Minister: Indonesia Putting Executions on Hold to Focus on Economy

Jakarta Globe, Basten Gokkon, 19 Nov 2015

Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs,
 told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday that President Joko Widodo would not
authorize any more executions pending efforts to revive the economy, which is
growing at its slowest pace in six years. (Reuters Photo/Darren Whiteside)

Jakarta. The Indonesian government has announced a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty in order to focus on improving a sputtering economy.

Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday that President Joko Widodo would not authorize any more executions pending efforts to revive the economy, which is growing at its slowest pace in six years.

“The government needs to focus on Indonesia's economy first,” Luhut said, without giving a time frame for the suspension of executions.

The Joko administration has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community for reviving the death penalty that the previous administration of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had largely shelved.

Under Joko, Indonesia has this year put to death 14 people convicted of drug offenses, 12 of them foreign nationals, including a mentally ill Brazilian and two Australians who had reformed and were providing classes and ministry for fellow prisoners.

Pension fund in China not for stock market bail-out: official

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-08-29

People walking past a pension fund management center in Fuzhou, Fujian
province, June 30. (File photo/CNS)

Allowing China's pension fund to invest in the stock market was not intended as a bail out, but to create long-term and stable returns, said the vice minister of human resources and social security on Friday.

The change will eventually have a positive effect on China's real economy and support a healthy capital market, but the core purpose is to gain long-term and stable yields for the fund, vice minister You Jun said at a press conference.

The fund's management must prioritize safety, and the timing of the fund's entry into the stock market will be decided by the market, You added.

The State Council finalized guidelines on Sunday allowing the pension fund to invest in new products, including the domestic stock market.

The guidelines allow the fund to invest in more than 20 financial products, including high-risk stocks and equities, as well as low-risk bank deposits and bonds, which diversify the investment risk, You said.

To minimize risks, the guideline restricts the maximum proportion of investment in stocks and equities to 30% of total net assets.

The fund will also participate in major projects and purchase shares in state-owned enterprises to gain long-term yields, he added.

Around 2 trillion yuan (US$330 billion) of the funds total assets can be invested, You said, adding that the amount will increase as the fund grows.

China's pension fund, which accounts for roughly 90% of the country's total social security fund pool, had net assets of 3.5 trillion yuan (US$547 billion) at the end of 2014.

The pension fund was previously parked in banks or invested in treasury bonds with low yields, provoking calls for change as China faces the challenge of caring for its growing elderly population.

The new policy came as China's stock markets continue to decline, beset by shrinking turnover and greater volatility. The key Shanghai index plunged more than 30% from its June peak, wiping out most of this year's gains.

"Market-oriented operation of the pension fund requires more market supervision by authorities," said You.

The National Council for Social Security Fund (SSF), a social security strategic reserve for China's future aging population, played an exemplary role in increasing the fund's investment returns. The SSF has had an average yearly return of 8.5% over the past 14 years as of 2014 and outpaces the consumer price index growth.

The SSF has a bigger investment scope than the pension fund and is allowed to invest in domestic and overseas stocks as well as fixed income assets.

In China, private urban employees pay for their pension before retirement and usually get a pension equal to about half of their final salary.

Related Article:

Dutch pension fund pulls out of Mylan over execution fears

Indonesia, Netherlands Organize Harm Reduction Talks at UNODC

Jakarta Globe, Natasia Christy, Mar 11, 2015

A casket carrying the body of Ang Kiem Soei, a Dutch national executed by
firing squad on Jan. 18, seen in an ambulance on the prison island of
 Nusakambangan, off Central Java. (EPA Photo/Bayu Nur)

Jakarta. As the Australia-Indonesia diplomatic rift over the pending executions of two drug convicts shows no signs of abating, ties with the Netherlands — which recalled its ambassador after one of its nationals was executed in January — seem to be on the mend.

On Tuesday, Indonesia and the Netherlands jointly organized a discussion on harm reduction on the sidelines of the 58th Commission on Narcotic Drugs session, at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.

At the discussion, three experts, including Edo Agustian from the Indonesian Network of Drug Victims (PKNI), discussed ways to limit the spread of HIV as a consequence of drug use, a statement on the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s website said.

According to Edo, the Indonesian law enforcement system — with a primary focus on punishment instead of rehabilitation — has not been conducive in bringing down the number of infections.

