"Another senior Indonesian politician has described Tony Abbott’s asylum seeker policies as “very offensive” and an attack on his country’s sovereignty, adding that if they were not changed they would damage the bilateral relationship. "The policy annoys our sovereignty as an independent country". The comment by parliamentarian Tantowi Yahya is the latest in a series of slights to one of the Prime Minister’s signature policies, and Fairfax Media has confirmed antipathy to it exists across Indonesia’s political spectrum. Mr Abbott will visit Jakarta on September 30 with foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop and immigration minister Scott Morrison to explain his policies to president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. But Ms Bishop has already outlined a hard-nosed approach to those talks, saying last week: “We’re not seeking Indonesia’s permission … we’re seeking their understanding”. Mr Tantowi is a member of the Indonesian parliament’s “Commission I”, responsible for foreign affairs. He told the ABC’s Lateline program on Wednesday that there were no circumstances under which Indonesia would accept Mr Abbott’s boat tow-back policy." (from the article) - [Cat]
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 22:05:46 +0000
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