Wednesday May 30, 2007
Demonstrators demand Australian Embassy in Indonesia be burned down
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP): Protesters called for the Australian Embassy to be burned down Wednesday after Jakarta's governor cut short a visit to Sydney because police asked him to testify about journalists killed during Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975.
Indonesia's foreign minister, meanwhile, summoned Ambassador Bill Farmer to ask why Australian police entered the hotel room of Gov. Sutiyoso, who was part of the invading forces but denied involvement in the deaths.
"They barged into my room after forcing the hotel to give them a duplicate key,'' Sutiyoso told reporters in Jakarta, though the New South Wales state deputy coroner denied police let themselves in. "I feel harassed as an official state guest from a sovereign country.''
The dispute threatened to re-ignite diplomatic tensions that have simmered for decades between Indonesia and neighboring Australia over the deaths of five Australia-based journalists in the East Timor town of Balibo.
The two governments have long claimed the five were accidentally killed by crossfire. Hundreds of protesters rallied in front the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon, some shouting "Burn it down! Burn it down!'' while others yelled "Go to hell Australia.''
Sutiyoso, who goes by one name, was in Australia as part of efforts to build stronger ties between Jakarta and New South Wales. He was originally scheduled to return home on Sunday.
Sutiyoso, 62, is a retired lieutenant-general in the Indonesian army who was part of the special forces unit that attacked Balibo where the five journalists died on Oct. 16, 1975.
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