April 6, 2006
Indonesia importer group urges boycott on Australian goods
The Indonesian Importers Association called for an immediate boycott of Australian goods Thursday (Apr 6) to protest the Australian government's recent decision to give visas to 42 Papuan boat people.
The import ban is also a protest on the caricatures of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono published in one of Australia's newspapers, said Amirudin Saud, chairman of the Indonesian Importers Association or Ginsi.
A cartoon published Apr 1 in the Weekend Australian depicted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as a male dog copulating with a Papuan also depicted as a dog.
The boycott will affect Australian imports to Indonesia including live animals, dairy products and wheat, among other items.
Indonesia's imported Australian products were valued at US$2.57 billion in 2005, up from US$1.59 billion in 2002, according to Ginsi.
Ginsi also urged all ports in Indonesia not to provide loading and unloading services for imported goods shipped by Australian vessels.
About 200 of Ginsi's 7,800 members import goods from Australia.
Saud urged all members to heed the boycott call, saying it may revoke the import licenses of its members that do not comply.
The boycott call reflects the heightening tensions between the two countries over the Australian government's decision to grant temporary visas to a group of Papuan refugees last month.
Saud played down the impact of the boycott on imports of Australian beef into Indonesia. Australia is a key supplier of beef to Indonesia.
Australian beef imports accounted for 44 percent of Indonesia's total beef imports of around 33,811 tonnes in 2004, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Indonesia currently imports beef from Australia and New Zealand following a temporary ban on US beef and beef products which was re-imposed in Jul 2005.
Ginsi also launched a similar boycott of Danish products in February after a Danish newspaper published "insulting" caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
