Govt provides legal aid to raid victims

JAKARTA: Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Wednesday that the government would provide legal aid to citizens subjected to recent antiterrorist raids should they decide to sue the Australian government.

He said, however, that up until now none of the victims had expressed the intention to file a suit against the Australian government for human rights violations.

According to him, the Indonesian government would also help secure the release of belongings of students confiscated by Australian police.

He added that the government would take firmer action to defend Indonesians in the neighboring country because Indonesia had more leverage than Australia in terms of security, trade, and the fact that 19,000 Indonesian students were studying there. --JP