NZ role brings share of hostility

By Atika Shubert

JAKARTA - The Timor crisis is putting serious stress on New Zealand's normally strong ties to Indonesia.

While most of the public anger during the past few days has been directed against the Australians, some of it is rubbing off on New Zealand, a country that many Indonesians find hard to distinguish from its larger neighbour.

Threats continue to stream into the New Zealand, Australian and US embassies and anti-Western protests have become a daily event in Jakarta.

Earlier this week, hundreds of protesters stormed an Australian consulate in Indonesia's second-largest city, Surabaya, trashing the building and setting fire to the Australian flag.

Embassy officials have reported that "unfriendly" individuals have been visiting local Western hangouts, harassing staff and anyone associated with Australian, American or New Zealand citizens.

On a political level, diplomats have become increasingly worried at the mixed signals from the Indonesian military.

Despite assurances from the military that peacekeepers are "warmly welcomed," Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security announced on Thursday that Indonesia would cancel a jointsecurity agreement with Australia, effectively cutting off military ties.

The minister, Major-General Feisal Tanjung, cited Australia's "unhelpful attitude" towards East Timor and "lack of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Hostility is reflected in a barrage of nationalist rhetoric which paints the Timor force as a foreign invasion.

Some reports in the Indonesian media have gone even further, with one magazine portraying it as "an Australian invasion" and another "an Australian stab in the back."

New Zealand's Ambassador to Indonesia, Michael Green, has spent several hectic days lobbying Indonesia's political elite to get a sense of what is behind the nationalist backlash, particularly towards Australians and New Zealanders.

"I think a lot of this activity is orchestrated. It reflects national shock at the strong results of the East Timor ballot and maybe their humiliation," he said.

"This is partly because of Indonesia's education on East Timor; many Indonesians only know half the story. It's really a clash of perspectives."

Nonetheless, the difference of opinion on East Timor may erode relations.

Indonesia's pending political transition during the presidential elections in November is another concern, since all negotiations on East Timor are being conducted with a Government that may well be replaced in less than two months.

"Like Australia, we have worked quite hard at building a strong relationship with Indonesia, one that is very important to our links with the region," said Mr Green.

"The risk in this emotional time is that those channels will become increasingly difficult to access."