Ambassador Rob Swartbol was called back to the Netherlands for consultations after the execution of Dutch national Ang Kiem Soei, on Jan.18. In a letter to the Dutch parliament, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said in early February that Swartbol had returned to Jakarta.

Koenders explained that the Netherlands opposes the death penalty in principle and that one of its government’s goals is to try and get Indonesia to abolish the punishment. The minister added, however, that it was important to be represented in Indonesia at the ambassadorial level.

“I would like to investigate the possibilities to cooperate with Indonesia to fight drug-related problems,” Koenders said in the letter.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry, in the statement posted on its website on Wednesday, said: “The cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands in handling drugs is not affected by the difference of opinion over the death penalty.”

According to data from the Indonesian Health Ministry, the number of people living with HIV and AIDS as a consequence of drug use grew from 186,000 in 2009 to 640,000 in 2013.

Related Articles:

Narcotics Agency: Drugs Kill 33 Indonesians Daily, Not 40-50

UN Narcotics Agency Calling for Abolition of Death Penalty

Indonesia Demands Explanation From Brazil Over Diplomatic Snub

Jakarta Globe, Suara Pembaruan, Feb 24, 2015

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi, left, accompanied by the Indonesian
 ambassador-designate to Brazil Toto R.J., right, gives a statement to the press
 regarding the delay in delivery of the ambassador’s credentials to Brazil, after meeting
 President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace, in Jakarta on Feb. 24, 2015.
(Antara Photo/Ismar Patrizki)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has demanded an explanation from Brazil after President Dilma Rousseff refused to accept the diplomatic credentials of Indonesia’s ambassador-designate.

The diplomatic snub was reportedly over the imminent execution of a Brazilian convict on death row for drug trafficking in Indonesia, but Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP. Marsudi has summoned the Brazilian ambassador for an official explanation.

“We don’t know the official reason, the information received by the ambassador[-designate] from the Brazilian foreign affairs minister was the postponement was related to the execution,” Retno said on Tuesday.

Toto Riyanto, Indonesia’s incoming ambassador-designate to Brazil, was informed that his credentials would not be accepted after he had arrived at the president’s palace, expecting to become an ambassador.

Toto has since been recalled to Indonesia and will meet with President Joko Widodo when he returns.

The incident is just the latest diplomatic spate that has been caused by Joko’s decision to press on with the execution of inmates — a practice that was only resumed in 2013 after a four-year de-facto moratorium.

The Australian government has been vocal in its opposition to the death penalty and has requested clemency for two members of the “Bali Nine” drug trafficking ring, who are among the next group of inmates scheduled to be shot.

Brazil and the Netherlands withdrew their ambassadors from Indonesia “for consultations” last month after two of their citizens were among six people executed for drugs offenses.

Retno said Joko was noticeably upset with Brazil’s latest action.

“This is about the country’s dignity and sovereignty because an ambassador’s presence represents the Indonesian president,” Retno said.

The foreign affairs minister said the Indonesian government was confused by Brazil’s actions, especially as the two countries had until recently enjoyed good bilateral relations.

Dina Wisnu, an international relations expert from Paramadina University, said as a president, Joko has an obligation to explain to Brazil why the execution was deemed necessary. Brazil abolished capital punishment in the 19th century, the academic said.

“Brazil will be willing to have their citizens found punished if they were guilty, but not executed,” Dina said, adding the government should not be reactive to Brazil’s protest.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff

Related Articles:

Indonesia recalls new envoy to Brazil amid death penalty row

Brazil and Netherlands recall Indonesia ambassadors over drug executions

Foreign Minister Rejects Australia Plea to Save Bali Pair From Death: Report

Jakarta Globe, Feb 12, 2015

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, center, is seen in between Coordinating Minister
 for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Tedjo Edy Purdjianto, front left, President Joko
 Widodo, front right,, Trade Minister Rahmat Gobel, back left, and Minister of Manpower
 Hanif Dhakiri, back right, during official inauguration at the Presidential Palace in
Jakarta on Oct. 27, 2014. (AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)

Jakarta. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi is reported to have turned down a last-ditch attempt by the government of Australia to spare two of its citizens, convicted of drug trafficking, from the firing squad before the end of the month.

Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, are among of batch of mostly foreign death-row inmates scheduled to face the firing squad after their requests for clemency were rejected by President Joko Widodo.

