted that the latest Australian travel advisory was based on new intelligence.
Labor foreign affairs spokesman Robert McClelland called on the Government to clarify the advice to avoid confusion because its travel assessment had not been altered.
Australia appears alone among Western countries to have revised its travel advice, with the latest advisory over travelling to Indonesia stronger than the present US warning. “Terrorist attacks in Indonesia could occur at any time and could be directed against any location, including those frequented by foreigners as well as identifiably American or other Western facilities,” says the US State Department’s website warning.
British travel advice to Indonesia warns against visiting Maluku and central Sulawesi but does not recommend against travel to other parts of the country. “There remains a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia” it says in its advice last updated on June 29.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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