Many claim these guys traffic death and deserve the very same outcome - I disagree. I do not believe in the death penalty yet I feel strong penalties are needed for people who deal in drugs. Bringing heroin into Australia destroys many lives, it is well known that heroin is a highly addictive drug - many people are upset the overly soft Australian penalties.
Yet, like Sukumaran and Chan; people have the choice to consume heroin, people make an informed choice to consume heroin. Unlike the stories I heard as a teenager, people don't walk down the isles at the movies randomly injecting people to get them hooked.
You don't catch drug addiction from sitting on a public toilet seat and you are not affected from passive heroin use like innocent people are affected by passive smoking. You could argue they don't create demand, they actually supply a product to a market willing to pay a premium price for a rare commodity.
The situation we have now where the Australian government is seeking clemency for Australian citizens and the Indonesian government is also seeking clemency for its citizens facing the death penalty overseas is becoming farcical.
The Indonesian government will not entertain the position of negotiation despite Indonesian nationals incarcerated in Australian prisons smuggling seven times the amount of Sukumaran and Chan. The Indonesian government knows full well they won't be executed - this weakens their position internationally.
Let's be under no illusions here, Indonesia has freed convicted Indonesian terrorists in the past - drug smugglers from overseas carry much higher political capital and executions are therefore necessary.
The overt use of military force complete with four fighter jets to transport the convicted drug smugglers to the execution island was overkill, you are left in no doubt this is a political decision to prop up an already faltering presidency; trading lives for political mileage - disgraceful.
The situation we have now where the Australian government is seeking clemency for Australian citizens and the Indonesian government is also seeking clemency for its citizens facing the death penalty overseas is becoming farcical.
The Indonesian government will not entertain the position of negotiation despite Indonesian nationals incarcerated in Australian prisons smuggling seven times the amount of Sukumaran and Chan. The Indonesian government knows full well they won't be executed - this weakens their position internationally.
Let's be under no illusions here, Indonesia has freed convicted Indonesian terrorists in the past - drug smugglers from overseas carry much higher political capital and executions are therefore necessary.
The overt use of military force complete with four fighter jets to transport the convicted drug smugglers to the execution island was overkill, you are left in no doubt this is a political decision to prop up an already faltering presidency; trading lives for political mileage - disgraceful.
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