Australia worried about Indonesia
Australia worried about Indonesia
CANBERRA (AP): Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on
Wednesday he was concerned about Indonesia's political stability
and appealed for a constitutional resolution to the country's
growing crisis.
"I'm very, very concerned about the instability. Indonesia is
very important to Australia. We are watching anxiously what is
occurring," Howard told radio station 2GB.
Political stability and friendly relations with Indonesia are
considered crucial to Australian security.
President Abdurrahman Wahid has warned that his ouster through
a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly could
trigger national disintegration.
Howard emphasized that the current events in Indonesia were a
matter for the Indonesian people, but said he hoped the situation
would be resolved constitutionally.
"I would express a very strong hope that the matter is
resolved in accordance with the Indonesian Constitution and not
resolved in some way by bypassing, suspending or overriding the
operation of due process under the Indonesian Constitution," he
said.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its
advice to travelers, saying the political situation in Indonesia
remained fluid and Australians should exercise sensible
precautions.
Prayer
Meanwhile in a separate development, it was reported from
Bangkok that a group of Thais belonging to various religions held
an interfaith ceremony to pray for the political survival of
Abdurrahman Wahid.
About two dozen people including Christian priests, Islamic
leaders and Buddhist laymen attended the "blessing ceremony" on
Tuesday at the home of Sulak Sivaraksa, a respected human rights
advocate.
Sulak, who organized the meeting, told the Associated Press on
Wednesday that Indonesia would "plunge into social crisis and
chaos" if Abdurrahman was impeached.
Blessing ceremonies are commonly held by Thais for their
friends and relatives who are in trouble. But rarely have such
ceremonies been held for foreign leaders.
Sulak warned that a "blood bath" would follow Abdurrahman's
impeachment.
Sulak, who claims to be an old friend of Abdurrahman, said the
Indonesian President led a powerful organization that had
millions of members who would fight to protect their leader.
The ceremony in Sulak's house also prayed for Thai Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been on trial since April 3
in the Constitutional Court on charges of concealing his wealth.
If found guilty, Thaksin would have to step down and would be
barred from political office for five years. The next hearing in
the trial is scheduled for Thursday.