Pengunjuk Rasa Ancam Usir Duta Besar Australia dari Indonesia
Protesters Threaten to Expel the Australian Ambassador of Indonesia
Reporter : Rizki Saleh
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
Jakarta (B2B) - Para pengunjuk rasa memaksa pemerintah memaksa pemerintah Australia untuk meminta maaf secara resmi kepada pemerintah Indonesia atas aksi penyadapan yang dilakukan Intelijen Australia terhadap Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Para demonstran dari Koalisi Organisasi Masyarakat Sipil Peduli Hankam melakukan aksi protes di depan kantor Kedutaan Besar Australia, di Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan, Kamis.
"Apabila pemerintah Australia dalam waktu 1x24 jam tidak menyampaikan permohonan maaf secara resmi pada Indonesia, maka kami mengancam akan mengusir duta besar dan seluruh Atase Australia yang berada di Indonesia," teriak salah satu demonstran dalam orasinya.
Aksi ini diwarnai dengan pembakaran kertas dan poster-poster yang berisikan protes terhadap pemerintah Australia sebagai bentuk kekecewaan mereka.
Pengunjuk rasa juga mengibarkan bendera Merah Putih diiringi lagu kebangsaan Indonesia Raya di depan kantor kedubes Australia dengan maksud mempertahankan kehormatan Bangsa Indonesia yang telah didiskreditkan kewibawaannya oleh Australia.
Aksi unjuk rasa ini dijaga ketat oleh aparat kepolisian yang mengerahkan tiga unit mobil anti huru-hara. Pengunjuk rasa juga dihadang pagar gulungan kawat agar tidak dapat menerobos masuk ke dalam gedung.
Hingga berita ini diturunkan pihak kedubes Australia masih enggan menerima perwakilan pengunjuk rasa untuk melakukan diskusi terkait soal penyampaian tuntutan mereka mengenai penyadapan tersebut.
Ketegangan Indonesia-Australia bermula setelah Mantan Kontraktor Badan Keamanan Nasional Amerika Serikat (NSA) membocorkan dokumen penyadapan yang dilakukan Australia terhadap Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Ibu negara Ani Yudhoyono dan sejumlah pejabat lain.
Perdana Menteri Australia, Tonny Abbott sampai saat ini belum juga menyampaikan permohonan maaf secara resmi ia hanya mengaku menyesalkan insiden ini sehingga membuat hubungan kedua negara memanas.
Jakarta (B2B) - Scores of people staged a rally outside the Australian embassy here on Thursday, from demanding that Prime Minister Tony Abbott issue an official apology to the government for allegedly spying on Indonesian officials.
"Unless the Australian government offers an official apology to Indonesia in the next 24 hours, we will expel the Australian ambassador and attaches from Indonesia," one of the protesters warned.
At the rally, held under tight security, the demonstrators, who claimed to be members of the Coalition of Societies for Defense and Securities, set fire to papers and posters to show their disappointment in the Australian government.
They also hoisted red and white flags and sang the national anthem during the rally.
No embassy official was ready to receive representatives of the demonstrators to discuss their demands.
Bilateral ties between Indonesia and Australia were strained after a report by The Guardian on Monday (Nov. 18) revealed that the Australian government in 2009 had wire-tapped the private phones of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and several ministers and government officials.
The report was based on documents leaked by former employee of the United States National Security Agency (NSA) Edward Snowden, who has been granted asylum in Russia.
In response to the allegations, the Indonesian government recalled its ambassador to Australia Nadjib Riphat Kesoema for consultations.
On Wednesday, President Yudhoyono ordered the suspension of several cooperation programs with Australia following the spying allegations.
The cooperation programs that have been suspended include the exchange of intelligence information, joint military exercises and military operations to curb human trafficking, he said.
The President added that he would also review other areas of cooperation with Australia.
