Melbourne pastor reveals new detail about final moments of executed Bali Nine ringleaders

BALI Nine pastor Christie Buc­kingham has revealed details of the final ­moments of convicted drug smugglers Myuran Sukumaran and And­rew Chan before a film on the final 72 hours of their lives is screened.

BALI Nine pastor Christie Buc­kingham has revealed details of the final ­moments of convicted drug smugglers Myuran Sukumaran and And­rew Chan before a film on the final 72 hours of their lives is screened.

And she warned more Australians would end up in the line of fire across Southeast Asia as “irresponsible” travellers take advantage of budget flights and cheap destinations.

Sukumaran and Chan were executed by firing squad in ­Indonesia in 2015 as the ringleaders in a bid to smuggle heroin through Denpasar airport.

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Ms Buckingham said the men were rehabilitated when they died and hoped their story would serve as a lesson.

“We need to be a lot more careful,” Ms Buckingham said.

“The reality is this could happen to your son, your daughter, your cousin, your nephew.

“They could be set up or they could be guilty but we know the death penalty is irreversible.”

Bali Nine Pastor Christie Buckingham with a painting of Andrew Chan by Myuran Sukumaran. Picture: Sarah Matray

She said most Asian nations that enforced capital punishment put little ­effort into fixing the problem.

“I would say it’s state-funded vengeance,” she said.

The pastor served as Suku­maran’s spiritual adviser in the final months as campaigners lobbied to stop the shooting.

She stood with him in the minutes before he was killed.

“I could see the lights from the lasers of the guns turn from off to ready and I knew they were lining up their hearts ­because the lasers were circling their chest,” she said.

“I didn’t want Myuran to see this, so I raised my right arm to allow the beams to go underneath, and I said ‘Myu’, I’m taking a couple of steps back, now is your time to say your last words and let’s start singing’.”

Bali Nine ringleader Myuran Sukumaran, who was executed in 2015.

Ms Buckingham said as she started to walk off the killing field, Chan called her over for a final goodbye.

“I went up to him and I put my hand on his heart,” she said.

“I couldn’t believe how calm he was. He was totally at peace.

“I said ‘you have a good heart’. I’ll see you on the other side’.”

Both men were singing as they were shot.

Bali Nine ringleader Andrew Chan was executed in 2015.

Ms Buckingham plays herself in Guilty, a film that coincides with a UN moratorium vote it hopes will increase pressure on countries that still ­implement the death penalty.

Director Matthew Sleeth said it was a powerful message.

“What I hope it touches on is how the death penalty touches everybody who comes into contact with it,” he said.

“One of the things Myuran and I talked about quite often was how weird it was to watch people quite efficiently and politely prepare for your death.

“This idea of killing somebody … in a calm, efficient manner — it’s surreal.”

Bali 9 pastor Christie Buckingham plays herself in the film. Picture: Sarah Matray

Sukumaran was an accomplished artist and Chan, a pastor, when they died.

Together with her pastor husband Rob, Ms Buckingham continues her pastoral care work inside Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison and has become a leading voice in the campaign to end capital punishment globally.

“We have got eight neighbouring countries that still execute and 3.5 million Australians go to those countries every year,” Ms Buckingham said.

“That’s over 10 per cent of the population.

“We are talking about a lot of irresponsible young adults, or irresponsible older people who go there because alcohol is inexpensive and everything is permissible.

“Then they have unrealistic expectations of the embassies.

“They are not there to get you out of trouble that you are not insured to be in.”

Guilty opens at select cinemas on Wednesday. Details: guiltyfilm.com.au

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