Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop are in a bind over Indonesian minister’s comments

SOME inflammatory comments from an Indonesian minister have put Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop in a bind. This is why they can’t respond angrily.

Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop are in a bit of a bind.

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott and senior colleagues are refusing to be provoked into a war of words with Jakarta after extraordinary threats from an Indonesian minister.

They fear an angry response could eliminate chances for life for two convicted Australian drug smugglers sentenced to death by firing squad. Neither Mr Abbott nor Foreign Minister Julie Bishop want to open up a new diplomatic battle front with Jakarta while there was still hope Myuraun Sukumaran and Andrew Chan might escape execution.

At issue is a threat to unleash a “human tsunami” of 10,000 asylum seekers on Australia. It was made yesterday by Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno.

Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno.

“If Canberra keeps doing things that displease Indonesia, Jakarta will surely let the illegal immigrants go to Australia,” Mr Tedjo said on Metro TV.

He also threatened trade ties: “We have calculated, in fact, Australia enjoys the surplus on the Indonesia-Australia trade.

“Australia will in fact receive pressure domestically if it stops its livestock exports to Indonesia since Indonesia is Australia’s main market.”

The comments in part were aimed at Indonesia’s domestic political audience. But their severity underlined that Prime Minister Abbott is still waiting for Indonesian Presider Joko Widodo to return his telephone call made last week, a delay which is amounting to a diplomatic snub.

Australians Myuran Sukumaran (right) and Andrew Chan (left).

And they were aimed at a sensitive policy area: The Abbott government’s boast it had “stopped the boats”. Government sources believe Mr Tedio has misrepresented Mr Abbott’s remarks last month that Indonesia should recall Australian aid after the 2002 tsunami.

“I was pointing out the depth of the friendship between Australia and Indonesia and the fact that Australia has been there for Indonesia when Indonesia has been in difficulty. That’s what I was pointing out, a simple fact,” Mr Abbott said the next day.

“Indonesia has done a lot for us as well because that’s what friends do for each other.”

That was taken as a threat, although Mr Abbott was noting the close links between the two countries.