Bali Nine executions: Myuran Sukumaran, Andrew Chan are definitely in the next group

[CHEEKYFOKKER]

"We fully respect the sovereignty of Indonesia. But we are against the death penalty in our country and abroad. The execution will not give deterrent effect to drug trafficking or stop the other from becoming victims will abuse drugs. To execute these prisoners now will not achieve anything,"

Well that is rather academic, it has certainly stopped two aussie scumbags dead in their tracks of ever smuggling another 8 kg of drugs into the country and spreading death, addiction and untold misery to families of addicts....Long may it continue that these scumbags are caught and suffer the consequences. Especially in countries that do have the death-penalty for drug-smuggling.

"I think the ghastly process that the family have been put through today just underscores how chaotic this has been."

Nothing mentioned about the ''ghastly process'' the addicts family has to endure watching them slowly killing themselves, Stealing to feed their habit.
At least the aussies received a quick clean death, many drug addicts don't.

[Guest]

A victory for justice and the hundreds of would-be addicts and lives ruined by the drugs that never got through. Pay attention dopers, Indo ain't fukkin' around.

Lil dope never hurt anyone.

You gotta be joking! Capital punishment isn't a deterrent. If anything it increases the profit margin making drug smuggling an ever more attractive opportunity.
As far as addicts being saved another foking joke, the number of addicts is a constant whether drugs are legal or illegal.
Portugal actually saw the number addicts decrease, go figure.
Draconian drug law only seems to benefit drug dealers and politicians who use the issue to influence the gullible imbeciles who elect them.

[Mid]

Bali executions: Eight prisoners refused to wear blindfolds as they were shot
Jewel Topsfield
April 29, 2015

Bali nine: Prisoners face bullets with open eyes

Reports emerge about the final moments of Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran and the other executed prisoners as their bodies are taken away in ambulances.

In the still night air of Nusakambangan island, eight condemned prisoners joined together in a chorus of Amazing Grace just after midnight. They also sang Bless the Lord O My Soul before their song was cut off by the crack of gunfire.

It was breathtaking. This was the first time I witnessed someone so excited to meet their God.
Pastor Karina de Vega

As details began to emerge of the final minutes of the group, who included the Bali nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, it was revealed all eight prisoners rebuffed offers of blindfolds, opting instead to stare at their executioners while they broke out in song.


Tunggal Panaluan, the firing range on Nusakambangan where Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were executed.
Photo: James Brickwood

Pastor Karina de Vega said the voices of all eight members of the group cut through the air.

"They were praising their God," Pastor de Vega said.

"It was breathtaking. This was the first time I witnessed someone so excited to meet their God."


One of the ambulances carrying a coffin of one of the executed leaving Wijaya Pura in Cilacap.
Photo: James Brickwood

Pastor de Vega said it was the most beautiful experience she had ever had.

"They bonded together," she said. "Brotherhood. They sang one song after another. Praising God. They sang a few songs together, like in a choir.

"The non-Christian, I believe, also sang from his heart. It was such an experience."


Coffins leaving Wijaya Pura in Cilacap after the executions on Nusakambangan.
Photo: James Brickwood

At 15 minutes to midnight, the families of the condemned lit a candle as they watched the grim procession of cars taking the prisoners to the execution site.

One of the people in the group led a recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Immediately afterwards they were startled by loud gunshots.

Many became hysterical while others, including the spiritual advisers, offered consolation. But by the time the coffins arrived for identification and official handover, a measure of calm had returned and the process went smoothly.


A midnight candle light vigul held at Wijaya Pura in Cilacap on the day of the execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
Photo: James Brickwood

Father Charles Burrows, who provided spiritual guidance to condemned Brazilian man Rodrigo Gularte, said the men met their fate without blindfolds, staring straight ahead.

"Everyone was looking forward, it seems everyone accepted their fate," Father Burrows said.

He said it was difficult because Gularte, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was a teenager, was mentally ill.

Gularte talked to animals and was afraid of electromagnetic waves from satellites watching him above his prison on the island of Nusakambangan.

In his deluded state, he believed Indonesia had abolished capital punishment and established a prisoner extradition agreement with Brazil, which meant he could go home next year.

