So, we now have people sending mail to the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra containing an unknown bacterial agent. Well people, is this what we call terrorism? Seems to be when it happens in other countries....

Yes, one of the commercial TV channels said "we'll see why the mysterious white powder being sent to the Indonesian Embassy is being called an act of terrorism". Um, becuase it is?!?

I'm horrified. I actually know many people who work at the Embassy personally and can tell you it would be difficult to find many more lovely people anywhere. On the day of the Bali bombing they all turned out to an event to support my husband and me, which was one of the bravest and most selfless things I've ever seen.

Not that this should make any difference, nobody should be made to go through the nightmare of a day these people had today. (They didn't get to leave until nearly midnight and had to be bussed home as they couldn't get back to their offices for they're car keys).

It continues to astonish me that people can forget so easily that they're acting against other people, not against some nebulous concept of 'government' or 'policy' when they pull low acts like this.

I am suspicious about the origins of the letter with its (probably) harmless white powder.

The letter was written in Bahasa, a fact that seems to be eluding most news writers. I would be interested to know how many Australians can write in Indonesian. And how many of those Australians literate enough to write in Bahasa would be moron enough to do this stunt.

I would be interested to know which groups in Indonesia, and Asia in general, would profit from a falling out between Australia and Indonesia.

I understand that "face" has enormous value in Asian societies. It might not be beyond belief that an Indonesian has sent this to his embassy as a response to the Australian reaction to the Corby case. "You slander my country and call us names, now we can slander your country and call you terrorists".

Some interesting writings regarding Indonesia and biological weapons here.

I think many 'Australian' people can read/write in Bahasa - my father for one. It is taught in many schools, and it makes sense to learn, as Indonesia is a very large country, very close to Australia.

Certainly it is a possibility that Indonesians were responsible for the powder, just as it is possible that any number of other groups or people were. However, I can't help but feeling the instant reaction that it couldn't have been one of 'ours' is a tad insensitive. It also isn't an isolated incident, there were threats before 'the verdict'.

As to whether or not the powder is, as it now appears, harmless, it doesn't matter. The point of a terrorist act is to inspire fear (terror) and it worked.

Ing it`s been a long time since I went to school, I had no idea that Indonesian language was a popular subject.

I haven`t seen any "instant" reaction that it couldn`t be one of ours. In fact reading letters to the editor and chat boards it seems quite the opposite. I would suggest that most of Australia has been insensitive by assuming that it was definitely an Australian that did this stunt.

And now we hear that there could be "revenge attacks" and overseas embassys are beefing up security.

I wonder what the revenge for sending (probably) talcum powder is?? They might come back at us with icing sugar! Or worse ... cornflour! Run for the hills!

God this is all getting well out of control and I think the media has much to blame in it.

In my opinion the whole thing is definately out of hand, and 'the media' are to blame. But only for stirring up feelings which were obviously already simmering below the surface. TV, radio or newspaper reports add to or detract from opinions, they don't create them. At least not in anyone who has enough intelligence to be able to breath and walk at the same time. And I'm not for a second suggesting anyone on this forum falls into that category, otherwise I wouldn't bother entering into this exchange of views with you all!

I do find it a little difficult to see how reason doesn't point to a local (or locals) being behind 'Powdergate' (if anyone hasn't claimed that one yet, it's mine!). I'm open to argument (though it might sound like it, I don't pretend to know all there is to know about this or anything.) At the risk of appearing provocative, was there any question after the Bali bombing that locals hadn't been behind that? As far as I recall there wasn't. To me this is because there was a pre-existing situation of unrest whereby threats had already been made, and that is exactly the case here.

I'm wondering where the 'scare' today at Parly House fits in with the theory of 'non-Australians' being behind it all? Unless it's to further implicate Australians?

Personally I'd be very surprised if Alexander Downer* didn't get threatening letters on a regular basis, just shows how slack the postal system is I guess tee hee. It bothered me chiefly because I couldn't take my favourite short-cut this morning for fear of Capital Hill being a no-go zone, and then there were roadworks on the road I had to take. Oh irony!

*for those outside Australia, Alexander Downer is our Foreign Minister. (Ha, I've just noticed the wonderful ambiguity in that title - I can't imagine many people being more foreign!) I'm surprised that he's still called that, actually. When I worked at the Bureau of Stats, there was a huge push on to change the politically incorrect 'foreign' in just about every context to 'international'.