REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Cooperation between Indonesia and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been suspended effective immediately. "Offensive" material about West Papua displayed at an Australian Special Forces base has prompted Indonesia's defence chief to cut military cooperation, throwing future joint exercises into doubt.
Defence Minister Marise Payne confirmed the complaints concerned "some teaching materials and remarks" at an Army language training facility in Australia, and that some military cooperation with Indonesia was now on hold. "Indonesia has informed Australia that defence cooperation would be suspended," Senator Payne said in a statement made available to abc.net.au.
It is unclear how long the suspension is for or whether the suspension will affect future joint training exercises between Indonesia and Australia.
Also read: Indonesia halts military cooperation with Australia over West Papua independence poster
The Indonesian and Australian navies are due to participate in multinational training exercises in February. KRI Sampari and KRI Layang work alongside HMAS Wollongong during Exercise Cassowary, in waters north of Darwin.
A spokesman for the Indonesian Navy said he had just found out about the military chief's "statement about the suspension of cooperation with Australia". "Whether or not we will continue with the joint exercise, I will have to get back to you on that," First Admiral Jonias Mozes Sipasulta said.
"I need to build more details first. Usually we don't suspend cooperation on education and training but now I heard we've suspended all cooperation."
Until this incident the military relationship between the two nations had been improving.
Military cooperation between the two nations was last suspended in 2013 over a phone-tapping scandal.
Documents obtained by the ABC and Guardian Australia revealed that in 2009, Australian intelligence attempted to tap the mobile phone of then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
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