Executions: Angry Govt recalls ambassador
Australia will recall its ambassador from Jakarta in the first official reaction to the overnight execution of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan by an Indonesian firing squad.
The Bali Nine ringleaders were among eight foreign nationals shot dead on the island of Nusakambangan about 3.25am (AEST) Wednesday.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the executions were cruel and unnecessary.
“We deplore what’s been done and this cannot be simply business as usual,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Abbott said the very important relationship between Australia and Indonesia had suffered as a result of what had been done over the past few hours.
You might like
“Whatever people think of the death penalty, whatever people think of drug crime, the fact is that these two families have suffered an appalling tragedy,” he said.
“As a parent, as a family member myself, I feel for these families at what is a very, very difficult time.”
The prime minister said recalling Australia’s ambassador Paul Grigson was an unprecedented decision.
“So I don’t want to minimise the gravity of what we’ve done,” he said.
Stay informed, daily
Ministerial contacts between the two nations will continue to be suspended.
Abbott said he hoped the “dark moment” would not prevent restoration of the relationship between Australia and Indonesia.
While he understood people’s anger at the executions, the government did not want to make a difficult situation worse.
“So I would say to people yes, you are absolutely entitled to be angry but we’ve got to be very careful to ensure that we do not allow our anger to make a bad situation worse.”
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the Australian government had not received official confirmation of the executions.
“Our consular officials will arrange for the bodies to be repatriated to Australia and to ensure that they are treated with appropriate dignity,” she said.
Grigson is expected to return to Australia by the end of this week.