"We didn't think [the execution] would happen," Father Burrows said. "It is finished. It's all done."

Pastor Tuhu Santoso led the prison church Mass in Besi prison on the island before the condemned prisoners were put in isolation on Saturday.

Nigerian Raheem Agbaje Salami, who was known as Stefanus, described how Jesus had saved him.

Chan played the guitar and read a verse from the Bible stating everything that happened was God's will. Not a single feather would fall off a sparrow, without God permitting it, Chan read.

Chan and Sukumaran told Pastor Tuhu they still believed in miracles and that God would save them but, if they were executed, it was part of God's plan.

The pair were initially told they could not be accompanied by their choice of religious counsellor in their final hours.

In an SMS, an angry Michael Chan, Andrew's brother, told Fairfax Media: "Last bit of dignity denied."

However, Indonesian authorities changed their minds at the last moment and Christie Buckingham, a senior pastor at Bayside Church, and David Soper, an old friend of the Chan family, were able to be with the men until the final minutes.

Fairfax Media understands both men died quickly. A source said all eight prisoners died after being shot in the heart.

It was not necessary for the commander to shoot anyone in the head, as is the case if prisoners don't die after 10 minutes.

One of the condemned men, Nigerian gospel singer Okwudili Ayotanze, was confident right until the end that he was going to be taken off the execution list due to his pending case in the Administrative Court.

Friends and those who knew him for more than 10 years in prison were dismayed his case had been left to the 11h hour.

They believed that, if the court process had started earlier, Ayotanze's life could have been saved.

A friend close to Ayotanze said he never stopped helping other prisoners. He would make sure everyone would come out of their cells and attend Mass.

"He was basically the Nigerian version of Andrew Chan," he said.

"He was a good person. I will really feel the loss."

The Chan and Sukumaran families released a statement on Wednesday morning.

"Today we lost Myuran and Andrew," the families said.

"Our sons, our brothers. In the 10 years since they were arrested, they did all they could to make amends, helping many others."

The family said they asked for mercy, but there was none.

"They were immensely grateful for all the support they received. We too, will be forever grateful."

Brin Sukumaran, Myuran's sister, posted a tribute on Facebook at midnight.

"Bless the lord o my soul. Myu likes this song. He sang it today. Please sing it for him," she wrote.

Ambulances containing eight coffins left Nusakambangan and are on the 12-hour journey to Jakarta.

Australia's consul-general is required to identify the bodies of the Australians, Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said.

The bodies of Chan and Sukumaran will then be returned to Australia, most likely on Friday.

smh.com.au

[Mid]

In the begining , Australia handed the Bali Nine to Indo .

That is to say Australia had the info that they where on the flight with the drugs and informed the Indo authorities so that they would be caught in Indo and thus subject to Indo laws ........................

Australia has also done the same with Singapore .

Bali nine executions: Australian Federal Police to break silence on Bali nine
Matthew Knott, David Wroe
April 30, 2015

Bali nine: 'admit' AFP role

Two Australians executed in Indonesia "can't be forgotten" as a barrister calls for the Federal government to "admit the part played by the AFP".

Australian Federal Police officers are set to be called before a parliamentary committee within weeks to explain the organisation's role in delivering the executed Bali nine ring leaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran to Indonesian authorities a decade ago.

The AFP gave information to Indonesian officials about the Bali nine which led to their arrests for drug smuggling in 2005. The AFP has previously declined to comment in detail on the matter while the Australians' case was before Indonesian courts.


Scott Rush, one of the Bali nine, after being caught in Indonesia after an AFP tip-off.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon said he intends to raise the issue with AFP officials at upcoming Senate estimates hearings in May.

Senator Xenophon also wrote to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on Wednesday to ask that the matter be examined separately.

"This is not about recriminations - it is about making sure that this never, ever happens again," he said.

A spokesman for the AFP said it will hold a press conference to answer questions from journalists on their role in the Bali nine case.

Bob Myers, the barrister who tipped off the AFP about the Bali nine's plans in an effort to prevent a family friend from committing a crime said Wednesday's executions were a "black day" for the AFP.

