Australians Urge Cuts To Indonesian Aid After Bali Nine Duo Executions; Julie Bishop Open To Possibility

Full diplomatic relations between Australia and Indonesia are currently on hold following the executions of Australian citizens Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Official sources believe relations between Australia and Indonesia are at their lowest level since it is the first time Canberra has resorted to withdrawing its ambassador to express its disapproval of Jakarta.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi had brushed off Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s announcement and described it as relatively minor. He noted that it is always the right of every country to pull out their envoys for talks, reports The Age.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government has not ruled out the possibility of cutting Australia’s aid to Indonesia. News Corp reports that Australian taxpayers have contributed $55 million in foreign aid to prevent the collapse of Indonesia’s justice system.

Angry Australians are urging the government to cut foreign aid to Indonesia following the executions of the Bali Nine duo by Indonesian firing squad. Australia is the second largest donor to Indonesia after Japan.

Bishop said there were no plans of cutting Australia’s $600 million annual foreign aid budget to the Asian country. She told reporters that any announcement about foreign aid cuts would be revealed in early May. Foreign aid to Indonesia is used on a wide range of programs including education, health, social development, economic and democratic governance and disaster risk reduction. Australia had spent $55 million between 2011 and 2015 to support Indonesia’s justice system.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, or DFAT, said the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Justice has been working with Indonesia’s justice institutions and civil partners to boost the access of marginalised groups to justice and fight corruption. “With Australian support, Indonesian courts are taking less time to deliver judgments and making written reasons for their decisions available for free to the public online,” said DFAT.

The DFAT is believed to have received more than 1,000 requests from the public calling for cuts to Indonesia aid, reports news.com.au. Earlier in the week, independent Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie said Australia should shift some of its foreign aid budget from Indonesia to quake-hit Nepal.

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