Indonesia has summoned Australias ambassador amid reports that Australian embassies have been used as part of a US-led spying network in Asia. The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported that diplomatic posts in Asia were being used to intercept phone calls and data. China has also demanded an explanation from the US over the allegations. The reports were based on a US National Security Agency document leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The document, which was originally published by German newspaper Der Spiegel, describes a signals intelligence programme called Stateroom which involves the interception of radio, telecommunications and internet traffic using equipment in US, British, Australian and Canadian diplomatic missions. Diplomatic posts involved included those in Jakarta, Bangkok, Hanoi, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, amongst others, SMH said on Thursday. A former Australian intelligence officer, who was not named, told SMH that the Australian embassies in Jakarta and Bali were used to collect signals. Marty Natalegawa: If Australia itself was subject to such an activity, would you consider it a friendly act? I guess its not cricket In a statement, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said: [The government] cannot accept and strongly protests the news of the existence of wiretapping facilities at the US embassy in Jakarta. If confirmed, such action is not only a breach of security, but also a serious breach of diplomatic norms and ethics. The reported activities absolutely do not reflect the spirit of a close and friendly relationship between the two neighbours and are considered unacceptable by the government of Indonesia, the foreign ministry added in a statement. Australian ambassador Greg Moriarty was summoned to the foreign ministry on Friday. He described the talks, which reportedly took less than half an hour, as a good meeting. Australia and Indonesia are key allies and trading partners. Australia requires Indonesias co-operation on the asylum issue, as many asylum seekers travel via Indonesia to Australia by boat. Clarification Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing was extremely concerned about the report. [China] demands that the US offer a clarification and explanation, she said. We demand that foreign embassies in China and their staff respect the Vienna Convention. bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24757968
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 02:32:00 +0000
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