RI formally protests flag burning incident<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has sent a formal note to the
\nAustralian government protesting the burning of an Indonesian
\nflag during a demonstration in Melbourne last week.<\/p>\n
Antara quoted Irawan Abidin, the chief spokesman of the
\nMinistry of Foreign Affairs, as saying that the incident did take
\nplace and that this had been confirmed by no less than Australian
\nforeign minister Gareth Evans to his Indonesian counterpart Ali
\nAlatas when the two met in Brunei last week.<\/p>\n
\"Evans put it in writing,\" Irawan told the news agency.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian embassy (in Canberra) has sent a strong
\nprotest to show the disappointment of our people with the
\nincident,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to take follow-up
\nactions over the protest, Irawan said. He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
There is still confusion, however, as to whether the flag
\nburning incident actually did take place.<\/p>\n
Many senior government officials reacted strongly when the
\nincident was first reported by an Indonesian newspaper last
\nTuesday, with some warning that it could undermine relations
\nbetween the two countries.<\/p>\n
But the Armed Forces (ABRI) headquarters on Wednesday put out
\na statement saying that the incident never occurred and that the
\nstrong reactions from senior officials, including some top
\nmilitary officers, were therefore unwarranted.<\/p>\n
ABRI said it had checked with Indonesian missions in Australia
\nand also military attaches posted in Australia, neither of whom
\ncould corroborate the veracity of the incident.<\/p>\n
The Melbourne demonstration was one of several held
\nsimultaneously on Monday to oppose Indonesia's participation in
\nKangaroo 95, an international military exercise launched on Aug.
\n1.<\/p>\n
Following the latest development, ABRI's chief spokesman Brig.
\nGen. Soewarno Adiwijoyo, has ordered the military attaches in
\nCanberra to recheck reports of the flag burning incident, Antara
\nreported.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian protest comes in the wake of Jakarta's decision
\nto vacate the embassy in Canberra for an indefinite period.<\/p>\n
Indonesia withdrew the nomination of Lt. Gen. (ret.) H.B.L.
\nMantiri in June for the ambassadorial post due to the controversy
\ngenerated by the appointment in Australia.<\/p>\n
Mantiri's nomination had already been accepted by Canberra and
\nmany officials and politicians, including Evans himself. His
\nappointment was later questioned for a statement Mantiri made to
\nthe press in 1992 condoning the military's action in East Timor
\nthe previous year.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's last ambassador to Australia, Sabam Siagian,
\nreturned to Jakarta last month. (emb)<\/p>",
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