JAKARTA: Indonesia's military halted training with Australia as a decision to suspend cooperation over spying claims took effect, while angry demonstrators in Jakarta declared on Thursday they were "ready for war" with Canberra.
In the Australian capital, the scandal took an embarrassing twist for Prime Minister Tony Abbott when one of his party's strategists described someone reported to be the Indonesian foreign minister as resembling "a 1970s Filipino porn star".
Speaking just hours after Yudhoyono made his announcement, military chief Moeldoko said two current exercises with Australia were being halted.
"What's the point of joint training when they don't trust us?" said the head of the armed forces.
He said a joint exercise in the northern Australian city of Darwin, which had been due to end Sunday, was being halted and six F-16 fighter jets involved in it would return to Indonesia.
A joint training exercise with the Indonesian army's special forces, Kopassus, in Lembang in West Java province, was also being suspended, he said.
The anger over the alleged spying spilled over to the public in Jakarta, where demonstrators wearing military-style uniforms protested outside the Australian embassy, pumping their fists in the air and waving the Indonesian flag.
"We're ready for war with Australia," read one of the banners waved by the crowd of about 100 demonstrators, who used red-spray paint to daub red graffiti on the Australian mission.
Indonesian hackers also vented their anger, claiming responsibility for a cyber-attack on the websites of the Australian Federal Police and the Reserve Bank of Australia.
There was more embarrassment for Abbott on Thursday, when a strategist from his Liberal party was forced to apologise over a tweet about someone reported to be Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa.
"Apology demanded from Australia by a bloke who looks like a 1970's Pilipino (sic) porn star and has ethics to match," said the tweet from Mark Textor, which has since been deleted.
Reports said he was referring to Natalegawa, who has demanded Canberra apologise over the scandal.
However, although Textor apologised, he said he was not referring to "anyone in particular" when the ABC cornered him at Parliament House in Canberra.
"Apologies to my Indonesian friends -- frustrated by media-driven divisions -- Twitter is indeed no place for diplomacy," he later tweeted, adding, "Conduct unbecoming".
Natalegawa did not respond to requests for a comment on the tweet. But Jakarta has already been infuriated by Australia's refusal to apologise or offer what it sees as a clear explanation.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/indonesia-halts-military/894724.html
In the Australian capital, the scandal took an embarrassing twist for Prime Minister Tony Abbott when one of his party's strategists described someone reported to be the Indonesian foreign minister as resembling "a 1970s Filipino porn star".
Speaking just hours after Yudhoyono made his announcement, military chief Moeldoko said two current exercises with Australia were being halted.
"What's the point of joint training when they don't trust us?" said the head of the armed forces.
He said a joint exercise in the northern Australian city of Darwin, which had been due to end Sunday, was being halted and six F-16 fighter jets involved in it would return to Indonesia.
A joint training exercise with the Indonesian army's special forces, Kopassus, in Lembang in West Java province, was also being suspended, he said.
The anger over the alleged spying spilled over to the public in Jakarta, where demonstrators wearing military-style uniforms protested outside the Australian embassy, pumping their fists in the air and waving the Indonesian flag.
"We're ready for war with Australia," read one of the banners waved by the crowd of about 100 demonstrators, who used red-spray paint to daub red graffiti on the Australian mission.
Indonesian hackers also vented their anger, claiming responsibility for a cyber-attack on the websites of the Australian Federal Police and the Reserve Bank of Australia.
There was more embarrassment for Abbott on Thursday, when a strategist from his Liberal party was forced to apologise over a tweet about someone reported to be Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa.
"Apology demanded from Australia by a bloke who looks like a 1970's Pilipino (sic) porn star and has ethics to match," said the tweet from Mark Textor, which has since been deleted.
Reports said he was referring to Natalegawa, who has demanded Canberra apologise over the scandal.
However, although Textor apologised, he said he was not referring to "anyone in particular" when the ABC cornered him at Parliament House in Canberra.
"Apologies to my Indonesian friends -- frustrated by media-driven divisions -- Twitter is indeed no place for diplomacy," he later tweeted, adding, "Conduct unbecoming".
Natalegawa did not respond to requests for a comment on the tweet. But Jakarta has already been infuriated by Australia's refusal to apologise or offer what it sees as a clear explanation.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/indonesia-halts-military/894724.html
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