- As Snowden hopes U.S. will stop 'harmful behaviour'
Anger flared across Asia after a fresh round of allegations that the US and its allies use embassies across the region to collect electronic data, reports The Washington Post. China's government said it is "severely concerned about the reports and demands a clarification and explanation," according to foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
That sentiment, which resonated across Europe last week as claims of widespread surveillance in France, Germany, and Spain were leaked, is now echoing across Asia, with leaders in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand making similar remarks.
The US has been under continual fire as allegations surface. US Secretary of State John Kerry conceded yesterday that the US had overstepped boundaries, the Guardian reports. "In some cases, some of these actions have reached too far and we are going to try to make sure it doesn't happen in the future," he said.
Indonesia summoned Australia's ambassador yesterday after reports included allegations that Australia used its embassies there to facilitate a US spying network, according to the BBC.
In a statement, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said: "[The government] cannot accept and strongly protests the news of the existence of wiretapping facilities at the US embassy in Jakarta." "If confirmed, such action is not only a breach of security, but also a serious breach of diplomatic norms and ethics," . Natalegawa said.
"The reported activities absolutely do not reflect the spirit of a close and friendly relationship between the two neighbors and are considered unacceptable by the government of Indonesia," Natalegawa said. He added yesterday to reporters in Australia, where he is at a conference: "Countries may have capacities, technical capacities, to intercept and to carry out the activity that's been reported, and information may have been gathered," he said, according to the Associated Press.
"But the cost — in terms of trust, in terms of the damage — that may be resulting, is something that we must all reflect on."