“I have been talking to [Australian Foreign Minister] Julie Bishop twice, our communication is consistent,” Retno said on Thursday as quoted by Indonesian news portal Detik.com.

“I have explained Indonesia’s policy. This isn’t about Indonesia against other countries, it’s about Indonesia against crime,” she added.

“In the past, Indonesia was only used as a transit point for drug trafficking, but now we are the biggest market in Asia and third-biggest in the world. We are in an emergency situation.”

Indonesia is not a larger market for illegal drugs than China or India, two other countries in Asia. More people die from road accidents and smoking than are killed by drugs in Indonesia.

Bishop previously made a statement urging the Indonesian government to show mercy for Sukumaran and Chan, who were found guilty of attempting to smuggle more than eight kilograms of heroin out of Bali in 2005.

A lawyer for the pair, Todung Mulya Lubis, said his clients would challenge the presidential decree rejecting the clemency. However, Justice Minister Yasonna Laoly said the challenge would not be recognized under Indonesian law.

Indonesia has faced strong criticism from the international community and human rights groups for resuming the executions of convicted drug traffickers, while President Joko has been criticized for using fallacious data to claim that up to 50 Indonesians die every day from drug abuse.

Related Articles:

Statement by the Chan and Sukumaran Families

Jokowi Promises to Aid Death Row Indonesians Abroad While Ordering Executions at Home

Why didn't Indonesia's Jokowi stop the execution of drug traffickers?

Indonesia has ignored last-minute appeals by foreign leaders and executed six people convicted of drug trafficking. Analyst Yohanes Sulaiman tells DW President Jokowi is trying to convey the image of a "decisive leader."

Deutsche Welle, 20 Jan 2015

Brazil and the Netherlands recalled their ambassadors from Indonesia on January 18 after Jakarta ignored their pleas and executed two of their citizens by firing squad along with four other drug offenders from Vietnam, Malawi, Nigeria and Indonesia. The six were the first people executed under new Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who has disappointed rights activists by voicing support for capital punishment.

President Jokowi defended the executions, saying those convicted of drug trafficking will not receive a presidential pardon since Indonesia is facing an "emergency" over drug use. Jakarta had an unofficial four-year moratorium on executions until 2013, when five people were put before the firing squad. There were no executions last year.

In a DW interview, Indonesia analyst Yohanes Sulaiman says President Jokowi appears to have been under no apparent pressure to restart executions and that he is simply trying to convey the image of being a decisive leader in a country where there seems to be public support for the death penalty.

DW: Why does Indonesia have such a strong policy against drug traffickers?

'Overt international pressure to stop the 

executions will backfire spectacularly,' 

says Sulaiman

Yohannes Sulaiman: Drug abuse is a big problem in Indonesia. Each year the number of addicts is increasing. Since it is believed that the majority of drugs in Indonesia are imported, the government believes that by imposing harsh punishment on traffickers, they could reduce or halt the importation of drugs.

Why has President Joko Widodo decided to stick to the country's policy of executing drug offenders?

There is actually no overt pressure from either the party, the media, or the public. However, while there are a lot of discussions on death penalty, generally the public and media in Indonesia are clamoring for the death penalty to be expanded to people engaged in corruption.

A quick glimpse of the media in the past couple of years reveals that there have been few discussions on the death penalty being imposed on drug traffickers - except during a couple of occasions when there were new developments such as the release of Schapelle Corby, an Australian who was convicted and imprisoned for drug smuggling. So the sudden restart of executions comes out of the blue.

My guess is that President Jokowi wants to show "results" and his "decisiveness" especially in the first 100 days of his administration. Keep in mind that the issue of "being decisive" has hobbled Jokowi since the election campaigning, where the opposition kept claiming that he was and would be a very weak leader.

It seems to me that burning ships engaged in illegal fishing and re-imposing the death penalty are things that he could do to stress and buttress the idea that he is a strong, decisive leader, while giving him a huge boost in popularity. In fact, if he stops executions now, he could actually lose a huge amount of prestige and popularity. The death penalty genie is already out of the bottle.

How do you think the latest executions will affect Indonesia's relations with nations such as Brazil or the Netherlands?

