Natalie O'Brien – Indonesia is not surprised at revelations the 43 Papuan refugees who caused a diplomatic incident when they arrived in Australia by boat in January had been hand-picked in a well-orchestrated plot to cause a rift between the two countries.

Dino Patti Djalal, the spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said yesterday it was "how these things are done".

"It has always been our suspicion that these were economic migrants, that they had designed firstly to embarrass Indonesia and secondly to take advantage of opportunities in Australia," said Dr Djalal, who is on an official visit to Canberra.

It was revealed in The Australian this week that the 43 Papuans were recruited for the trip on the grounds that they were the most likely to be successful in gaining refugee visas because of their long family association with the province's independence movement and persecution by the Indonesian authorities.

The disclosure prompted Liberal backbenchers to demand the reinstatement of John Howard's tough asylum legislation requiring all visa applications by boatpeople to be processed offshore. The legislation, which critics claim was introduced to appease Indonesian anger over the granting of visas to the Papuans, was withdrawn last month after it became clear it would not pass the Senate.

Dr Djalal said Indonesia was "monitoring" the legislation. "We know that is your internal affairs and how you do your laws is your business," he said. "But, of course, this is something that has bearing on us. Obviously we are still worried about more people braving the seas between Indonesia and Australia and we need to send a clear signal in turn for them that this is not to be done, it is not advisable."

After speaking at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute conference in Canberra, Dr Djalal said the federal Government knew about Indonesian sensitivity on the issue.

"We have conveyed our point that none of these Indonesians are being sought by our authority and that they didn't have any reason to leave in that fashion and if they want to return they can return at any time," he said.

But he declined to say whether it would be on the agenda for talks with Australian government officials during his visit.

Dr Djalal told the conference Jakarta and Canberra were building a stronger relationship on their ability to manage difficult issues, such as the Papuans and the Bali Nine traffickers.