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The Forum > Article Comments > Downer will not be able to rewrite history in East Timor > Comments

Downer will not be able to rewrite history in East Timor : Comments

By Bruce Haigh, published 23/7/2008

If Australia wants to have a reasonably healthy long-term relationship with Indonesia, unpleasant matters need to be dealt with.

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I'd value Haigh's analysis more if he wasn't so obviously in the 'Get Downer' camp. As a former diplomat, he should be very well aware that public utterances on many matters are purposely muted (at the time and subsequently). Only those who see no value in keeping relationships going favour the full-on-outrage style of diplomacy.

I'm sure the East Timor activity was winked at in Jakarta, at least at the operational levels where winking would work in those circumstances.

Getting Indonesia to finally understand it was not welcome among East Timorese was the real aim of Australian policy. Making it possible for them to leave with some credibility intact was an essential ingredient of that process. No one condones military mob behaviour (least of all ordinary Indonesians), but the outcome of the crisis was the desirable one. Can't we leave it at that?
Posted by Scribe, Monday, 28 July 2008 1:31:05 PM
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Yet more criminal conduct on the part of a government minister. Is it possible that any member of the Howard party is not a psychopath
Posted by ocm, Saturday, 9 August 2008 10:00:52 PM
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