Executions to go ahead Despite Pressures

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot is pulling out all the stops to convince the Indonesian government to spare the lives of death-row inmates Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, reminding the government of the US$1 billion in aid his country donated after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. "We in Australia are always there to help you and we hope that you might reciprocate in this way at this time," he said at the Gold Coast, Australia, last week.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry did not take kindly to the statement. Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said the Indonesian government would not be swayed by such enjoinings, and would uphold the country's rule of law. "I hope the statement made (by Tony Abbott) does not reflect the true feelings of Australians," he said. "Threats are not part of the diplomatic language, and no one responds well to threats."

February 24, 2015