Australian drug dealers sent to 'execution island'

For some, a trip to this place comes with a one-way ticket.

Nusakambangan island, located off the Cilacap coast in central Java, has a surface air of gentle tranquillity that belies a deeper, disturbing sense of finality.

The locals call it Execution Island and it is where drug traffickers Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, will face the firing squad.

It is also where in November 2008, Bali bombers Imam Samudra, 38, Amrozi, 47, and Mukhlas, 48, were executed.

Chan and Sukumaran, both Australians, are part of what is now called the Bali Nine, a group of drug dealers and drug mules caught in April 2005.

Their appeals for clemency against the death penalty has been rejected and they face imminent death by firing squad. This has seriously strained diplomatic ties between Indonesia and Australia.

But if you are in a jail cell on that island, that would be the least of your concerns.

The sprawling jail complex houses more than 1,500 inmates, including those found guilty of drug trafficking and terrorism.

But it is most notorious for its execution sites, the Nirbaya and Li-musbuntu shooting fields, where inmates are put to death by 12-man firing squads, reported ABC News.

According to The Jakarta Post, there are seven separate jails, which are heavily guarded and divided into separate blocks with high walls and fences.

The jails are spread about 4km apart across the island, which is 30km long and about 7km wide.

The island is also home to about 3,000 locals and its beaches and natural caves can be visited by tourists.

DIE WITHIN A MINUTE

In an interview with The Jakarta Post, a former executioner insisted that during all three executions he oversaw, the firing squad never missed.

"All the convicts died within a minute.

"Firing squad personnel are all well-trained. They have to be mentally fit for the job," he said.

According to him, at the time of the execution, the blindfolded convict is escorted by police to the execution field, which is a restricted area, the newspaper reported.

The former officer said that in most cases, the convict would be given the option of sitting, standing or kneeling when facing the firing squad.

"I do not recall many emotional outcries from the convicts during their isolation period. Some cried and asked for religious counsel for final prayers, but most of them waited quietly, as if they were resigned to their fate," he said.

According to the law, the firing squad should simultaneously shoot at the convict, focusing on the heart, the Jakarta Post reported.

If the convict does not die instantly, the officer in charge can order a member of the firing squad to shoot at the convict's head, right above the ear.

Fourteen personnel from the police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) are assigned to an execution, but only 12 will do the shooting while the two others will be on standby, reported Jakarta Post.

Brimob chief, Brigadier-General Robby Kaligis, said police officers in their early 20s were usually selected as they are physically and mentally more fit.

He said they are given extra training to sharpen their shooting skills.

"The shooting is actually the easiest part. It's much harder to ensure that they are mentally prepared," he said.

About the Bali Nine

The eight men and one woman were arrested in April 2005 at an airport and hotel in Bali, after a tip-off from Australian police.

They were trying to carry 8.3kg of heroin, then valued at about A$4 million (S$4.3m), back to Australia.

The nine are Andrew Chan, Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Renae Lawrence, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens and Myuran Sukumaran.

In 2006, a court ruled that Australians Chan and Sukumaran were the masterminds of the drug smuggling ring. They were sentenced to death.

In February 2006, the rest were sentenced to life imprisonment.

In April 2006, Lawrence, Nguyen, Chen and Norman appealed and had their sentences reduced to 20 years, while the life sentences for Czugaj and Stephens were upheld.

Chan and Sukumaran repeatedly appealed against their sentences, but were rejected.

Australia and Indonesia in spat over execution

There was a war of words between Indonesia and Australia over the execution of the two convicts Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

The controversial suggestion by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott that Chan and Sukumaran should be spared in return for aid pledged after the Boxing Day tsunami has inflamed nationalistic sentiment in Indonesia.

Over recent days, several lawmakers and parliamentarians have spoken up about the perceived meddling of foreign nations in Indonesia's domestic affairs, while Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said that if the tsunami aid was not humanitarian in nature, Indonesia would gladly pay it back.

Indonesia insisted it will carry out the executions. Foreign ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir told reporters in Jakarta that he hoped Mr Abbott's statement did not "reflect the true colours of Australians".

"Threats are not part of diplomatic language and no one responds well to threats," The Independent quoted him as saying.

This article was first published on March 5, 2015.
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