Vol. 76/No. 28      July 30, 2012

Before the meeting, Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith revealed plans for a military exercise with Indonesian, Australian and U.S. forces early next year in a training area in the Northern Territory that will host some 2,500 U.S. Marines within the next few years.

Canberra, with Washington’s backing, is encouraging Jakarta to play a greater strategic role in backing imperialists’ interests in the Asia-Pacific region, as Washington leads an effort to counter the economic and military rise of China.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Smith listed Indonesia as one of Australia’s closest military allies alongside the U.S., Britain and Japan.

Indonesia, with a population of 240 million, is the fourth most populous country in the world. Capitalist rulers from Australia to the U.S. are keen to expand their trade and investment there. At its current growth rate of over 6.5 percent per year, Southeast Asia’s largest economy is projected to nearly double in size over the next decade.

As part of deeper military ties, the Australian government is giving Indonesia four refurbished C-130 Hercules transport planes, as well as a grant of two coastal patrol boats and financial backing for 12 new police stations along the Indonesian coastline nearest to Australia.

Meanwhile, two recent sinkings of boats claimed the lives of nearly 100 Indonesian refugees. Some 90 asylum-seekers drowned June 21 while 110 were rescued when their boat sank off the coast of Indonesia en route to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. Days later, another four drowned when a boat in the same area foundered.

Canberra is seeking closer cooperation from Jakarta on stemming the flow of immigrants from Asia.

At their meeting, Yudhoyono pressured Gillard to release 54 underaged Indonesians imprisoned in Australian jails.
 
 
Related articles:
Clinton visit: US, China vie for trade in SE Asia  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home