Home deal closer for Bali Nine prisoners
Indonesia expects more than the ‘return of a small-time fisherman’ as a reciprocal measure for the transfer to Australia of the remaining five Bali Nine prisoners, a ruling coalition MP says.
Indonesia expects more than the “return of a small-time fisherman” as a reciprocal measure for the transfer to Australia of the remaining five Bali Nine prisoners, a ruling coalition MP revealed on Friday.
Willy Aditya made the comments after meeting Bali Nine member Matthew Norman at an event at Bali’s Kerobokan prison where the 38-year-old Australian has now served more than 19 years for his role in the attempted trafficking of 8.3kg of heroin from Indonesia to Australia.
A smiling Norman shook hands with Mr Aditya, who chairs the parliamentary commission on human rights, immigration, corrections and counter-terrorism, but was not allowed to speak to media
Mr Aditya told reporters Indonesia and Australia were “discussing the detailed regulations and reciprocal actions from the Australian side” in relation to the proposed transfer of all five Australian men. “We don’t want to release someone who’s only a small-time fisherman,” he said.
On Tuesday Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke travelled to Jakarta to discuss the legal mechanics of the transfer with Indonesian counterpart Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who handed over a draft legal proposal for the deal.
While no formal prisoner transfer treaty exists between the two countries, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has said he would like to see all five prisoners transferred to Australian jails by Christmas. In return, the Australian government must agree to formally recognise Indonesia’s court ruling, cover the transfer costs, agree to transfer the men to Australian prisons, and agree the deal be reciprocal.
Norman, Si Yi Chen, Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj and Scott Rush were all sentenced to life imprisonment and have each now served more than 19 years in prisons across Bali and Java.
On Friday Mr Yusril met with Philippines undersecretary for legal affairs Raul Vasquez and the two signed a legal agreement clearing the way for the transfer of Filipino death row prisoner Mary-Jane Veloso back to The Philippines before Christmas.
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