Indonesian protesters at a Jakarta rally outside the Australian embassy have denounced Prime Minister Tony Abbott for his recent remarks about their country.
The protesters delivered bags of coins to the Australian embassy in Jakarta as a repayment of aid money to Canberra after PM Abbott sought to use Australia’s aid money to Indonesia to pressure Jakarta into stopping the execution of two Australian drug dealers.
The group of demonstrators handed over seven plastic bags of coins and bills to Australian embassy personnel on Tuesday, with others shouting, “Shut Abbott’s mouth” and “Abbott, say sorry” and trampled on a poster bearing his picture.
Last month, Abbott said Indonesia should remember the 1 billion dollars of financial aid Australia gave to Jakarta in the aftermath of the 2004 devastating tsunami, which killed 170,000 Indonesians.
The prime minister’s remarks were aimed at stopping Jakarta from following through with the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
The campaign coordinator, Andi Sinulingga, described Abbott’s remarks as “a low-class act,” saying, “He could have been more civilized and polite.”
“We never asked for help but Australia offered to do so. If we knew they were not sincere, we would have rejected it,” added Sinulingga.
The Australian prime minister has repeatedly called on Jakarta not to go ahead with the executions, warning of a tough diplomatic response if it does so.
Sukumaran and Chan were detained in 2006 for attempting to smuggle heroin out of the Indonesian resort island of Bali and into Australia. The two are awaiting their executions at Indonesia’s Nusakambangan’s Besi prison.
