Aussie Teachers Suspended in Jakarta; Aussie Travellers Remain Safe in Bali
In Jakarta, schools were suspending English language classes being handled by Aussie teachers following an order from Indonesia's education chiefs.
The move came as part of Indonesia's decision to cut its relationship with Australia in the wake of Australia's phone spying controversy over President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
There had already been four to five schools which followed the order.
"Several Australian teachers have now been sent to their Jakarta home indefinitely and we are hearing that these program suspensions may become more widespread," Ross Taylor, Chairman of the Indonesian Institute told The West Australian.
The suspensions came even after Indonesian Military chief Gen. Moeldoko told The Jakarta Post on Nov 23 that only military cooperation with Australia ceased as a result of the spying controversy.
"In the context of education, we will not stop. We have only stopped cooperation in joint training," Mr Moeldoko said.
Meanwhile in Bali, National Police chief Gen. Sutarman guaranteed the safety of Aussie travellers.
Mr Sutarman assured tourists that the police are after their welfare.
"The safety of Australian tourists in Bali should be guaranteed. That's our responsibility," Mr Sutarman said during a press conference at Bali Police headquarters in Denpasar on Friday.
Meanwhile, I Gde Pitana Brahmanda, head of the tourism resources development board said Bali-Australia tourism relations will not be affected by the controversy surrounding the phone-tapping.
"The spying will not affect people-to-people contact between Indonesians and Australians. So, Australians should not be worried about holidaying in Indonesia. Based on our long history, relationships between the Indonesian government and Australian government have never affected individual relationships between Indonesians and Australians. We had bad relations related to Timor Leste, but Australians still visited Indonesia, especially Bali. What I want to say is the problem is only happening at the elite level," Mr Brahmanda said.
However, he still acknowledges Indonesia's firm stance against Australia.
"Because it is related to our self esteem as a nation, as an independent and sovereign nation. But we should not be emotional because there is interdependence between countries. With Australia, our dependency is related to Australian tourists visiting Indonesia. There are also many Indonesian students studying in Australia, as well as Indonesians working in Australia," he said.
In line with the phone-tapping controversy, Mr Sutarman also assured that all Australian assets in Indonesia are well protected by the local police.
"The Indonesian police also have the responsibility to guard the embassy and consulate general offices. People are not allowed to take action themselves. We guarantee security. If needed, the Indonesian police will demand support from the Indonesian military," Mr Sutarman told The Jakarta post.