An Indonesian foreign ministry official has hinted at a link between the Australian government’s refugee boat turnbacks and his country’s refusal to grant clemency to Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs has been strongly criticised for allegedly making the same link during speeches last week.

• Govt denies bullying Triggs
• ‘Attack on Gillian Triggs has backfired’
• Abbott citizenship plan ‘lazy, sneaky, dumb’: Vanstone

An Australian journalist quizzed one of Indonesia’s top foreign affairs officials about the comments this week.

“We are a little bit disappointed that [Australia] sends back boat people, while [Australia] is also telling us about human rights,” Foreign Ministry information director-general Esti Andayani responded.

Professor Triggs has resisted the government’s repeated calls to resign.

Criticism by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Attorney-General George Brandis and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton were an attempt to divert attention from the commission’s work, she told ABC radio Friday morning.

“Were I to succumb to this highly-personalised response to the work of the commission, that would undermine the independence of the commission,” she said.

Australia’s ambassador to Indonesia Paul Grigson returned to Jakarta this week, five weeks after being withdrawn in protest over the executions of Bali Nine drug smugglers.

Mr Dutton last week rejected claims that he was bullying Proffessor Triggs.

“I believe very strongly that people who are making ill-informed comments in relation to these matters need to be appraised of all the facts,” Mr Dutton said.

“They’re wrong,” he said.

“To point out the facts in relation to a particular matter is not bullying.”

– with AAP