Indonesia unmoved on boat turn-back
Jakarta has lashed the Abbott Government's plan to turn back asylum boats, warning it would violate Indonesia's sovereignty.
After meeting Australia's new Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop at the United Nations in New York, Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa confirmed he had again underlined his concerns about the coalition's asylum boat tow-back policy.
"We have reiterated that Indonesia cannot accept any Australian policy that would violate Indonesia's sovereignty," he told Indonesian media. "I think, the message has been conveyed loud and clear and has been understood well."
Mr Natalegawa confirmed people smuggling would be on the agenda when Tony Abbott made his first trip to Indonesia as Prime Minister next week. "There are steps that we can take, but they should be orderly and respect the two countries' sovereignty," Mr Natalegawa said.
Speaking to Australian media after the meeting, Ms Bishop insisted the meeting had been "positive and productive". "We talked about the (asylum) issue," she said. "We had a very cordial meeting, I can assure you."
Asylum seekers were filmed by a television crew being brought into Darwin harbour yesterday, the second group of asylum seekers to be picked up since the Government's new border protection regime - dubbed Operation Sovereign Borders - began.
The Government has put a ban on the daily reporting of asylum boat arrivals, instead promising to give a weekly briefing about border protection operations.
Despite a TV crew filming the new arrivals in Darwin, the Government refused to say whether another boat had been intercepted.
Acting Labor leader Chris Bowen said it was ironic that Immigration Minister Scott Morrison issued a press release every time an asylum vessel arrived when Labor was in power.
