Indonesia summons Australian ambassador over spying report

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia said Thursday, October 31, it was summoning the Australian ambassador after a report that his embassy in Jakarta was being used for surveillance as part of a US-led spying network.

Ambassador Greg Moriarty will face questions at the foreign ministry Friday over the “totally unacceptable” activities reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, the ministry said.

The report said Australian embassies were being secretly used to intercept phone calls and data across Asia as part of a US-led global spying network. It cited information from fugitive analyst Edward Snowden and a former Australian intelligence officer.

The paper said the clandestine surveillance facilities at embassies were being operated without the knowledge of most Australian diplomats.

The summons was just the latest diplomatic fallout related to the US surveillance controversy, which began as a row between Washington and its European allies.

“Responding to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on October 31, 2013 about the existence and use of wiretapping facilities at the Australian embassy in Jakarta and other countries in the region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is demanding an explanation from the Australian embassy in Jakarta,” a foreign ministry statement said.

“The Australian ambassador in Jakarta has been summoned to come to the foreign ministry… on November 1, 2013, to provide an official explanation from the Australian government about the report.”

“As a friendly neighboring country, such an act as reported does not reflect the spirit of friendly relations which has been established and is something that’s totally unacceptable to the government of Indonesia.”

A spokesman for the Australian foreign ministry said: “As a matter of principle and longstanding practice, the Australian government does not comment on intelligence matters.”

Indonesia’s anger came a day after it protested strongly to the United States after a report in the same newspaper said Washington had been monitoring phone calls and communication networks from its embassy in Jakarta.

The Asia-Pacific row came after Europe and Washington traded more spying accusations Wednesday, as envoys met to seek ways to rebuild trust after the shock revelations about the scale and scope of US surveillance of its allies. – Rappler.com