JAKARTA, (Millat + APP/AFP) – Indonesia said it had
accepted an Australian apology after teaching materials deemed offensive to Jakarta led to a partial suspension of ties, as the neighbours sought to end their latest row.
The dispute erupted last month when the Indonesian armed forces
announced it was putting military cooperation with Australia on hold after the materials were found at an Australian army base where Indonesian forces were training.
After initially announcing a full freeze, Indonesia later insisted
the suspension was only partial and applied to joint language training.
The materials, which were spotted by a visiting Indonesian officer,
contained comments deemed offensive on subjects including the Papua region’s
independence movement and Indonesia’s state ideology known as Pancasila.
It was just the latest row between the neighbours, whose relationship
has been beset in recent years by disputes over Jakarta’s execution of Australian drug smugglers and Canberra’s hardline policy of turning migrant boats back to Indonesia.
In a bid to resolve the row, Australian Army Chief Angus Campbell
visited Jakarta on Wednesday to meet with Indonesia’s military chief Gatot Nurmantyo.
Campbell offered an apology, said that Australia was suspending the
Indonesian language education programme to make improvements, and insisted all personnel involved in the incident had been punished, according to a statement from the Indonesian military.