Ban Australian planes from Indonesian airspace: INACA

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) has called on the government to consider banning Australian airplanes from flying through Indonesian airspace if the country continues with its boycott.

"We have the right to select which country's aircraft may pass over our territory... the government must dare to exercise that right. Don't let other countries belittle us," INACA chairman Soelarto Hadisoemarto told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He criticized the Australian workers' boycott of servicing Indonesia's air carrier, saying that such action had caused a loss to the country's business.

"Now, let them experience the difficulty themselves," he said, adding that Australian air carriers would lose around US$30,000 to $36,000 per round trip if they did not pass through the Indonesian airspace on their way to Asia or Europe.

Australian workers have refused to handle goods bound to or from Indonesia in sympathy with the East Timorese, who voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia on Aug. 30 but have since seen the territory wracked by violence.

Airport workers in Sydney have refused to handle Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia for several days, causing disruptions to flight schedules.

Latest reports said Garuda resumed normal operations after workers lifted their ban following Indonesia's decision let a United Nations multinational force enter East Timor.

Australian dockworkers of the Maritime Union of Australia, however, are still refusing to handle Indonesian cargo, causing, among other things, a delay in the loading of around 40,000 metric tons of wheat in Brisbane for shipment to Indonesian flour producer PT Bogasari Flour Mills, a subsidiary of the widely diversified listed PT Indofood.

Also on Wednesday, hoteliers and travel agents in Jakarta expressed concern over the continued boycott and called for organizations here not to be provoked.

"Personally, I'd say we must not mix politics with business," said Hanum Yahya, the public relations manager of Gran Melia hotel.

The hotel, located near the Australian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said in the Kuningan business and diplomatic district, is among Australian businesspeople's favorite accommodations here.

She said there was not a significant decline in the number of Australian guests so far. Around 6 percent of the hotel's guests registered as of Monday are Australian.

"I doubt the boycott will really affect our occupancy. Businesspeople will still come here because they have to do what they have to do," she said.

The chairman of the Indonesia Inbound Tour Operators Club (ITOC), Arievaldy Kumarga, regretted the boycott by two Australian travel agents, identified as Great Adventure and Harvest.

"It's only two agents, but it can affect the flow of inbound tourists to Indonesia, especially Bali which is the favorite destination for Australians. Bali would be most affected if more Australian travel agents boycotted Indonesia," he said.

Australian tourists account for around 15 percent of Indonesia's foreign visitors.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Canadian Labor Congress followed Australian unions by calling on its port, transportation and communications member unions on Tuesday to boycott Indonesian goods. (cst)