Bali Nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were moved from Kerobokan prison under heavy police guard this morning, on their way to the island where they will be killed.
Tony Abbott is right that millions of Australians are feeling sick in the guts about what is happening today.
This morning Julie Bishop said “Indonesia understands there will be consequences” should the executions go ahead. But despite considerable international pressure, it’s unlikely that the Indonesian government is seriously weighing the international costs of President Joko Widodo’s recent decision to execute all foreigners on death row.
What is clear is that if Widodo continues to actively pursue the death penalty for foreigners, it will likely have deadly consequences for the many of his own citizens who are on death row abroad. (Indonesia has already been accused of double standards for paying blood money to Saudi Arabia to save its own citizens from the death penalty, but refusing to countenance clemency for Chan and Sukumaran.)
Maybe after their needless deaths, and the subsequent blowback in his own country, the president will change his mind. But by then it will be too late for these two young men, and the dozens of others on death row in Indonesia.
I realise it’s news which could result in a cliffhanger miracle should Chan & Sukumaran be pardoned but the constant media updates as to their fate, process & location are at risk of becoming ghoulish.
The coverage must be unbearable for their families & friends.
By now, any change of heart by Widodo would involved huge loss of face after all the pressure that has been exerted by Australia. Perhaps the Aussie pressure may produce better results in future cases but I can’t see Widodo backing down now. A bit more subtlety next time might be the go
Both of these drug couriers stood to gain a great deal of money for shipping these drugs. The reason they would have gained a great deal of money is because it’s high risk, with the death penalty for those caught. These two were unlucky and got caught and now have to pay the consequences for their high-risk get-rich-quick scheme. I don’t have sympathy for them.
I agree that Australia should do everything for these two that they’d do for any Australian traveler overseas, but no more. They gambled, they lost, end of story.
Is the AFP officer (or preferably the organisation’s kultur)responsible to absurd decision to alert the Indonesian authorities to escape censure?
Apart from the sheer fecklessness of young lives, the pig ignorant stupidity of not conductig a controlled delivery when they returned to catch the real organiser/s should raise significant questions of culpable incompetence, if not common-or-garden corruption.