Relations between Indonesia and Australia have sunk to their lowest level in history following a clash on Sunday between international peacekeeping forces in East Timor and Indonesian border police, Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas said yesterday.
Condemning the behavior of the Australian-led forces in East Timor, Alatas said that his government will formally complain to the United Nations that the peacekeeping forces violated Indonesia's sovereignty by shooting across its border.
Indonesia has said the UN-supported peacekeepers killed one policeman and injured four.
PHOTO: REUTERS
But the peacekeeping forces, known by the acronym Interfet, say the fighting occurred in East Timor and began when anti-independence militias opened fire on the foreign soldiers and Indonesian troops and police standing nearby chose not to intervene.
The two sides don't even agree on an Indonesian claim that a policeman was killed in the fighting, and both plan to begin a joint investigation of the incident as early as today.
If Indonesia is correct, it would be the first clash between international troops and Indonesian forces since the deployment of the foreign peacekeepers to East Timor on Sept. 20.
"Indonesia deeply regrets the violation that has killed at least one Indonesian policeman,'' Alatas said. ``Diplomatic relations with Australia ... are at their lowest level ever.''
A wave of nationalistic anger in Jakarta has been brought to a peak following the incident.
The official Antara news agency set the media tone on Monday by reporting that "white soldiers" had crossed into West Timor and attacked a border post, killing one policeman and wounding four others.
But an Indonesian army commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Sigit Yuwyno, was filmed yesterday admitting that the Australians were on the East Timorese side and had not fired the first shots.
Party leaders at the people's consultative assembly (MPR) in Jakarta have seized the chance to make rousing statements.
The chairman of the ruling party, Golkar, Slamet Yusuf, said: "They must know there is a border, they cannot act just like that.
"Are we allowed to chase any Australians in Melbourne?" he added sarcastically.
The growing anger against Australia comes at a politically sensitive time, as the MPR prepares to choose Indonesia's next president.
Tomorrow the current president, B.J. Habibie, will deliver a report in which he must account for the "loss of East Timor."
The political temperature was also raised on Monday by an announcement from the attorney general's office that it has dropped its investigation of alleged corruption by the former president, Suharto.
In an interview published on the same day, Habibie protested that the corruption case of the former Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos was only completed after 13 years. "How can I settle Suharto's case in 17 months?" he asked.
Mr Habibie is expected to announce the result of another investigation, into Suharto's alleged abuse of power, during his speech.
The government's decision has already been denounced by opposition MPs, who say it shows his reluctance to act against his former patron.
In signs of increasing social unrest, yesterday students opposed to Habibie clashed with security forces, leaving several people injured.
At least one officer was in serious condition after he was hit by rocks thrown by the students. The incident occurred outside the University of Sahid in South Jakarta when security personnel blocked a group of 200 student protesters who tried to march to the parliament building.
The protesters chanted slogans expressing their rejection of Habibie's bid to hold on to the presidency.
Habibie's own party executive was reviewing his renewed presidential bid last night before a special Golkar congress. It appeared likely that the party would retain him as leader.
Diplomatic sources in Jakarta fear that the combination of domestic political uncertainty and a volatile situation in East Timor may seriously exacerbate the anti-western mood.
"It is really remarkable to read some of the evening newspapers and see the TV news shows," one diplomat said yesterday.
"It is being egged on by opposition politicians looking for an issue and by the genuine xenophobes.
"We have to expect that there will be more incidents and pictures of dead soldiers before long. It will be pretty bad for relations between Interfet and Jakarta."
As Interfet seeks to establish tighter control in the western part of East Timor -- traditional military territory -- it may begin to encounter resistance from pro-Jakarta snipers.
The Australian prime minister, John Howard, told parliament that he was seeking urgent discussions in Jakarta.
The independence leader Xanana Gusmao, who hopes to return soon to East Timor, said he believed the military had provoked the incident.
"They want to see how much the Australian troops are ready to fight," he said. "We know that we have a very, very difficult future."
Political stability in Indonesia is already at risk from manoeuvres in the presidential campaign which could deprive the most popular candidate -- PDI-P's Megawati Sukarnoputri -- of the position most people regard as rightfully hers.
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