Indonesia, Australia spy claim tension spreads to corporate world

By Yayat Supriyatna and Kanupriya Kapoor JAKARTA (Reuters) - Rising diplomatic tension between Australia and Indonesia spread into the corporate world on Friday, after a state-owned Indonesian firm suspended talks with Australian cattle ranchers, citing trust issues between the neighbors. PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI) is the first Indonesian firm to freeze business ties with Australia due to the uproar sparked by reports that Canberra had spied on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife. Dozens of protesters burned Australian flags and images of Prime Minister Tony Abbott outside the heavily fortified Australian embassy in Jakarta for a second day on Friday. "We decided to halt talks on cattle ranches in Australia temporarily until the Australian government fulfils what the Indonesian government insists they do," RNI Chief Executive Ismed Hasan Putro told Reuters.

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