Australia Not Offered Visa-Free Travel To Indonesia Amid Heightened Tensions Between The Two Countries
Australia has been left out of Indonesia’s list of countries that will be offered visa-free travel. The imminent execution of two Australian drug traffickers has led to the heightened tensions between Australia and Indonesia.
Indonesian Tourism Minister Arif Yahya had told reporters that the government would begin offering visa-free travel to the citizens of several countries in Asia and Europe. Straits Times reports that Indonesia will also ask for those countries to waive visas for its citizens.
Yahya said the same policy cannot be offered to Australia. “If we give visa-free travel to Australia, we have to be given the same thing,” added the Tourism Minister. He denied that the decision was associated with the planned execution of the Australians, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. If Australia will first agree to the visa-free travel, Yahya can “guarantee” that the foreign minister and the Indonesian president will want the same thing.
The planned executions of the Australian drug traffickers have sparked anger in Australia in February. The hashtag #BoycottBali had become popular on Twitter as part of a campaign that urged tourists to avoid going to Bali, Indonesia’s popular tourist destination.
According to Indonesia’s statistics bureau, 12 percent of foreigners who visited Indonesia in 2014 were from Australia. Australians are the third biggest group of tourists after Singaporeans and Malaysians.
News of the exclusion of Australia from Indonesia’s list of countries being offered visa-free travel comes after Indonesia has warned of unleashing a “human tsunami” of 10,000 asylum seekers. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, coordinating minister for political legal and security affairs, reminded the Abbott government that the cooperation of the Indonesian government was crucial to the success of Australia’s asylum seeker policy to “stop the boats.”
In a speech on sovereignty at Javanese university, Purdijatno said if Canberra continues to “displease” Indonesia, the government will allow illegal immigrants to go to Australia. He warned that it would like a “human tsunami” for Australia, reports The Guardian.
The Indonesian minister also said Indonesia was not worried about Australia’s threat of trade restrictions. He urged Canberra to respect the legal system of his country.
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