|
|
JAKARTA - Two Australian newspapers that published articles last Friday accusing Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of abusing power and influencing judges based on leaked cables obtained from Wikileaks were sued for $1 billion on Tuesday.
Last Friday, Australia's The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, using Wikileaks' sources of diplomatic notes sent by the U.S. Embassy to Washington, D.C., published articles saying Yudhoyono abused power by influencing judges and prosecutors to protect corrupt but allied politicians, as well as spying on political rivals with the use of state intelligence.
In addition, the articles claimed First Lady Ani Yudhoyono helped her close family members gain wealth through political connections.
On Tuesday, the Federation of National Enterprise United Workers Union filed a civil lawsuit against the papers at the Central Jakarta District Court on behalf of Tri Sasono, Sunardi, Ahmad Surono and Suparto, the Jakarta Globe reported. The suit demands the newspapers pay $1 billion in damages.
In addition, they are demanding the papers to publish an apology to the Indonesia people in a full page for three consecutive days, arguing that they have given Indonesia a reputation of being a corrupt country.
Indonesian officials last Friday, including Foreign Affairs Minister Natalegawa, called on the U.S. Government to clarify the content of the leaked diplomatic cables, which they considered 'raw' and without confirmed validity.
Following the publication, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta responded by regretting the leaked cables, but it stated that the U.S. Department of State does not comment on materials, including classified documents, which may have been leaked.Â
"However, as the Secretary of State has said, the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential, including private discussions between counterparts or our diplomats' personal assessments and observations," the Embassy said, adding that their official foreign policy is not set through these messages, but in Washington.
The Embassy's statement continued by condemning the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by Wikileaks, saying they have "harmful implications for the lives of identified individuals that are jeopardized, but also for global engagement among and between nations."Â
"While we cannot speak to the authenticity of any documents provided to the press, we can speak to the diplomatic community's practice of cable writing," the statement continued.
"By its very nature, field reporting to Washington is candid and often raw information. It is preliminary, often incomplete and unsubstantiated. It is not an expression of policy, nor does it always shape final policy decisions. These documents should not be seen as having standing on their own or as representing U.S. policy."
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are no reactions on this blog entry yet. Be the first one to give a reaction here!
|
|
Log in to write a reaction
|
You are not logged in to the website. You have to be logged in to write a reaction on this blog entry.
· If you already have an account, please login.
· If you have lost your password, please retrieve it.
· If you don't have an account yet, you can create one.
|
|
|
| ABOUT THIS ENTRY |
Add this blog entry to your email, your own blog, MySpace, Facebook, or whatsoever via AddThis:
|
Login if you want to receive emails for reactions on this blog entry. You will receive an update as soon as a reaction on this blog entry is posted.
|
|
Looking for e-tickets for flights in Indonesia? Here's your solution! Order your e-tickets at ticketindonesia.info.
|
| BLOG ARCHIVE |
· 2015, 28 entries
· 2014, 591 entries
· 2013, 750 entries
· 2012, 1061 entries
· 2011, 792 entries
· 2010, 644 entries
· 2009, 916 entries
· 2008, 504 entries
· 2007, 725 entries
· 2006, 1014 entries
· 2005, 723 entries
· 2004, 558 entries
· 2003, 525 entries
· 2002, 375 entries
· 2001, 162 entries
|
| POPULAR TAGS |
Automatically generated every hour
|
| EXCHANGE RATES |
@ 17 May 2018 18:12 CET
|
@ 17 May 2018 21:58 CET
|
@ 15 May 2018 08:42 CET
|
@ 07 May 2018 07:48 CET
|
@ 16 May 2018 09:18 CET
|
@ 17 May 2018 00:46 CET
|
|
| Go to 'exchange rates' |
|
