International FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015

DENPASAR: Australian death-row prisoner Andrew Chan (center) is escorted by Indonesian police officers at district court in this file photo and (right) his alleged co-ring- leader . — AP Execution looms for two on death row Indonesian president rejects clemency plea

DENPASAR, : An Australian drug cy, typically the last chance of a death row con- resort island of . Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop said that smuggler on death row in Indonesia has lost his vict to avoid the firing squad, removed the final Both men were sentenced to death in 2006, would “continue to make representa- appeal for presidential clemency, an official said hurdle for authorities to put the pair to death. and sought presidential clemency after losing tions at the highest level” to save the two yesterday, meaning he could soon face the fir- The Indonesian government, which enforces appeals to Indonesia’s Supreme Court in 2011. Australian drug smugglers. While an appeal for ing squad alongside a compatriot also convicted some of the toughest punishments for drug traf- They are jailed in Bali’s . The presidential clemency is normally the last of trafficking. fickers in the world, previously said that Chan other seven members of the “” were avenue open to death row convicts, The news came after Jakarta at the weekend and Sukumaran had to be executed at the same given lengthy jail terms. Sukumaran’s lawyer said Thursday he was mak- executed six drug offenders, including five for- time as they had committed their crime togeth- ing the unusual move of seeking a fresh judicial eigners, prompting a furious Brazil and the er. Sukumaran’s appeal for presidential clemen- Fresh appeal review of the case. Netherlands-whose citizens were among those cy was rejected last month, and authorities had A spokesman for the district court in the Speaking in Denpasar, Todung Mulya Lubis put to death-to recall their ambassadors. been waiting for the outcome of Chan’s appeal. Balinese capital Denpasar said he had received a said he was trying to sort out “technicalities” Indonesia’s new president has been a vocal sup- Following news Chan’s appeal had been reject- “presidential decree on the rejection of clemen- and hoped to file the fresh appeal next week, porter of for drug offenders, ed, a spokesman at the Indonesian attorney cy for Andrew Chan”. The letter, which was adding he did not believe authorities had given and fears have been growing the two Australian general’s office said no date or location had signed on January 17 and seen by AFP, said: a good reason to reject the clemency appeal. leaders of the “Bali Nine” drug-smuggling gang, been fixed for their executions. Chan and “After careful consideration of the clemency Lubis is also the lawyer for Chan. However, he Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, could be Sukumaran, as well as other members of the appeal of the convict as listed in the presidential made the remarks about the fresh appeal before next. drug-smuggling group, were arrested in 2005 decree, it is assessed that there is not enough news emerged that Chan’s clemency request The news yesterday that President Joko for attempting to traffic eight kilograms (18 reason to grant clemency to the had been rejected, and could not immediately Widodo had rejected Chan’s appeal for clemen- pounds) of heroin out of the popular Indonesian convict.”Following last week’s executions, be contacted for further comment. — AFP Malaysian IS detainees Divers find bodies belted in isolated after preaching to prisoners seats near AirAsia fuselage KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities have removed detainees suspected of supporting the Islamic State group PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia: investigators are analyzing them. moments before the plane disappeared (IS) from the general jail population after some were Indonesian divers yesterday recovered Indonesian Transport Minister off the radar, the pilot had asked to found preaching the extremist IS ideology to fellow six bodies, some still belted into their Ignasius Jonan said this week that the climb to avoid a major storm but was not inmates, the home minister said yesterday. seats, near the main section of an AirAsia plane climbed abnormally fast before immediately granted permission due to “They have been found to influence other criminals in plane that crashed into the Java Sea last stalling and plunging into the sea. Just heavy air traffic. — AFP joining the ideology,” Zahid Hamidi told reporters, saying month, but failed again to reach the the IS suspects were being housed in dedicated cell fuselage. Flight QZ8501 went down on blocks. “These are hardcore people who want to go and December 28 in stormy weather with fight in Iraq and Syria. We want to neutralize them.” 162 people on board as it flew from the Authorities in Muslim-majority Malaysia have expressed Indonesian city of Surabaya to increasing alarm as scores of the country’s citizens have Singapore. A total of 59 bodies have so either gone abroad to join the IS jihad or been arrested for far been recovered. supporting the group or seeking to travel to Syria. Zahid “We have found six bodies, four of said 67 Malaysians are known to have gone to Syria and whom were females and two males, all Iraq and that five had been killed fighting for the cause. adults,” SB Supriyadi, a rescue agency Malaysia was holding 120 people with suspected IS official coordinating the search, said. He links or sympathies, including both men and women, said said they were found among debris, with Zahid, who is in charge of domestic security. some still strapped into their seats, not Zahid was speaking to reporters after a meeting with far from the jet’s main section. Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East They had been flown to Pangkalan Asian and Pacific Affairs, who is on a brief visit. Malaysia Bun town on Borneo island, the search has traditionally observed a moderate brand of Islam and headquarters. The main body of the kept a lid on extremists. Airbus A320-200 was spotted on the But the IS ability to lure Malaysian Muslims, along with seabed by a military vessel last week fol- thousands of others worldwide, to join its bloody jihad has lowing an arduous search in shallow rattled authorities and brought new attention on increas- Indonesian waters, but strong underwa- ingly conservative Muslim views in Malaysia as its long-rul- ter currents and rough seas have pre- ing government’s tight grip has eased somewhat over the vented divers from reaching it. years. Malaysia plans to soon introduce a new anti-terror- Search and rescue teams again failed ism law to counter a potential IS-related security threat as to reach the fuselage yesterday, fears grow that recruits may return home to spread mili- Supriyadi said. The jet’s black boxes-the PANGKALAN BUN: Indonesian military personnel unload the bodies believed tant Islam. — AFP cockpit voice recorder and flight data to be the victims of AirAsia Flight 8501 from a helicopter at Iskandar Airport in recorder-were recovered last week, and Pangkalan Bun yesterday. — AP