Indonesian Embassy in Australia reopens<\/p>\n
Ivy Susanti and
\nRendi A. Witular
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Embassy in Canberra resumed operations on Friday
\nafternoon after being closed for two days due to security
\nprecautions, as another envelope of white powder was found at the
\nAustralian parliament.<\/p>\n
Foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said that the
\nembassy was reopened after the Australian Federal Police (AFP)
\nsaid that the powder sent in an envelope to Ambassador Imron
\nCotan on Wednesday did not contain any substance that could
\nendanger human health or the environment.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a suspicious package addressed to Australian
\nforeign minister Alexander Downer forced the closure of the
\nAustralian parliament house loading dock on Friday. The packages
\nsent to Downer and the embassy both contained harmless white
\npowder and came amid an emotional backlash in Australia against
\nIndonesia's guilty verdict of Australian Schapelle Corby on drug
\nsmuggling charges.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government assured the Australian community in
\nIndonesia that there would be no retaliatory measures following
\nthe incident at its embassy in Canberra.<\/p>\n
\"There are no anti-Australian activities here in Indonesia
\nfollowing the threat at our embassy in Australia. This is just a
\nsmall incident ... (the incident) must not lead us to conclude
\nthat all Australians are against us,\" Vice President Jusuf Kalla
\nsaid on Friday.<\/p>\n
Marty added that Indonesians would not react the same way as
\nAustralians have over the incident, while giving credit to the
\nAustralian government, who immediately condemned the incident and
\nbegan a quick investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian public has been extremely measured and
\nextremely constructive in responding to the latest development,
\nand it may be a good lesson on how to respond to such a crisis --
\nin contrast to the way the Australian public has responded to the
\nCorby case,\" he said on Friday.<\/p>\n
He said the government also hoped the incident would serve as
\na warning to anybody who incited hatred and encouraged others to
\nperform such actions.<\/p>\n
\"Though we have yet to prove that this incident at the embassy
\nis related to Corby's case, we hope that the incident can alarm
\nAustralians to be more prudent, because their concern could be
\ntransformed into irresponsible acts,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Marty said the embassy staff had received strong messages of
\ncondolence from many Australians. \"Let's see what will happen in
\nthe future.\"<\/p>\n
He added that the Indonesian embassy and consular offices in
\nAustralia would purchase special devices to screen all the
\nletters addressed to the embassy.<\/p>\n
Downer earlier said the embassy threat may have been a
\nbacklash in Australia over the fate of Corby, who was sentenced a
\nweek ago to 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n
\"As I have said this week in relation to the incident
\ninvolving the Indonesian Embassy, this type of intimidation is
\ndeplorable,\" Downer said.<\/p>\n
In a sign of the growing cooperation between Australia and
\nIndonesia, three Indonesian police officers arrived in Canberra
\non Friday to help investigate the embassy package.<\/p>\n
The AFP said they were now examining whether the security
\nthreats this week were linked, or the work of copycats.<\/p>\n
\"We're always troubled by copycats,\" AFP Commissioner Mick
\nKeelty told reporters. \"Certainly a second incident within a
\ncouple of days, the obvious thing is that it may well be linked,
\nbut we want to find that out by forensic examination.\"<\/p>\n
Police said one person in the Australian parliament house's
\nmail room underwent decontamination as a precautionary measure
\nafter coming into contact with the white powder in the package
\naddressed to Downer.<\/p>\n
The underground loading dock and mail room was shut down and
\nthe area cordoned off after the package was found early on
\nFriday. The loading dock is in a separate building to the actual
\nparliament, but is part of the parliamentary complex.<\/p>\n
The parliament was not evacuated and Prime Minister John
\nHoward remained inside the building holding meetings.<\/p>\n
In Tokyo for talks with the Japanese government, Indonesian
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Australia and Indonesia
\nhad both condemned the security scare and had managed the
\nincident well.<\/p>\n
\"I do hope this thing can be well managed by developing a
\nsense of cooperation between Indonesia and Australia,\" he was
\nquoted by Reuters as saying. He added that Indonesia needed to be
\nallowed to enforce its drug laws.<\/p>",
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