AUSSIE STUDENTS WONDER WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT

by Erin M R McMahon

April 9, 2003
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On Campus
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DESPITE recent warnings from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about travel to Indonesia, Australian students on the ground have said that there is no need to worry.

"I, personally, am more worried how my friends back home will interpret the media reports of things like this," said a student currently in Jogjakarta, Central Java, with the Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies.

In light of Australia's involvement in the war on Iraq, the Department of Foreign Affairs has reviewed its travel advice to Indonesia, warning against non-essential travel and urging extreme caution, particularly in Central Java, because of the threat of possible terrorist activity.

The departmental warning was heightened after the Bali bombings in October last year, when 88 Australians were killed.

This threat has been dismissed, however, by the students, some of whom have been in Indonesia since last semester.

"I think the risk of a terrorist attack is greater in downtown Sydney or Melbourne than here in Jogja," said one student.

ACICIS director Professor David Hill said the consortium worked closely with its member universities and the Department of Foreign Affairs, both in Canberra and Jakarta, to assess the security situation.

"At this time, the warnings are not such to warrant a closure of the ACICIS program or to pull students out," he said, describing the situation in Indonesia as stable.

Although there have been many demonstrations in Jogjakarta, they have been by and large peaceful and not specifically directed at Australians, he said.

Students have described the daily rallies as highly emotional but have not felt at risk. As opposed to any harassment, students said they had discussed the war with Indonesians, who had shown concern about their safety.

Professor Hill said ACICIS students had always been well received and the Indonesian community was generally "welcoming and warm".

This has been supported by the influential Governor of Jogjakarta Special Region, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, who has sent a letter reassuring ACICIS of the safety of its students.

The ACICIS office at Murdoch University continues to monitor the embassy bulletins and news reports on Indonesia every day while students are in constant contact with the resident director in Jogjakarta via meetings, email, and mobile phone.

Arrangements for a contingency plan also have been updated should the situation worsen suddenly.

Professor Hill said he was encouraged by the enthusiasm still shown by students about the program. One student revealed that, because some universities had prevented their students from travelling to Indonesia, some students deferred from their courses and enrolled in ACICIS as private participants.

ACICIS has been sending students to Indonesia since 1995. At present there are 17 participants studying with the program, including three from Murdoch University.

This story was also published in Suara Jogja, ACICIS's newsletter