Mr Myers said police had handed the Bali nine to Indonesian authorities knowing they were subjecting the group to potential death by firing squad.

"This is a black day for the AFP, a day they deliberately exposed nine Australians to the death penalty," he said.

But Chris Ellison, who was the minister for justice and customs at the time of the Bali nine arrests, said it was unfair to blame the AFP for the executions.

"To say they have blood on their hands is unfair," he told Sky News.

"One of the guidelines the Australian Federal Police works under is that it should co-operate with international law enforcement, and it was doing that.

"If it had allowed the transaction to happen in Indonesia that could well have damaged relations as well."

Liberal MP Philip Ruddock, who was attorney-general at the time the Bali nine were arrested, said a review by Judge Paul Finn in 2006 found that the AFP had acted lawfully.

"These are difficult issues and I don't think there should be recrimination about it," he said.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said that AFP guidelines on providing information which could see people face the death penalty were changed in 2009.

He said it would be appropriate for Parliament to debate possibly tightening these guidelines further in future weeks.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government was satisfied with the guidelines on information sharing.

Clive Palmer said he would introduce a private member's bill, co-sponsored by Victorian independent MP Cathy McGowan, into the House of Representatives to minimise the chance of Australians facing the death penalty overseas.

Under the draft legislation circulated by Mr Palmer, public officials who disclose information that could lead to the execution of Australians overseas would face a minimum prison sentence of a year and a maximum sentence of 15 years.

smh.com.au

[Mid]

Bali Nine executions haven't dented demand for Bali holidays
Matt O'Sullivan and Gareth Hutchens

Australians are voicing their abhorrence at the executions of the Bali 9 duo but Qantas and Webjet say travellers show no sign of boycotting popular tourist destinations in Indonesia such as Bali.

In fact, they continue to fly to Bali in record numbers.

While the Abbott government made the unprecedented decision on Wednesday to withdraw its ambassador to Indonesia in protest at the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, online travel agency Webjet said demand from Australians for flights to Bali had risen by 42 per cent over the last four weeks compared with the same period a year earlier.

The strong demand comes despite Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop warning two months ago that Australians may be moved to boycott Indonesia if the executions of the convicted drug couriers went ahead.

However, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said on Wednesday that the airline had not seen any evidence of customers boycotting Indonesia.

"It's a personal decision what people decide to do and how people accept their views. Some people are obviously annoyed at the [Indonesian] government's decisions. [But] there are a lot of people that are not upset with the people of Indonesia," he said on the sidelines of a National Press Club luncheon in Canberra.

Mr Joyce said the company would keep a close watch on whether demand on Jetstar flights would be affected over the coming weeks.

"But at the moment there are no signs of any impact and our expectation is there probably won't be a significant impact on those operations," he said.

Webjet chief executive John Guscic said there was often a low correlation between political events and the booking habits of Australian travellers.

"Whenever there has been a political event historically, if there is a period of suppressed bookings, it picks up very quickly and reverts to the underlying performance of the market," he said on Wednesday.

"In this case, there has been significant publicity about the fate of the Bali 9 and it hasn't impacted bookings to Bali over that period."

Mr Guscic said it appeared that Australian travellers separated the Indonesian people from a decision of their country's judiciary or government.

In the immediate aftermath of the Bali bombings in October 2002, bookings for flights to the Indonesian holiday destination dropped, but had rebounded sharply within six months.

"There clearly was an impact back then, and it was substantial at the time, but we are not seeing that in this case," he said.

Mr Guscic said Bali had been a proxy for Webjet's underlying growth in demand for international flights.

The listed online travel company also reported a 37 per cent rise in bookings for flights to Bali in the six months to December.

Qantas' budget offshoot, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Malaysia's AirAsia and Indonesian flag carrier Garuda compete vigorously on routes from Australia to the popular island destination.

The Perth-Bali route is among the top-10 busiest air links from Australia.

The number of passengers carried on airlines flying Perth-Bali rose almost 3 per cent to 881,000 in the year to January, the latest government traffic statistics show.

A Jetstar spokesman said forward bookings for flights to Bali remained steady.

msn.com