Indonesian consulate in Sydney pelted with liquid-filed balloons
JAKARTA — State Secretary Pratikno said today (March 3) that a liquid-filled balloon attack on the nation’s consulate in Sydney — days before the transfer of two Australian nationals on death row — was only a “small incident”.
Guards close a gate at Kerobokan prison in Denpasar, on the Indonesian island of Bali, on February 28, 2015. Australian death row prisoners Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, two members of the so-called Bali Nine group are currently jailed in Kerobokan prison. Photo: Reuters
JAKARTA — State Secretary Pratikno said today (March 3) that a liquid-filled balloon attack on the nation’s consulate in Sydney — days before the transfer of two Australian nationals on death row — was only a “small incident”.
According to a press release by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, several balloons were thrown at the Indonesian Consulate General office in the Australian city by unknown people this morning at 6am local time (3am, Singapore time).
The statement said that one of the balloons contained a red liquid.
“This is just a small incident and we shouldn’t take this too seriously,” Dr Pratikno said in Jakarta today, adding that President Joko Widodo had been informed.
“Don’t let such a small incident get in the way of our strong ties [with Australia],” the state secretary said.
According to the ministry statement, local police had beefed up security at the Indonesian consulate.
The office has instructed its staff to continue operations as normal, but called on all to remain vigilant.
The incident occurred just two days before the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office was to transfer two of the “Bali Nine” drug convicts, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, to Nusakambangan prison island off the coast of Cilacap, Central Java, where they will likely be put to death soon. The two are currently held at Kerobokan prison in Bali. THE JAKARTA GLOBE
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