Downer to visit Jakarta

Downer to visit Jakarta

CANBERRA (Reuters): Australian Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer visits Jakarta this weekend, with diplomats monitoring any
potential threat for Australians in Indonesia in the wake of its
economic crisis, a government spokeswoman said yesterday.

"Certainly on the streets (in Indonesia) there is tension and
there is an expectation that as the economic situation gets worse
that problem may be exacerbated," Foreign Affairs and Trade
department spokeswoman Sally Mansfield told Reuters.

"But it is not at the stage yet where we think Australians
ought to be warned against traveling to Indonesia or that they
should be told to leave if they are resident there," she said.

Downer is to visit Jakarta from today to Tuesday.

The Australian Financial Review newspaper said yesterday the
Australian government was making contingency plans to evacuate
Australian citizens from Indonesia, fearing the breakdown of its
economy could lead to serious unrest.

Mansfield said all Australian embassies had security plans for
evacuation - including the use of charter flights or Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft - if ever the need arose.