RI blamed for cancellation of vital research mission
RI blamed for cancellation of vital research mission
SYDNEY (AFP): A U.S.-Australian scientific program to probe
the secrets of the El Nino weather phenomenon has been blocked by
Indonesia because of fears it was a spy mission, scientists and
officials here believe.
Officials said Canberra was "very disappointed" its research
vessel Franklin was twice forced to abandon missions into
Indonesian territorial waters because of Jakarta's refusal or
failure to approve the ship's entry.
The study, by Australian and U.S. scientists in collaboration
with Indonesian researchers, is considered vital to Australia's
interests because of the impact the El Nino phenomenon has had on
Australia's economy in recent years.
The oceanography division of Canberra's Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), which
owns the Franklin, was forced to postpone research in the Java
Sea in April after Jakarta refused permission on the grounds it
had not followed correct procedures in its application.
On its most recent attempt, the CSIRO said the ship left
Australia in early September to begin a 32-day research cruise to
survey what meteorologists term the "Indonesian outflow."
Permission had been sought from Jakarta to take the ship into
its territorial waters to study the system of currents which
allow water to flow from the Pacific into the Indian Ocean.
But a CSIRO spokesman said yesterday that the necessary
permission was not granted and the ship was forced to continue
the research elsewhere.
"I'm pretty sure the Americans were refused permission, but in
our case we just didn't receive an answer by the time the last
opportunity to get some sort of response was past," the spokesman
said, adding that the research was continued elsewhere.
A spokeswoman for Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans
told AFP the government was very disappointed that Indonesia had
not co-operated.
But it was too early to say if the study had failed because of
Indonesia's attitude. "We are not sure at this stage what impact
the decision has on the viability of the project," she said.
"We have made representations over several months to the
Indonesian Foreign Ministry and we made a number of proposals
which we had hoped would meet their reservations, but I can't go
any further at this stage."
Other sources in Canberra said it appeared Jakarta was
abnormally suspicious that the study was an intelligence
gathering exercise and not a pure scientific mission.