East Timor accuses Australia of spying

East Timor has accused Australian spies of carrying out activities in the country’s government offices while using an aid program as a cover.

According to a Sydney Morning Herald report issued on Tuesday, East Timor says a number of Australian spies had installed listening devices in the walls of governmental offices in 2004.

“The bugging was done through an aid project… We are not sure if they were acting as aid workers,” said East Timor’s Natural Resources Minister Alfredo Pires.

“We think we have identified the team of people who came in to do the bugging. We have their names,” he said, adding that the suspects were males “along with a possible lady spy.”

The Australian minster said the spies were discovered after authorities checked flights and other records. The names of those suspected of being behind the spying were not released.

“Diplomatic couriers” allegedly placed the listening devices in the prime minister’s office and rooms used for cabinet meetings during the gas treaty talks in 2004.

This comes after documents leaked by American whistleblower Edward Snowden escalated tensions between Australia and Indonesia.

According to the documents, Australia’s Defense Signals Directorate (DSD) tracked the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s activities on his personal mobile phone for 15 days in August 2009.