Protests staged outside Australian Embassy in Indonesia on spying issue

About 200 people staged a rally outside Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday, expressing disagreement with Australia's tapping action.

The rally occurred following the issuance of a travel warning by the Australian government Thursday morning. But Indonesia guarantees the safety of Australian diplomats and citizens, Indonesian presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said.

On their action, the protesters demanded the Australian government to apologize to the Indonesian government and give a clarification over the tapping action against Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his inner circle. "Indonesia is better to halt diplomatic tie with Australia until Australia beg apology,"said Eko Soetikno, one of the coordinators of the protest.

"We ask the Australian ambassador to leave this country if he could not give a clarification over the spying action honestly,"he said.

Carrying banners and yell, the protesters vented their anger against the Australian government. "Without Australia Indonesia Still Can Do,"one of the banners read.

Over 400 policemen have been dispatched to the scene to secure the embassy, according to Tri Suhartanto, police chief of Setia Budi sub-district.

President Yudhoyono said Wednesday that the spying action done to a friendly country"is difficult to digest".

Yudhoyono asked for a clarification from Australian Prime Minister Tony Abott after he halted military cooperation with Australia.