Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 33, were taken to the airport in two armoured cars from the island's Kerobokan jail on Wednesday.
They are being transferred to Nusakambangan island, where several high-security prisons are located, the AFP news agency reported.
The men, members of the so-called "Bali Nine" were convicted of trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia in 2005 and sentenced to death the following year.
Local justice ministry official Nyoman Putra Surya said that the two men were woken up early and were given a few minutes to get ready.
The pair said "thank you" before leaving, and "we handcuffed them and they were quiet", he added.
Officials said they would be transferred on a chartered commercial flight, not on a military aircraft as had earlier been suggested.
Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo said on Tuesday that execution preparations were "95 percent" complete, and the last stage was gathering all the prisoners on Nusakambangan.
Australia 'revolted'
Speaking just before the transfer began, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has repeatedly called for Jakarta not to go ahead with the executions, said millions of Australians were sickened by the developments.
"We abhor drug crime but we abhor the death penalty as well, which we think is beneath a country such as Indonesia," he told ABC radio.
"We frankly are revolted by the prospect of these executions."
Officials are yet to announce a date for their executions, but the transfer indicates it is imminent. Authorities must give convicts 72 hours notice before they are put to death.
They recently lost their appeals for presidential clemency, typically a death row convict's last chance to avoid the firing squad, and their looming executions have strained ties with Australia, traditionally a key ally of Indonesia.
The men are among a group of 10 drug convicts expected to face the firing squad in the upcoming batch of executions.
Officials have not confirmed the identities of the others, although convicts from France, Brazil, the Philippines, Nigeria and Ghana recently lost their appeals for presidential clemency.
Several countries have been piling diplomatic pressure on Jakarta, but President Joko Widodo has been a vocal supporter of the death penalty for drug traffickers, saying Indonesia is facing an "emergency" due to rising narcotics use.
Indonesia executed six people, including five foreigners, in January, sparking a diplomatic storm as Brazil and the Netherlands - whose citizens were among those executed - recalled their ambassadors.
AFP
aljazeera.com
4/3/15
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Four foreign drug smugglers were transferred on Wednesday to an Indonesian island prison where they are due to be executed, local media reported...
ReplyDeleteTwo Australians, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were taken from a prison in Bali under the glare of the media to a nearby airport to be flown to Central Java.
Two other foreigners, Spaniard Raheem Agbaje Salami and Philippine national Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso also arrived at Nusa Kambangan island from separate jails on Java.
Ten drug offenders, including foreigners from France, Nigeria, Brazil and Ghana as well as an Indonesian, are set to be executed by firing squad in the coming days.
The case of Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33, has created a deep rift between Australia andIndonesia. Just before their transfer, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was "revolted" at the prospect of the executions.................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/473555--indonesia-moves-drug-smugglers-to-execution-island
4/3/15
Indonesia rejects Australian proposal of prisoner swap for death row pair...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - Indonesia rejected on Thursday an Australian proposal for a prisoner swap made in an 11th hour effort to save the lives of two Australian drug smugglers expected to face a firing squad within days.
The planned executions of Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, have ramped up diplomatic tension between Australia and Indonesia after repeated pleas for mercy on their behalf. They are among a group of up to 11 convicts, mostly foreigners, due to be executed on the prison island of Nusakambangan.
Indonesia's foreign ministry said there was no legal basis for Indonesia to act on the proposal that had been made by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
"Basically Indonesia does not have any regulation or legal framework regarding a prisoner swap," said Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir. "This idea was put forward to our minister two days ago and we told them then."
A spokeswoman for Australia's Bishop said: "We have not had confirmation of that from our end yet.".................http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/05/us-indonesia-executions-australia-idUSKBN0M02IR20150305?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
5/3/15