The Plot of Australia's Espionage Against Indonesia

One of the countries closest to mainland Australia is Indonesia. The relationship between these two countries has a long history. Foreign relations between Indonesia and Australia often experience ups and downs. There was a time when the two countries had an intimate relationship at the formal level of government. But at other times, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is also in a tense position, and they blame each other. Indonesia and Australia have established a relationship that can be said to be quite close since the beginning of Indonesian independence, namely in 1945. At that time, Indonesia became one of the countries that supported Indonesia's independence by sending a diplomatic mission to meet President Soekarno when he declared Indonesia's independence. Australia and Indonesia also cooperate in various fields such as maritime, security, defense, terrorism, and education. Australia is also one of the countries that quickly provided assistance to Indonesia when Indonesia was hit by a disaster. It can be said that diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia depend on the political dynamics of both. There is an assumption that Australia wants Indonesia to become a stable and prosperous country, but Australia also does not want Indonesia to become a dominant country in the Southeast Asian region. The tension between the two countries in 2013 provides evidence for this assumption. In this article, we will discuss Australia's espionage activities against Indonesia. Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia reportedly strained in November 2013 when news of Australia wiretapping several Indonesian and other state officials shocked Indonesia and the international community. Edward Snowden, a former contractor of the United States National Defense Agency, brought to light this event, initially reported by The Guardian and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). According to the allegations of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), this wiretapping has been going on since 2007--2009. The Australian Intelligence Agency carried out the wiretapping of some of the country's top officials. According to news from British and Australian media, the wiretapping was allegedly carried out for 15 days in 2009.