Corby case strains Indonesia-Australia ties, FM Downer warns against backlash

Channelnewsasia.com:

"Analysts said the strong public reaction to the case would put strains on the relationship between Canberra and Jakarta, which has recently been boosted by Australia's 1 billion dollars (760 million US) in aid and a visit by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

'It's created an awkward situation for the Australian government, because it has to try to manage the public reaction in Australia while at the same time maintaining its encouragement for an independent judiciary in Indonesia,' University of Sydney Southeast Asia expert Edward Aspinall told AFP.

Malcolm Cook, an Asia analyst at Sydney think tank the Lowy Institute for International Policy said most Australians remained sceptical about Indonesia, and the Corby case could erode the goodwill generated in the wake of the December 26 tsunami disaster.

'There's a bedrock of opinion in Australia that has a very ambivalent attitude towards Indonesia and this will reinforce those stereotypes,' he told AFP. "