Indonesia’s military halted training with Australia as a decision to suspend co-operation over spying claims took effect, while angry demonstrators in Jakarta declared on Thursday they were “ready for war” with Canberra.

In the Australian capital, the scandal took an embarrassing twist for Prime Minister Tony Abbott when one of his party’s strategists described someone reported to be the Indonesian foreign minister as resembling “a 1970s Filipino porn star”.

The crisis – triggered by reports that Australian spies tried to tap the phones of the Indonesian president, his wife and ministers – has pushed ties between Jakarta and Canberra to their lowest level since the turn of the century.

Jakarta has recalled its ambassador from Canberra and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday ordered co-operation suspended in several areas, including on people-smuggling, military exercises and sharing intelligence.

Read More: http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1361965/indonesia-halts-australia-drills-protesters-call-war