'Ship ban harms Australia'

'Ship ban harms Australia'

CANBERRA (Reuter): Australian Transport Minister John Sharp said yesterday union bans against Indonesian ships would harm Australia's trading interests and threaten jobs.

"The Maritime Union of Australia has again embarked on a course which is harming our trading reputation overseas and threatening the jobs of average Australians," Sharp said in a statement.

The union imposed rolling bans on Indonesian shipping last Wednesday to protest against the arrest of Indonesian labor leaders Muchtar Pakpahan and Dita Sari.

The ban was also a response to Prime Minister John Howard's failure to press Jakarta on human rights and democracy on his recent three-day visit to Indonesia, the union said.