President ‘understands opposition’: PM

TONY Abbott says Indonesia’s President “absolutely understands our position” in opposing the executions.

Myuran Sukumaran’s family visit Kerobokan jail yesterday. Picture: Nashyo Hansel

WHILE preparations near completion for putting Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran to death, Tony Abbott said Indonesia’s President “absolutely understands our position” in opposing the executions.

After another direct appeal to Joko Widodo by phone the ­previous night, Mr Abbott said yesterday “the President absolutely understands our position — absolutely understands our position — and I think he is carefully considering Indonesia’s position”.

However, Bali chief prosecutor Momock Bambang Samiarso, who is responsible for transferring Sukumaran, 33, and Chan, 31, from Kerobokan jail to the Central Java penal island, Nusakambangan, said: “There is no delay, everything is still going ahead”.

Indonesian officials indicated solitary confinement cells at Batu high-security facility for the 10 drug criminals condemned to die by Mr Joko’s refusal of clemency, and the execution ground, were in readiness.

However last night there was still no word on transferring the Australians and two other ­convicts who are to be moved to Nusakambangan from other prisons to face the firing squad alongside six already there.

The Chan and Sukumaran families visited the men again ­yesterday in Kerobokan.

Mr Momock said a pending ­appeal by the men’s Indonesian lawyers against the Jakarta ­Administrative Court’s refusal to hear their application against Mr Joko’s refusal of clemency would not affect the execution timing.

“Under the law, we have to do it,” said the Bali prosecutor, adding the transfer to Nusakambangan could still happen this week.

Two other condemned foreign prisoners are understood still to be seeking judicial reviews of their sentences but, beyond confirming 10 people are listed for execution, Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo has not yet given any ­detail of their status.

Mr Abbott yesterday refused to respond to a question about whether the chances of Chan and Sukumaran being spared had ­improved as a result of his conversation with the President.

“I don’t want to raise hope that might turn out to be dashed. I don’t want to reflect on Indonesia or my friend, President Joko ­Widodo.

“I want to ensure that as far as is humanly possible, I am speaking out for Australians and for Australian values, but I’ve also got to respect and defend Australia’s friendships and one of the very best of our friendships is that with Indonesia.”

Mr Joko was yesterday working in the Bogo presidential palace south of Jakarta and reporters were seeking his comment.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman Armanantha Nassir said the leaders agreed dialogue between the two governments had improved and that Indonesia understood Australia should make representations for its nationals “in legal difficulty in a foreign country.

“But again we’d like to stress that these representations, these efforts are made within the channels of the law in Indonesia.”

The President this week has ­received representations from the Brazilian and French governments to grant mercy to one each of their citizens.

An editorial in the ­English-­language Jakarta Globe yesterday strongly called on the President to halt the executions, describing the punishment as cruel and unusual.

“Now’s the time to stop without losing face. Message delivered, Mr President. We get it, the whole world does: You mean business. Now knock it off,” the ­editorial said.