Yusril left stranded in Canberra

Yusril left stranded in Canberra

Agence France-Presse, Canberra

A senior Indonesian minister was less than impressed with
Australian hospitality on Monday when security guards outside
parliament prevented him from reaching a scheduled meeting with
his Australian counterpart.

Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra was due to lunch in
parliament house with Attorney-General Daryl Williams for talks
on setting up a joint taskforce to battle transnational crime.

But guards at the ministerial entrance to parliament had
apparently not been informed of the visit and kept the minister
waiting for half an hour.

They then insisted the visiting delegation undergo a rigorous
security check, a delay which meant the luncheon meeting had to
be called off.

"I come to Canberra on a formal visit," Yusril told the
Australian Associated Press.

"But when I come here, there's no protocols and we are just
standing there about 30 minutes.

"They had a long time to arrange a visitor pass," he
complained.

A spokeswoman for Williams said the Indonesians had been given
an official apology for the incident and the meeting with Yusril
was rescheduled for later in the day.

Yusril was in Australia to urge the government to investigate
and return state funds allegedly transferred illegally to
Australia by a fugitive Indonesian banker, Hendra Rahardja, who
recently died in Melbourne.