Tag: Indonesia

Indonesia wants to build a prison for condemned drug traffickers on an island surrounded and guarded by crocodiles.

The proposal is the pet project of anti-drugs chief Budi Waseso, who plans to visit various parts of the archipelago in his search for reptiles to guard the jail.

"We will place as many crocodiles as we can there. I will search for the most ferocious type of crocodile,” he was quoted as saying by local news website Tempo.

Waseso said that crocodiles would be better at preventing drug traffickers from escaping prison as they could not be bribed – unlike human guards. “You can’t bribe crocodiles. You can’t convince them to let inmates escape,” he said.

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Indonesia's former foreign minister says the U.S. asked Indonesia to send ground troops to Iraq to fight ISIS, and it refused: It didn't want to upset "radical Muslims" at home.

Indonesia was asked by the United States to send troops to join the fight against the Islamic State terror group in Iraq but declined because it feared a backlash among radical Muslims at home, the country's former foreign minister has revealed. Marty Natalegawa, the long-serving top envoy under Jakarta's previous administration, said Indonesia felt it could better contribute by tackling its own domestic extremism problem, whereas sending forces would be "cosmetic".

Maybe the next time it gets hit by a massive Tsunami, our response should be "We can better use that money at home."

Convicted drug offender Frenchman Serge Atlaoui has lost his appeal challenging the denial of clemency. He was scheduled to be executed with Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan and six others in April, but the date was pushed back because of his pending appeal.

Indonesia says it will schedule his execution after Ramadan is over in mid July. [More...]

Facing mounting criticism for helping Indonesia execute Bali Nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police held a press conference today to discuss the AFP's role in the arrest of the Bali Nine. [More....]

Indonesia President Joko Widodo, already getting justly raked over the coals of international opinion, isn't doing any better at home. The editorial in the Jakarta Globe yesterday, hours before the executions, concludes he was hoodwinked by his aides (which doesn't say much for his leadership ability) and that the executions are not in Indonesia's best interest:

With regards to the planned executions, we doubt that such action is really aimed at creating deterrence. We are afraid that it was born out of political strategy of people surrounding Joko, and the president might be only a victim of his aides who provided him with false data and arguments.

It goes on to oppose the executions and say they have nothing to do with the problem of drugs in Indonesia: [More...]

Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Noer Ali says Indonesia used 1,400 police personnel to secure the executions of the 8 non-violent drug offenders yesterday. This doesn't include military personnel who were also involved.

As I've written before, Indonesia was obsessed with security, to the point where they used four fighter jets armed with sidewinder missiles and a fully equipped navy warship to move the two Australians, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan from one island to another. [More...]

Indonesia President Joko Widodo is in the doghouse. Leaders all over the world are condemning Indonesia's executions today.

Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott has recalled their Ambassador to Indonesia. [More...]

Update: Thumbing its nose at the world, Indonesia executed eight drug offenders tonight, including two models of rehabilitation, Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso was spared, but only temporarily, after the woman who recruited her to act as a drug courier gave herself up to police in the Philippines. Her government said she was the victim of human trafficking and today said she is needed as a witness against her recruiter. Indonesia says her execution has been temporarily delayed so she can testify against the trafficker. [More...]

Sunday it seemed French citizen Serge Atresi Atlaoui of France had gotten a stay of execution. The court denied his appeal Monday. It's not clear if he will be executed today with the others, or if he'll just sit in the isolation cell a bit longer.

There will be at least 7 executions tonight, just after midnight (Wednesday), including Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran and Mary Jane Veloso. It's not clear if Rodrigo Gularte, the mentally ill Brazilian will be among them.

The press won't be notified of the executions until after they have taken place. Myuram's mother says the killings will take place at midnight Indonesian time.

They will be taken to a shooting field, offered a last cigarette, and then a target will be placed over their hearts as the firing squad shoots away. [More...]

Bali 9 inmates Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan have received their official notification that they will be executed imminently -- as soon as Tuesday. Indonesian law requires they be notified at least 72 hours before the killings.

Another inmate waiting for her final appeal was also moved to the Death Island today, after the decision in her case was announced.

Ten inmates in all are scheduled for execution , 9 of whom are foreigners convicted of non-violent drug offenses. All will face the firing squad together. (Correction: Not all 10 of those scheduled for execution received notices. French citizen Serge Areski Atlaoui and Nigerian citizen Raheem Agbaje Salami still have appeals pending. Brazilian citizen Rodrigo Gularte is still waiting the outcome of his mental health assessment. The lone Indonesian in the group, Zainal Abidin bin Mgs Mahmud Badarudin, also has a pending appeal. [More...]

The headline of an article in Australia's The Independent today reads:

Welcome to 'Execution Island' – the Indonesian holiday resort where foreigners are sent to die

I can't remember another case when the media around the world, in news articles, not just commentary, used such strong words in reporting on an upcoming execution, as it has with Bali Nine duo Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. [More...]

Here's the police chief of Densepar, Indonesia, Djoko Hari Utomoposing, posing for his "happy snap" with Andrew Chan, on the Wings Air plane en route to the death island where Chan, Myuran and 8 others will be killed.

The photos were released to the media by the police. The Chief, who appears to be staring right into the camera, says: