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Australia accused of 'surreal hypocrisy' over Bali Nine executions
By Jewel Topsfield Indonesia correspondent
Australia has been accused of a "surreal form of hypocrisy" in criticising the execution of the Bali nine while "slowly disposing" of asylum seekers through "inhumane detention centres".
In a stinging rebuke to what he calls "Canberra's exceptionalism", Pierre Marthinus from the Marthinus Academy in Jakarta, a not-for-profit organisation focusing on transnational relations, said Australia had not opposed the execution of convicted terrorists.
Awaiting execution: Myuran Sukumaran, left, and Andrew Chan.Credit: AAP
"Australian government appeals are neither heroic nor heartfelt; Canberra is merely trying to save their own 'subject bodies' from the firing squad, while slowly disposing of 'abject bodies' it does not want through inhumane detention centres or returning them to foreign regimes that will probably finish the job for them," Mr Marthinus said in an opinion piece in The Jakarta Post.
The impact of the executions on bilateral relations is coming under intense scrutiny in the English-speaking press in Jakarta, with conjecture that the decision to drop plans to waive visa requirements for Australian visitors to Indonesia could also be related.
Governor of Bali I Made Mangu Pastika.Credit: Justin McManus
However, this has been denied by the government and is also considered unlikely by migration agents.
And Bali's Governor Made Mangku Pastika has said he would not like to see the execution take place on Bali because it could hurt the island's public image.
"How do I put it ... it would be best if it's not in Bali. I think I want Bali to stay in harmony, to stay safe and peaceful. If possible not in Bali. If possible, anywhere else," newswire detik.com quoted Governor Pastika saying on Saturday in Denpasar.
Tony Spontana, the spokesman for the Indonesian Attorney-General, said the time and location of the execution of Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran had not yet been determined.
However, five of the six executions of drug felons in Indonesia earlier this month took place on the penal island of Nusakambangan – referred to as "Indonesia's Alcatraz" – off the southern coast of Java.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he would not jeopardise Australia's relationship with Indonesia.
On Friday he issued a statement saying he and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop would continue to make "every possible effort" to stop the executions.
"In the best interests of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, the government will not make further public comments but I want to assure Australians that our support will continue," it said.
Tim Lindsey, a professor of Asian law at the University of Melbourne, said the Australian government was taking the right approach in making behind-the-scenes diplomatic representations."
"Making this a matter of confrontation between the two countries would not help Chan and Sukumaran," Dr Lindsey said.
"There is a lot of pressure on them to do otherwise but it would be counterproductive at this stage."
Meanwhile, Australian lawyer and principal migration agent Greg Finlayson said he would be surprised if Indonesia's decision not to waive tourism visas for Australians was related to the executions.
He said it was more likely to be because Indonesians were still required to have tourist visas to enter Australia.
"That's the way it often plays out – there is an attempt to have reciprocal visa policies. If one country is not playing ball the other country stops playing ball."
Mr Finlayson said applying for a 30-day non-extendable tourism visa to Australia could cost Indonesians up to $300.
He said applications took 15 working days to process and decisions to refuse visas were often seen by Indonesians as arbitrary.