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Indonesia Questions Australia About ‘Reckless’ Raids on Citizens
By
Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia Correspondent
KUALA
LUMPUR, November 1 (IslamOnline) – The recent house to house search
of Indonesian immigrant houses in Australia has raised the ire of
several people in Indonesia, with experts warning the Australians not
be arrogant.
Indonesia
summoned an official from the Australian embassy Friday, November 1,
to explain the 'heavy-handed' and 'reckless' raids on its citizens
suspected of links to terrorism in that country, Indonesian national Tempo
magazine reported.
The
raids were "misplaced" and done in an arrogant manner,
observers told IslamOnline Friday, adding that the Australian
"spy" agency manhandled many people, treated them as real
terrorists while carrying the searches.
Observers
in Jakarta are asking why only Indonesians were targeted in the search
and not other nationalities.
A
law expert, Prof Dr. Muladi SH, told
Republika newspaper that
Australia should not have carried the raids in the manner they did,
though the Australians were looking for suspects linked to the Jemaah
Islamiyah.
Muladi
said the Australian government should not make proof of arrogance and
mistreat the Muslims on its soil, particularly Indonesian Muslims.
Indonesia
feels the Muslims were victims of the Bali bombing aftermath, sources
told IslamOnline, adding that this incident will again put severe
strain on the relationship between both countries.
Australia
and Indonesia had a temperamental bilateral relationship before the
Bali bombing, which saw extremely unexpected cooperation between the
two countries.
Australian
Prime Minister John Howard defended Friday the raids by the nation's
spy agency on homes of Indonesian Muslim families, warning that that
sleeper cells of terrorists may already be in Australia.
He
also warned the raids by the Australian Security Intelligence
Organization (Asio), would continue despite a growing backlash in
Indonesia over Australia's anti-terrorist crackdown, the Straits Times of Singapore said.
Another
Indonesian expert criticized Howard for commenting on "sleeper
cells", which means cells of terrorists in sleeping mode, saying
that shows the carelessness with which the "war against
terror" is being carried by several nations.
"They
inform in advance of the existence of cells, sleeper cells,
possibility of bombings and so on, then the events prove them right.
Is this how we want to be wise before the events?" said the
expert on Australian affairs working for a University in Yogyakarta.
Indonesian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told a press conference in
Jakarta that Mr Hassan Wirayuda, the Foreign Affairs Minister of
Indonesia, on Friday morning summoned the Australian embassy to
reiterate "concerns about the treatment of our fellow citizens in
Australia. "
Natalegawa
did not name the embassy representative, but a source at the Foreign
Ministry said Wirayuda met Deputy Ambassador Neil Mules, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Natalegawa
said Australian authorities 'ignore the basic rights' of Indonesian
citizens by subjecting them to harsh treatment.
Muladi
added on his part that Indonesia has never been emotional in its
tackling of issues regarding Australia or any other nations. He said
that Australia should follow that example.
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