I don't see any long-term damage in ties between Indonesia and the Netherlands. Indonesia is one of the most important countries in Southeast Asia and, one could argue, even in the world, thanks to its demographic and geostrategic position. The Dutch have a strong economic relationship with Indonesia - the Netherlands is one of the five main investors in Indonesia. The situation is similar with Brazil, with bilateral trade booming.

Sulaiman: 'The death penalty is
 popular in Indonesia'

Furthermore, both Netherlands and Brazil have close political ties with the country. It is therefore very doubtful that both countries would risk this strong relationship. So while there will be a short-term dip in relations, I don't think this will have a strong impact in the long run.

What about the reactions from human rights groups?

The human rights groups are obviously disappointed, considering many believed that Jokowi would have much better track record in terms of human rights than his electoral rival Prabowo Subianto, who was suspected of being involved in human rights abuses back during the era of Indonesian strongman Suharto.

However, the main question is: Who voted for Jokowi? As already mentioned, the death penalty is popular in Indonesia even though you can argue that its effectiveness is overrated and it is not applied fairly.

What's important is to convey the image that you have a decisive president willing to impose the death penalty on those who are bent on poisoning the minds of the youths with drugs. That could be the image that wins the next election - or shows at least that the president is doing something in the first 100 days of his administration.

Will diplomatic appeals help prevent other executions?

It is a difficult question to answer because there are plenty of factors that might influence this. Obviously, overt international pressure, I think, will backfire spectacularly. The last thing Jokowi wants to have is the image of him kowtowing to foreign governments and pardoning drug smugglers on the death row.

Sulaiman: 'The government believes it
could halt the importation of drugs by
imposing harsh punishment on traffickers'

The opposition and the media would have a field day condemning the government and that also runs counter to the image that Jokowi wants to cultivate, which is the image of him as a "decisive leader" who wants Indonesia to be respected abroad.

I think diplomatic appeals, done quietly and with some incentives behind it, could prevent the executions. The death penalty genie is already out of the bottle, so there's no way that Jokowi could declare that he would stop the executions.

But, he could use the oldest trick in the book: just do nothing and people will forget about it. In order to do that, though, the Australians should put something on the table in exchange for another moratorium on the death penalty. That might work, but it has to be done very quietly.

Yohanes Sulaiman is Lecturer in International Relations and Political Science at the Indonesian Defense University.

Related Articles:

Foreign Ministry: Netherlands, Brazil Ties Not Harmed, Oz Efforts ‘Respected’
Indonesia Says Diplomatic Relations Will Not Suffer Because of Executions

Amid Execution Outcry, AG Says Respect Indonesia’s Laws

Brazil and Netherlands recall Indonesia ambassadors over drug executions

Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners

Last ditch efforts to stop Indonesia executing Utrecht man

Amid Execution Outcry, AG Says Respect Indonesia’s Laws

Jakarta Globe, Jan 18, 2015

Indonesia's Attorney General H.M Prasetyo addresses a press conference
following the execution of six inmates. (Antara Photo/Muhammad Adimaja)

Jakarta. Following international condemnation for the execution of six prisoners for drug trafficking, Indonesia’s attorney general has called on the international community to respect Indonesia’s laws.

“We can understand the reaction coming from the world and countries that had their citizens shot,” Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo told a press conference on Sunday.

“However, every country has to respect the law applied in our country,”

Five foreigners and one Indonesian were killed by firing squad shortly after midnight on Sunday. They included citizens of Nigeria, Malawi, Vietnam, the Netherlands and Brazil. Five inmates were executed at Nusakambangan prison and one at Boyolali prison.

The executions have been condemned by human rights activists and several governments. Brazil and the Netherlands have both recalled their ambassadors from Jakarta.

Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, released a statement on Thursday condemning the planned executions, calling the move “deeply regrettable.”

Prasetyo, however, said Indonesia was opposed to drug trafficking and drug-related crimes would be punished.

“I think they can understand that the death sentence is something that is in effect in Indonesia. They will understand our concern,” he said.

Indonesia resumed the execution of death row inmates in 2013, under former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Despite its use of the death penalty at home, Indonesia regularly pursues clemency for its citizens abroad.

President Joko Widodo disappointed death-penalty campaigners in December when he said he would not offer clemency to convicted drug traffickers.

Joko argued the extreme measure was necessary to combat the production and distribution of drugs in Indonesia.

The government has also pledged to execute as many as 20 people each year, despite criticism.

Prasetyo said his office was moving forward with the second phase of executions.

