Indonesia deplores Australian spying<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian government expressed concern and
\nwarned of cracks in the normalization of ties between Jakarta and
\nCanberra on Wednesday following the discovery that an Australian
\ncitizen had sponsored spy activities in West Timor.<\/p>\n
In the latest twist in the deteriorating relations since the
\nEast Timor saga in September, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry
\nissued a statement \"expressing serious concern\" over the
\nincident.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian government deeply deplores the recurrence of
\nthe espionage activities involving Australian nationals, which
\nonly serves to impede the normalization of bilateral relations
\nbetween Australia and Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
Former Timorese militiamen Paul Tallo Alberto, 25, who was
\napprehended by East Nusa Tenggara police on April 6, admitted
\nthat he had been instructed by an Australian named Person to
\nengage in espionage activities.<\/p>\n
Person, believed to hold the rank of sergeant, is assigned to
\nthe peacekeeping force in East Timor.<\/p>\n
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
\n(UNTAET) Peacekeeping Force (PKF) Commander Lt. Gen. Jaime de los
\nSantos publicly apologized for the spying incident after meeting
\nwith TNI chief Adm. Widodo AS on Monday.<\/p>\n
De los Santos has pledged to expel the Australian from East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
An Australian Defense spokesman was quoted by AFP as saying in
\nCanberra that an inquiry would be conducted as a matter of
\nurgency to determine the next step.<\/p>\n
Despite Jakarta's fury over the incident, former INTERFET
\nCommander Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove seemed to lightly brush off
\nthe incident saying that he was well-intentioned but misguided.<\/p>\n
\"Once all this is over he should return to what I'm sure is
\nmeritorious service,\" said Cosgrove who led the international
\nforce that came into East Timor in September.<\/p>\n
There are about 1,600 Australian military personnel and 300
\nsupport staff in the UN peacekeeping operation in East Timor.
\n(mds)<\/p>",
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