Bali 9 executions: a ‘deliberate, culpable snub’ of Australia

Defence Minister Kevin Andrews has launched a blistering attack on President Joko Widodo as a “weak” leader, branding the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran a “deliberate, culpable snub” of Australia.  

The senior minister’s furious assault jarred with Tony Abbott’s refusal to “make a difficult situation worse by offering gratuitous reflections” on Indonesia’s handling of the diplomatic row, stressing the importance of Australia’s relationship with Indonesia.

Indonesia has dismissed Aust­ralia’s fury at the executions of Chan and Sukumaran and the way they were carried out, insisting Canberra respect its sovereignty above all.

Mr Andrews said Mr Joko made “a very serious miscalculation” by notifying the men of their imminent executions on Anzac Day, a move that “reeks of a calculated snub at Australia”.

“The fact that the executions were announced on Anzac Day, the treatment of the families, the fact that spiritual advisers were denied, as I understand, in the last period of their lives, all suggests, or reeks of, a calculated snub at Australia. And if that’s the case then I think that this is a very serious miscalculation on the behalf of the leadership of Indonesia,” Mr Andrews said yesterday.

“Withdrawing an Ambassador is a very significant decision by the government of any country, and to do that sends a clear message to the leadership of Indonesia that this is a deliberate culpable snub of Australia. We have reached out in friendship over a long period of time to Indonesia and the way in which this has occurred.

“We face a situation in Indonesia were we have a president who’s in the weaker situation, and sometimes people in weak situations take action which they think maybe exhibit strength. If that has been the case here, then as I’ve said earlier, this is a serious miscalculation on behalf of the President of Indonesia. Australians are friendly towards the Indonesian people, but in this case we believe their leadership has let them down.”

Labor ‘scoring base political points’ over AFP death penalty directive

The Labor Party has been accused of “trying to score base political points” over the killings of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran by questioning the Coalition’s revocation of a direction that police consider Australia’s “longstanding opposition” to the death penalty when deciding what information is shared with foreign law enforcement agencies.

Revelations that the government’s directive to the AFP had been ­altered last year to remove the death penalty condition came on the day Australian drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia, reigniting anger about the AFP’s role in tipping off Indonesia about the Bali Nine in 2005.

Opposition justice spokesman David Feeney last night wrote to Justice Minister Michael Keenan, urging him to reinstate the reference to the government’s opposition to the death penalty in his direction to the AFP and demanding an explanation of why it was dropped. Mr Keenan last year issued a new ministerial direction to the AFP outlining the Coalition’s priorities and expectations for the agency, which scrapped a specific requirement that the AFP “take account of the government’s longstanding opposition to the application of the death penalty in performing its international liaison functions”.

Liberal MP Kelly O’Dwyer insisted it was “very, very clear” that the government’s policy was unchanged and “the Labor Party knows that”.

“I think it is very disappointing, though, that the Labor Party are trying to score base political points where there are none to score off the deaths of two men who have been executed only a day ago,” Ms O’Dwyer told Sky News.

“For them to be trying to put out in the media that there has been a change … is disappointing, when they have been working hand-in-glove with us to try to put pleas of clemency to the Indonesian government.”

Mr Feeney, when asked about Ms O’Dwyer’s remarks, said: “She would say that, wouldn’t she?

“I’m not here accusing anybody of anything. These are legitimate questions for the opposition to ask the government of the day. Why has the directive changed?

“It’s a question of detail but it’s an important detail, and I think the onus in now on the minister to simply come forward and please explain.”

Bill Shorten’s parliamentary secretary, Jim Chalmers, dismissed Ms O’Dwyer’s attack as “absurd” and insisted Labor was “just looking for an explanation” from Mr Keenan.

“The sooner he can do that the better, so that the Australian public and the Australian parliament can make a judgment about the removal of that direction — accidental or oversight — so we can have this conversation with the full information on the table. But there has been a change, the direction has been removed, and that needs to be explained as a matter of urgency.”

Mr Keenan’s office did not ­respond to questions yesterday about why his ministerial direction to the agency omitted any reference to the government’s opposition to the death penalty.

His spokeswoman said the current AFP National Guideline on International Police-to-Police Assistance in Death Penalty Situations reflected Australia’s “position” on the death penalty.

“Under these guidelines, the AFP is required to consider relevant factors before providing ­information to foreign law ­enforcement agencies if it is aware the provision of information is likely to result in the prosecution of an identified person for an ­offence carrying the death penalty,” she said.

The AFP last night refused to say whether it had asked the minister to drop any reference to the death penalty from the ministerial direction, instead referring all questions to Mr Keenan.

US avoids comment on executions

The US has refused to wade into the growing tensions between Australia and Indonesia after the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

A US State Department official repeatedly dodged questions on the issue at a press conference in Washington DC.

“We don’t have much to say on this other than we’re aware that they have executed eight foreign citizens convicted of drug trafficking,” Marie Harf, acting spokesman for the State Department, told reporters.

“As we’ve said, none of these eight were American citizens.”

In a follow-up question about what the dispute between Australia and Indonesia could do to heighten tensions in the region, Harf again declined to comment.

“Well, I’ll certainly let the Australians speak to how they’ll react here, and we certainly hope nothing raises tensions, of course,” Harf said.

Meanwhile, it’s unlikely New Zealand will follow the lead of Australia and withdraw its ambassador to Indonesia in the aftermath of the executions of Chan, Sukumaran and six others yesterday.

Speaking to reporters in Kuwait, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key expressed his dismay and disappointment that the executions went ahead, but said was unlikely New Zealand would take the step of withdrawing its ambassador.

“Everybody understands our position that we’re deeply opposed to the death penalty in any country, but ultimately there were no New Zealanders involved here.

“We don’t withdraw our ambassadors in lots of countries where there are executions of other countries’ nationals.”

AAP

AFP can ignore death penalty

The Coalition no longer directs the Australian Federal Police to take account of the government’s “longstanding opposition” to the death penalty when deciding what information it shares with foreign law enforcement agencies, reports Nicola Berkovic.

Revelations that the Coalition’s directive to the AFP had been ­altered last year to remove the death penalty condition came on the day Chan and ­Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia, reigniting anger about the AFP’s role in tipping off Indonesia about the Bali Nine in 2005.

Opposition justice spokesman David Feeney last night wrote to Justice Minister Michael Keenan, urging him to reinstate the reference to the government’s opposition to the death penalty in his direction to the AFP and demanding an explanation of why it was dropped. Mr Keenan last year ­issued a new ministerial direction to the AFP outlining the ­Coalition’s priorities and expectations for the agency, which scrapped a specific requirement that the AFP “take account of the government’s longstanding opposition to the application of the death penalty in performing its international liaison functions”.

Indonesia shrugs off PM’s protests

Indonesia has dismissed Aust­ralia’s fury at the executions of ­Andrew Chan and Myuran ­Sukumaran and the way they were carried out, insisting Canberra ­respect its sovereignty above all.

As Tony Abbott warned the crucial strategic relationship had entered a “dark moment”, President Joko Widodo’s refusal to ­concede any basis for Australia’s resentment risked yet another ­series of serious misunderstandings between the nations.

While the Prime Minister ­described the executions as “cruel and unnecessary” and said “this cannot be simply business as usual”, Mr Joko would only ­address the problem in terms of ­Indonesia’s sovereignty — its right to do whatever it decided within its legal system and boundaries.

“This is about sovereignty, I don’t want to answer this question again,” Mr Joko said.

The President refused to ­respond to Canberra’s decision to withdraw ambassador Paul Grigson or the extension of its embargo on ministerial exchanges between the two countries.

Former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono backed Mr Joko, saying that “as Indonesia respects the sovereignty of other countries, other countries must also respect the sovereignty and our legal system”.

Dr Yudhoyono cancelled a visit to Perth, saying “Australians are now very emotional”, but offered to help the Indonesian government restore “the current disturbed relationship”.

The Indonesian Vice-President, Jusuf Kalla, was unfazed by ­Australia’s protest, saying that “within a month or two they will come back”, while Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo said international anger was a ­“momentary ripple”.

