Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono plans to meet his ambassador to Australia, Hamzah Thayeb, recalled to Jakarta on Friday, to determine Indonesia's position in the wake of Canberra's decision last week to grant 42 Papuans temporary protection visas.
"The President will meet the ambassador in the very near future and then he will have to listen to him and then consider the next step," presidential adviser Dino Patti Djalal said yesterday.
The intractability of the crisis - which Jakarta fears will threaten its sovereignty over Papua - was underlined by Papuan student Everistus Kayep reporting yesterday that a steady stream of students would be seeking asylum in Papua New Guinea and ultimately, potentially, Australia.
Hundreds of students have been on the run since a riot near Cendrawasih University in the provincial capital of Jayapura several days ago in which four police officers and one air force officer were killed, said Mr Kayep, who is himself in hiding.
Three students were already in PNG, nine were on the way, and more than 50 were getting ready for the journey, he said.
"They will go to PNG and then, if there's someone who will arrange it if they want, continue to Australia," he said. If the first groups meet with success, others would follow, he added.
Indonesian intelligence forces were keeping a close watch on all ports and airports in Papua, as well as closely monitoring the border.
John Howard again emphasised Australia's commitment to Indonesian territorial integrity yesterday. Jakarta is concerned the decision marks a change in policy by Canberra similar to that which led to East Timorese independence in 1999.
Declaring Australia would not support moves towards independence in West Papua, the Prime Minister said he could "understand" why Indonesia had reacted with anger to the decision to grant protection.
Mr Howard said there was no independent verification of reports that more Papuans were planning to come to Australia in the wake of the decision.
"We will continue to do everything we have done in the past to prevent unauthorised arrivals in this country," he said.
"I want to make it very clear we have not, and anybody who thinks this decision is some kind of green light for people to resume unauthorised arrivals in this country will be sadly mistaken. I want to make that very clear. We do not support for a moment the West Papuan independence claim."
Mr Howard said that when he spoke to Dr Yudhoyono about the issue five weeks ago he stressed that all the asylum-seekers would be dealt with in accordance with Australian law.
"Now that is what happened. Not an easy issue, but the trust and goodwill that has been established between our two countries and between our two governments over the past few years - difficult though this issue is - will not be undermined.
"It is a difficult issue but it will not break relations between Australia and Indonesia," he said.
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