“There shouldn’t be any unfinished legal process. Once it’s [the legal process] done completely, we’ll prepare the execution as soon as possible,” he told newsportal Jpnn.com.

Related Articles:

Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners


"Current" Events –  Apr 10, 2005 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"... The Ethics of Life

You, as a Human Being, are designed to appreciate and love life. But you put it in a box. You think you live once. You say, life is precious; make it count; keep it going at all costs; make it work. And the underlying thought is that because you only go around one time, all the purpose is wrapped up in one lifetime. Well, I'm going to give you something to think about, something that happened just recently that tens of millions of people all over earth who have the western news media know of.

It was all about one woman's life, and you know who I'm talking about. I'm talking about Terri [Terri Schiavo]. And I'm going to talk about Terri because, you know, she's here [speaking of the real Terri]! And I'm going to give you a perspective about Terri that perhaps you hadn't thought about before, and as I do it, she's going to watch.

It's very metaphysical, you know? This perspective is one from my side of the veil. Terri leaned into the wind of birth many years ago, just as you did. I was there, too. There were potentials laying in front of her - a track that she could take if she wished. There was no predestination, only predispositions of energy that laid before her: the parents she would have (which she had selected), the man she might meet or marry, the accident waiting to happen. All of these things were in her "potential track," and she could have chosen not to go there.

But like so many of you, she looked at it and examined it. These were the times we spoke to her and said, "Dear one, you're going into another Human lifetime that has a potential that's awesome - grander than most Humans on the planet will ever experience. You'll get to present something to tens of millions of people. You'll make them think about life. You'll change the legal system of your country. You'll awaken peoples' awareness to situations that need to be addressed with respect to morality, integrity, and even intuition. Will you do it?"

And I remember what she said. The grand angel who stood before me, who you now call Terri, smiled broadly and said, "I'm ready for that." And some of you cry in your sorrow and say "Why is this Human dead? How could such a thing be tolerated? Why would such a thing happen? Life is so precious." And I ask you this, as Terri looks on in her joy, would you take this away from her? Would you take that away from humanity, what she showed and did that resulted directly in her passing?

Start thinking of these things, perhaps differently. We've told you before that there are even those Human Beings who come in with a predisposition of suicide! What a horrible thought, you might say. "Kryon, could that even be appropriate?" And we say this: More than appropriate, it's by design! "But why should that be?" You might say. "What a horrible dishonorable death." And if that's your reaction, you're placing the whole grand picture in your own little Human box.

When you start examining it spiritually, without Human bias, you start to see that around a suicide there's this energy that develops. It's all about the family. Is there shame? Is there drama? Does it kick the family in the pants so that perhaps they might study things they never did - or perhaps they might they even look within themselves for spirituality? Blessed is the one that comes in with these tasks [like suicide]. There are so many of them who do. For these are the grease of personal change within families, and provide a gift that is grand!

You see, Spirit looks at these things differently. The curtain goes up, it goes down. You come and you go and there are profound lessons, some of which are taught harshly, by those who teach them through their own deaths.

"Well, what is it Kryon? Don't dodge the question with a diversion to suicide, for this isn't what Terri did. Is it proper or is it improper to have somebody in this vegetative state put to death by others around her?" Our answer: Exactly which Human are you talking about? You want a blanket answer, don't you? For six and half billion souls and paths, you want one answer for all. Well, you won't get one. For Terri, the answer is a solid yes. It was as it should have been. She came in with this grand opportunity to change the world, and she did it while everyone watched.

There is appropriateness in all things and sometimes you create for yourselves what seems to be inappropriate. Yet later you understand what the gift was within the challenge. Celebrate Terri, and don't think of this as a shameful thing that Humans did to her. Think of it instead as a book that was written for you to look at, one which pushes you to a place to ask, "What should we do about this now, personally? What should our legislatures do about this, if anything? How can we approach these things more humanely and with more honor? Is our culture addressing this issue? Are we addressing this issue personally?" Let's put these questions where they belong. It's not about "right to life"; it's about the appropriateness of "this life." Each case is individual, and some are profoundly given for the planet and for those around the individual.

Oh, as all of you came into this planet and leaned into the wind of birth separately, each was unique. Each of you has a different story, a different goal, but all have the same purpose: the elevation of the vibration of the planet. Sometimes it happens to many of you at the same time. We'll get to that before we finish. ..."

