Bali 9 executions: Jakarta executes then seeks to repair relationship

Indonesia’s ambassador issued an extraordinary statement expressing “sympathies to the families” of the Bali duo.

Indonesia’s ambassador to Australia issued an extraordinary statement last night expressing “sympathies to the families and friends” of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

A day after Indonesia executed the two men, dismissed Australia’s protests and angered the government with its poor treatment of their families, the statement by ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema called for efforts to “rebuild this important bilateral relation”.

The ambassador, who returned to Australia from Indonesia yesterday, said it was a “difficult and challenging period” for bilateral relations but insisted a good relationship was “very important for Indonesia” and he hoped personal, cultural, business and academic links could be drawn on to recover what Tony Abbott has called a “dark moment”.

The statement struck a different tone from those of officials in Indonesia who sought yesterday to distance President Joko Widodo from the executions, claiming they were not the result of his executive decision, and from statements on Wednesday by senior Indonesian leaders that inter­national anger was a “momentary ripple” and they were unfazed by Australia taking the unpreced­ented action of withdrawing its ambassador.

“Indonesia understands the views expressed by the people and government of Australia on the law-enforcement measures taken against the two Bali Nine drug-smuggling ringleaders,” Mr Kesoema’s statement said.

“The Indonesian people and the government express our sympathies to the families and friends of the deceased.

“This is a difficult and challenging period for Australia-Indonesia relations.”

Mr Kesoema said that good relations with Australia were very important for Indonesia and Jakarta trusted that good relations with Indonesia were “also important for Australia”.

“We remain strongly committed to improve and strengthen our overall bilateral relations,” he said. “We trust that currently personal, cultural, business and academic links between the peoples of Australia and Indonesia remain strong.”

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry defended Mr Joko yesterday against accusations from Australian Defence Minister Kevin Andrew­s that the executions were a consequence of Indonesia’s President being politically weak.

“Execution is the result of a legal process,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir yesterday. “The death sentences came from the court process, not President Jokowi.

“The implement­ation was done by the Attorney-General; it did not come from an executive decision.”

When pressed with the fact the eight deaths on Wednesday morning were the direct result of the President’s refusal of clemency to drug convicts, as his declared policy, Mr Arrmanatha said: “It still came from legal considerations.”

In recent weeks, Attorney-­General Muhammad Prasetyo has consulted repeatedly with Mr Joko on the execution arrangements and made clear that final authorisation came from the President.

The Indonesians executed Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 34, alongside six other drug convicts on Wednesday morning on Nusa­kambangan, the Central Java penal island. Detik news agency published pictures yesterday of the execution field apparently at about the time of the executions, showing the firing squad positions from which the men were shot simultaneously and the double-cross poles to which they were tied.

The Australians were sentenced to death in February 2006 for their role in organising the ­couriering of 8.3kg of heroin from Bali to Australia the previous April.

After all judicial attempts to save them were exhausted, Mr Joko refused them presidential clemency four months ago.

He had vowed in December to deny clemency to all 64 of the drug criminals on Indonesia’s death row, claiming that would act as “shock treatment” for what he termed a national narcotics emergency.

Fourteen people, 12 of them foreigners, were executed on January 18 and this week. Another 50 remain under death sentences.

Mr Andrews, in a stinging attack on the Indonesian administration and Mr Joko directly, on Wednesday labelled the President a political weakling. “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,” Mr Andrew said.

“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.”

When asked yesterday if she agreed with Mr Andrews’ characterisation, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: “Let me use my words. I said I deeply regret what has occurred, I made numerous representations personally, at every level that I could, and so it is a ­regrettable situation.

“However, Indonesia is an important partner of Australia and the relationship must continue for the benefit of both countries.”

Ambassador Paul Grigson has been called back to Canberra for “consultations” and the Abbott government has suspended ministerial visits to Indonesia. There have not been ministerial exchanges this year.

In Canberra, National Portrait Gallery director Angus Trumble said he had removed a photographic portrait of Mr Joko from display because of “some negative reaction” from visitors.

Mr Trumble said the artist, Adam Ferguson, disagreed with his decision.

Additional reporting: Jared Owens