RI Says Australia Must Respond to Phone Tapping Allegations

Jakarta (Antara) - The government of Australia must respond to a media report that alleges it tapped President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's private cell phone in 2009, the President's special staff for international affairs, Teuku Faizasyah, said on his twitter account, @SKPBidangHI, here on Monday. The wire-tapping allegations, published by Australia's The Guardian on Monday (Nov 18), were made based on documents leaked by former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden, who was recently granted asylum in Russia. "Australia needs to clarify this information to avoid mistrust," Faizasyah said. He also called on the media organization that published the report to back up the allegations by revealing the origin of the documents. "The damage is done. Now, it is time to rebuild trust between Indonesia and Australia," he added. Earlier, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Indonesian authorities are working continuously to find the truth about the tapping allegations. "This is not the first time that Indonesia has received such a report. We faced a similar situation some years ago. Back then, President Yudhoyono immediately asked Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) to investigate and clarify the matter with the related parties," he added. On Monday, The Guardian reported the Australian government had tapped the private cell phones of prominent figures in several countries across Asia, including Indonesia. Among Indonesians mentioned in the article are President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, first lady Ani Yudhoyono and some senior ministers and confidantes. (*)