Bribery Claims Further Strain Australia-Indonesia Ties; Tony Abbott Maintains Secrecy Rule

Ties between Australia and Indonesia are now under more pressure as Australian officials are accused of paying thousands of dollars to people smugglers. The alleged payoff was reportedly a bribe to turn the boat of asylum seekers back to Indonesia.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had refused to confirm or deny the allegations and declined to give Indonesia a definite answer. The latest issue has only added to the already strained relationship between the two countries following the executions of Australian drug traffickers.

“There’s really only one thing to say here, and that is that we have stopped the boats,” said Mr Abbott. He believes the interception of the boats was good for Indonesia and Australia.

On June 13, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she brought the issue to the attention of Australian Ambassador Paul Grigson. The Australian official had promised to raise the issue with Canberra, reports Today Online.

Grigson resumed his post last week after he was pulled out by the Australian government in April after the execution of the Bali Nine duo, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan. Mr Abbott had appealed several times for clemency but Jakarta remained firm on its decision to execute the two.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also rejected the claims of bribery and suggested that Indonesia was at fault for failing to secure its borders in the first place. Indonesian police has released photos to support the claims of bribery to people smugglers to turn boats around.

According to a statement from the boat’s captain Yohanis Humiang, the Australian navy ship warship and a customs vessel had intercepted the boat on May 19. Humiang claimed an Australian official called “Agus” had paid him and five other crew members thousands of dollars not to continue their journey to New Zealand. If the captain’s claims are found to be true, experts believe that Australia may have breached international law as well as Indonesian and Australian laws, reports The Guardian.

When the Australian prime minister was pressed in parliament to respond to the alleged bribery, Mr Abbott said the government has done a legal and “absolutely moral” action to save lives. The Australian government has invoked the secrecy rule involving "on-water matters." Indonesia’s foreign ministry has already launched an inquiry over the claims.

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