Fed: Aust police involved in child abuse probe - Downer

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2005
Fed: Aust police involved in child abuse probe - Downer

CANBERRA, April 12 AAP - Australian police helped their Indonesian counterparts investigate
two cases of alleged child sex abuse at Bali holiday resorts, Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer said today.

Mr Downer has come under attack for his failure to support a request by the families
of the Australian children and his cabinet colleague Chris Ellison that the hotels in
question be listed on travel warnings by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In a statement, Mr Downer hit out at suggestions that he had ignored the issue as wrong
and grossly misleading.

"Of the two cases of alleged child abuse in Bali hotel child care centres ... the Australian
Federal Police co-operated with their Indonesian counterparts on both investigations,
neither of which has led to charges being laid.

"The investigations never established who was responsible for the abuse."

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KEYWORD: RESORTS DOWNER AFP

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