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                   Indonesia Prepares to Execute 9 Foreigners

   by VOA News

   Two Australian drug smugglers in Indonesia were taken from their Bali
   prison Wednesday to an island where they are to be executed.

   Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, who have spent the past
   decade behind bars, were accompanied by Raheem Agbaje Salami, 45, a
   Nigerian national who was born in Cordova, Spain, and 30-year-old
   Philippine national Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso.  All four will be
   transferred to Nusakambangan Island, where they are expected to face
   the firing squad in the coming days.

   Five other foreigners, two Nigerians and one man each from Brazil,
   France and Ghana, will also be executed on the prison island off
   Indonesia's main island of Java.

   The eight men and one woman, dubbed the "Bali Nine" were arrested at
   the Bali airport in 2005. They were convicted of trying to carry more
   than eight kilos of heroin back to Australia.

   Australia has campaigned against the execution of its nationals.
   Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Wednesday said he was
   "revolted" by the prospect of the killings.

   "Right now millions of Australians are feeling sick in their guts at
   the prospect of execution for these two. I have been saying again and
   again that this is contrary to Indonesia's national interests and it's
   contrary to Indonesia's best values," Abbott said.

   Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said it would be "unacceptable,
   unthinkable, for plans for execution to be undertaken" while the
   lawyers for Chan and Sukumaran are still pursuing legal options.

   Indonesia has some of the toughest drug laws in the world. New
   president Joko Widodo has campaigned on a zero-tolerance policy to
   dealers.

   Earlier this month, Widodo, who is widely known as Jokowi, said the
   issue is a matter of honor of the nation.

   "There must be no intervention on the execution of convicted drug
   dealers," he said. "It is an issue of our rule of law, of our political
   sovereignty and positively in our law, death sentence is included,"
   said Widodo.

   Since 2013, Indonesia has carried out at least 10 executions of
   convicted drug traffickers.  Five foreign nationals were executed by
   firing squad in January.

   Despite denying clemency requests from Australia, Brazil, France and
   the Netherlands, President Jokowi said he wants better international
   relations.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/indonesia-prepares-to-execute-9-foreigners/2667013.html