However, a former Australian ambassador to Jakarta, John McCarthy, said public anger against Indonesia was stronger than at any time he could recall since the intervention in East Timor in 1999.

“It’s been pretty awful this stuff,” Mr McCarthy told The Australian. “Whatever your views on the death penalty, and whatever your views on drugs, this has been a pretty awful performance.”

Chan and Sukumaran, who were convicted for their role in the attempted couriering of 8.3kg of heroin from Bali to Australia in 2005, were ­executed at 12.30am yesterday (3.30am AEST) by firing squad on the Indonesian island of Nusa­kambangan with four Nigerians, a Brazilian and an Indonesian man. “The executions have been successfully implemented, perfectly,” Mr Prasetyo said. “All worked, no misses.”

The bodies were yesterday moved from Nusakambangan to Jakarta by two ambulances and are expected to be flown out of Jakarta international airport tomorrow.

In the last hour before the executions, Mr Joko instructed his ­Attorney-General to postpone the execution of Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, a convicted heroin trafficker, after listening to requests from the government in Manila. Australia’s requests, including Mr Abbott asking to speak to Mr Joko, were ignored.

The Prime Minister said Australia deplored the executions of Chan and Sukumaran because they spent a decade in prison and were fully rehabilitated, so it was “a form of double punishment”.

“I absolutely understand people’s anger,” Mr Abbott said.

Bill Shorten and his deputy, Tanya Plibersek, said Australia was deeply hurt that Indonesia ­ignored its pleas for mercy.

“Indonesia needs to understand how strongly Australia feels and how united we are in our ­condemnation of this disgusting act of ­execution,” the Opposition Leader said.

Mr Shorten said Indonesia had weakened its ability to plead mercy for its own citizens facing execution around the world.

Ms Bishop, who said Australia would campaign for the end of the death penalty in the region, said just after 3.30am Canberra time that she received “reports of gunfire from Cilacap prison”.

She has been angered by Indonesia’s chaotic behaviour, its failure to take into consideration the rehabilitation of the two men and its failure to inform Australia the executions had taken place.

Mr Abbott said the relationship was going through a difficult time. “I want to stress that this is a very important relationship ­between Australia and Indonesia, but it has suffered as a result of what’s been done over the last few hours,” he said.

Mr Abbott urged consumers and business not to stage a boycott against Indonesia and said he hoped diplomatic relations could be repaired. “We do not want to make a difficult situation worse and the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is important, remains important, will ­always be important, will become more important as time goes by. So, I would say to people ‘Yes, you are absolutely entitled to be angry, but we’ve got to be very careful to ensure that we do not allow our anger to make a bad situation worse’.”

Ms Bishop said Mr Grigson would return to Australia at the end of this week for consultations.

While Indonesia has twice recalled its ambassador from Australia in the past decade, it is the first time Australia has taken its envoy out of Jakarta. It is expected he will be in Australia at least a month. A planned joint visit to Indon­esia by Ms Bishop and Defence Minister Kevin Andrews for talks with their counterparts was postponed this month and it will be further delayed. A delayed visit by Trade Minister Andrew Robb to lead a business delegation will be postponed.

Mr McCarthy said recalling an ambassador was considered a big step. “The Prime Minister is real­istic. He knows the importance of the strategic relationship.”

Mr McCarthy said co-operation in key areas such as intelligence sharing, defence ties and trade must continue. “It is in the long-term interests of our nation to maintain good relations,” he said. “You’ve got to leave working those areas of co-operation which are in our interests to continue.

“We can’t just have business as usual, but I think that means ­essentially that for six months, or as long as these executions continue, we don’t have very high level contacts in Indonesia, which means they won’t come down here either. But you carry on working at a lower level on all those nuts and bolts that make up a pattern of carrying forward our interests in Indonesia. There is no point in stopping activities which serve our national interests.”

Former foreign minister Bob Carr said withdrawing the ambassador was not in Australia’s interests because it created an awkward situation about when he would return. He said it would leave Australia without ambassadorial clout in Jakarta and Australia’s agenda in relation to fighting terrorism, trade, live cattle and other areas “could slide away”.

source:.theaustralian.com.au