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.