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Abbott's statement 'defies' UN convention: Expert
Jakarta Post - January 23, 2014
"Abbott's statement which used Australia's sovereignty as the ground of his policies to turn back the boats is not in line with the convention. The asylum seekers were labeled as illegal immigrants without scrutiny first," University of Indonesia international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Abbott said that Canberra would continue towing asylum seeker boats back to Indonesian waters.
"For us, stopping the boats is a matter of sovereignty and President [Susilo Bambang] Yudhoyono, of all people, ought to understand, does understand, just how seriously countries take their sovereignty. So we will continue to do what we are entitled to do to secure our borders," Abbott said as quoted from the official transcription released by the Australian government.
Calling Abbott's statement as "very unfriendly to Indonesia," Hikmahanto also slammed Australia's decision to unilaterally address the boat people issue using military forces.
"It is a pity that such a nation that as developed as Australia still has policy makers that tend to violate human rights. Traditionally, it is nations like Australia which are supposed to preach developing nations how to respect human rights," he said.
Responding to Abbott's statement, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto, who has been assigned by Yudhoyono to lead the handling of people smuggling issue, said it was Australia that should respect Indonesia's sovereignty, "which was violated by the Australian navy."
"Asylum seekers that have entered a country, including Australia, must be managed according to the UN Refugee Convention," he asserted in a written statement.
Hikmahanto praised Djoko's statement. He also supports the government's decision to heighten scrutiny on the borders with Australia. "The move is the right response to Abbott's unilateral and arrogant policy," he said.
Officials of the Indonesian Navy said on Wednesday that Indonesian warships, including torpedo and missile craft, have intensified patrol in the southern waters next to Australia.
The Indonesian Air Force, meanwhile, said that the force had maximized four of its radars to monitor the area around the Australian border and that the fighter jets based in Makassar, South Sulawesi, had been readied in case of detection of incursion.
Amid deteriorating diplomatic relation, which is believed to have reached a record low since the late 1990s, Australia announced, last week, that some of its military ships had "inadvertently" breached Indonesian border.
The worsening of the diplomatic ties was first triggered by the revelation of the alleged phone tapping of some top Indonesian figures including President Yudhoyono and his wife.
Jakarta has recalled Indonesia's ambassador to Australia since November and it is not yet known when he would be returned to Canberra.
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