"THE THREE WINDS" – Feb 23-24, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Humanity, Home - other side of the veil, Wind of Birth - Birth, Wind of Existence - Life, Wind of Transition - Death) - (Text version)

Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners

Indonesia has executed six people convicted on drug charges, despite international pleas for them to be spared. They are the first executions to take place under new President Joko Widodo.

  

Deutsche Welle, 17 Jan 2015

Five foreigners and an Indonesian woman sentenced to death on drug charges will
 be executed by firing squad despite international pleas, Indonesian officials
said Saturday. (AP Photo/Wagino)

Indonesia on Sunday put to death five foreigners and an Indonesian woman who had all been sentenced to death on drug charges, despite calls for a stay of execution from around the world.

The foreigners came from Brazil, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Malawi and Nigeria. The executions were carried out by firing squad.

Indonesian authorities refused to heed all international requests for clemency. These included a last-minute appeal to President Joko Widodo by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to spare the life of her compatriot Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira.

"The enforcement of the death penalty, which is increasingly rejected by the international community, has grave consequences for the relations between our two countries," Rousseff said on Saturday local time after Moreira, 53, was executed despite her plea.

Ex-pilot Moreira was among those
executed

The Dutch government also made a last-minute plea for the life of its citizen, Ang Kiem Soei, 62, that was disregarded as well.

The others who died were Indonesian woman Rani Andriani, Nigerian Daniel Enemuo, Namaona Denis from Malawi, and a woman from Vietnam, Tran Thi Bich Hanh.

'Cruel and inhumane'

The European Union had earlier also urged Indonesia to halt the executions. Foreign policy chief Federica Mogerini called the plan "deeply regrettable," and described the death penalty as "a cruel and inhumane punishment that fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity."

Amnesty International's research director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Rupert Abbott, said the executions were "a seriously regressive move," and called on Jakarta to halt plans for future ones. Indonesian authorities say 20 are planned for this year.

Indonesia, which has strict drug laws, ceased executing people in 2008, but began again in 2013, though 2014 saw no one put to death.

Widodo has pledged to bring
reform to Indonesia

Widodo, who took office in October, has disappointed activists by his strong support for capital punishment despite promises to improve the human rights situation in his country. Last month, he rejected appeals for clemency from all those executed on Sunday.

His tough stance has raised concern about other foreigners facing a death sentence, including two Australians who were part of a group, dubbed the "Bali Nine," that tried to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia in 2005.

One of them, Myuran Sukumaran, also had his clemency appeal rejected last month, but his accomplice Andrew Chan is still waiting for the outcome of his.

tj/bw AFP, AP, dpa)

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Attorney General Announces Six Executions to Take Place Sunday

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Jokowi Signals Break With ‘Thousand Friends’ Foreign Policy

Editorial: Respect Human Rights, Commute Death Sentences
Jakarta Archbishop Criticizes Indonesia’s Use of Death Penalty
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Last ditch efforts to stop Indonesia executing Utrecht man

DutchNews.nl, January 16, 2015

Foreign affairs minister Bert Koenders has told reporters he and prime minister Mark Rutte are doing all they can to stop Indonesia executing a Dutch national this weekend. 

Koenders said he is using international channels to try to stop Ang Kiem Soei from facing a firing squad on Sunday. ‘There are all sorts of ways to do this, pressure, conviction, alliances with other countries and using our people at the highest level,’ he said.

Kiem Soei was sentenced to death in 2003 for his involvement in an ecstasy production lab in Indonesia.

Four other foreigners from Brazil, Malawi, Vietnam and Nigeria are also due to be executed along with an Indonesian man, international news agencies said.

Another Dutch national is also on death row in Indonesia for ecstasy production. A third Dutch man, also senteced to death for his involvement in ecstasy, died in jail several years ago. 

Some 130 people are awaiting the death penalty in Indonesia, 64 of them for drugs offences, news agency ANP said.

Five foreigners and an Indonesian woman sentenced to death on drug charges will

 be executed by firing squad despite international pleas, Indonesian officials said
Saturday. (AP Photo/Wagino)

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Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners - New

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Attorney General Announces Six Executions to Take Place Sunday

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Jokowi Signals Break With ‘Thousand Friends’ Foreign Policy

Editorial: Respect Human Rights, Commute Death Sentences
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