Bali Nine prisoners set to return to Australia at the request of Anthony Albanese
Indonesia’s member for Bali has criticised the government’s decision to return the Bali Nine prisoners to Australia to serve out their life sentences.
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Indonesia’s ruling party member for Bali has criticised the government’s decision to return the Bali Nine prisoners to Australia to serve out their life sentences.
Nyoman Parta, a member of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party - Struggle (PDI-P), urged the government to uphold the country’s laws on foreign nationals convicted of drug trafficking and make the Bali Nine remain where they are.
The five remaining Bali Nine prisoners will be sent to Australia following a request from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Mr Albanese requested the transfer in a discussion with new president Prabowo Subianto at this month’s APEC conference in Peru, reports The Australian.
In a statment to members of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mr Parta said:
“Do not let this country appear weak by ignoring existing laws on the grounds of international cooperation, then repatriating foreign prisoners to their country,” he said, adding that while such a move could be interpreted as promoting political relations between countries, the decision would only serve to “break the legal system in Indonesia”.
With several international drug networks uncovered operating in Bali in the past 10 years, Mr Parta urged the government to reconsider its decision.
“The Bali Nine case is a case that has received great attention from the world community, Indonesia and especially the Balinese community,” he said.
“And in Bali in the last 10 years, there have often been disclosures of international narcotics network cases. Do not let the repatriation of (the) Bali Nine convicts dampen (weaken) the spirit of eradicating drugs.”
Meanwhile, a leading figure in Bali’s flourishing tourism sector has said he believes sending the Bali Nine back to Australia is the right thing to do.
IGN Rai Suryawijaya, deputy chairman of Bali Hotel and Restaurant Association said that he respected the Indonesian president’s decision.
“Australia have contributed positively to the Bali tourism industry. We have to maintain a good relationship with Australia,” Mr Suryawijaya said.
“On the other side, both countries should also keep working on preventing this kind of extraordinary crime happening again between two countries.
“Bali Nine have served quite long time in the prison and I am sure they have shown good behaviour in prison.
“They deserve to get (a) chance to have a better life. They must have regret for what they have done. Let’s give them a chance.”
Mr Suryawijaya said he was acutely aware of the importance of maintaining strong ties with his neighbours in Australia.
“I am sure that there have been many considerations, including our bilateral relationship that have been building for years, and there must be a long process of bargaining,” he said.
“I am sure, there have been many lessons (that) have been taken by Bali Nine in the last several years behind bars.
“And I am sure that the Australian government will keep monitoring them, although later they will be freed from the prison.
“We have to take the positive impact from this policy. The government burden can be reduced, it may be ease the over capacity problem in our prison.”
The convicts – Matthew Norman, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, Scott Rush and Michael Czugaj – could touch down on Australian soil as soon as next month.
Indonesia does not yet have prisoner exchange laws, however, co-ordinating minister for legal affairs, human rights, immigration and corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra told the newspaper the transfer could be made under the framework of mutual legal assistance.
“In Peru, the Australian Prime Minister made the request for the transfer of Australian prisoners with President Prabowo,” Mr Mahendra said on Friday.
“The Indonesia President responded that they are currently reviewing and processing the matter, and it is expected to be carried out in December.”
Known as the Bali Nine, the nine Australians were arrested in April 2005 and convicted and sentenced to various punishments ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty for attempting to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia and back to Australia.
Mr Prabowo, appointed last month, also told the newspaper that he had also received a request from Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on November 7 that “Australian nationals convicted of drug offences and serving sentences in various prisons be transferred to Australia”.
He went on to reference the case of Philippines woman Mary Jane Veloso, who has been on death row in Indonesia since 2010 after she allegedly became an unwitting drug courier.
“We are using the same approach as in the case of Mary Jane from The Philippines,” Mr Prabowo said.
Ms Veloso was scheduled to be executed by firing squad in 2015 alongside two of the Bali Nine members, but was granted a reprieve.
In a statement, Mr Prabowo confirmed Australia’s request to transfer Australian citizens serving sentences in Indonesian prisons.
“We are reviewing these requests and hope to implement the policies soon,” he said.
Indonesia’s new leader also said France had also made similar requests of its citizens, submitting an appeal via a letter from the European country’s justice minister.
Australia tried to strike a deal with Indonesia in 2015 to save Chan and Sukumaran from the firing squad.
Foreign minister at the time, Julie Bishop, proposed in what was reportedly “a very tense phone call” to her Indonesian counterpart to explore the transfer of Indonesian prisoners detained in Australia in exchange for Chan and Sukumaran.
The deal was to reportedly involve three Indonesians in prison in Australia over their role in an infamous 1998 drug bust.
Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were sentenced to death and executed on 29 April, 2015. Tan Duc Than Nguyen died in a Jakarta hospital in 2018, while the only woman of the group Renae Lawrence, was released in 2018 after her life sentence was successfully reduced to 20 years on appeal.
Minister Yusril said the transfers would enable the prisoners to serve out their remainder of their sentence in Australia.
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