Execution delay may risk Indonesia's foreign relations

Indonesia's move to delay the execution of drug and murder convicts following frequent abortion calls from Australia in doing so was thought to be discriminative and may risk Indonesia's relations with countries whose nationals involved in drug cases had been executed.

The execution of 11 drug convicts from several countries including two Australians, initially scheduled this month, was delayed indefinitely due to technical problem.

Desmond J. Mahesa, a legislator at parliament's Commission III for legal affairs, said the execution may be regarded to be discriminative because the Indonesian government made the decision only after some foreign governments, including those of the Netherlands and Brazil, called for delay or aborted execution last month.

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Thursday, extending Australia's gratefulness and pledging the country's readiness to further cooperate with Indonesia in this issue, according to Hussain Abdullah, spokesperson for the vice president's office.

In an effort to abort the execution, Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott reminded Indonesia on Wednesday of Australia's 1- billion-U.S. dollar aid to rebuild and rehabilitate the tsunami- stricken Aceh province. He asked Indonesia not to kill his nationals.

In response, Indonesia said Abbott's statement, expressed in " diplomatic language," should not be deemed as anything for linking the aid program with the call for freeing its citizens from the execution.

"I hope the statement does not reflect the ongoing sentiment of the Australian people," Indonesia Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said later that day.

The two Australians among the 11 drug convicts, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, were arrested in Indonesia's resort island of Bali in 2005 for smuggling 8.2 kilograms of heroin together with the rest of their gang members known as the Bali Nine.

Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said earlier that the delay was not the result of Australia's lobbying, but was merely due to technical problems regarding the execution.

The execution against drug traffickers was initiated as Indonesian President Joko Widodo had vowed to eradicate the rampant drug abuse in the country. He has refused to give clemency to 64 drug traffickers sentenced to death in Indonesia since he was sworn in last October. Enditem