Vanuatu's new government has told two Australian police on assignment in the Pacific island nation to leave the country by September 15, officials in Canberra said yesterday.
A foreign affairs spokeswoman said the Australian government was disappointed with the demand from Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Barak Sope, which threatens to undermine Canberra's recent interventionist policy in the Pacific.
"The Australian government is disappointed that Minister Sope made this decision," she said.
"The AFP (Australian Feder-al Police) were deployed to Vanuatu in accordance with the wishes of the previous government and have been doing very valuable work combating transnational crime."
She said the decision to remove the two officers also went against last month's agreement by Pacific Forum leaders to encourage regional cooperation to fight crime.
The diplomatic spat comes just five weeks after Serge Vohor was elected as Vanuatu's new prime minister on a platform that included cracking down on foreign influence in government and not allowing aid donor countries to "impose" programs on his administration.
Sope said the Australian Federal Police officers were not needed, as Vanuatu's police force already had Australian advisers under an existing defense cooperation program.
"This decision is to ensure Vanuatu, especially the police and the general public at large, are not confused over the role of the police," he said in a statement.
Vanuatu's Daily Post newspaper also reported that two advisers from Canberra's overseas aid arm AusAID had been told their services were no longer required.
Australia has adopted a more hands-on role in the Pacific in recent years because of fears that a failed state in its backyard could become a haven for international crime rackets or terrorists.
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