Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott And His Wife Margie
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margie prepare to place floral tributes near the cafe in central Sydney December 16, 2014 where hostages were held for over 16-hours. Heavily armed Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe early on Tuesday morning and freed a number of hostages being held there at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a 16-hour siege in which three people including the attacker were killed. Reuters/David Gray

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has increased the pressure on Indonesia to spare Bali Nine convicts Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran’s lives. He reminded the Asian country of the $1 billion relief aid the Australia gave when Indonesia was struck by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, saying Indonesians should reciprocate the generosity now that Australia needs it.

On Wednesday, Mr Abbott has once again asked Indonesia to give Chan and Sukumaran clemency. This time, however, he has incorporated guilt and warning to his appeal. He said Australia would “feel grievously let down” if the other country executed two of its citizens, Chan and Sukumaran. He added that Australians would “make our displeasure known” should Indonesia ignore the plea.

“Let’s not forget that a few years ago when Indonesia was struck by the Indian Ocean tsunami, Australia sent a billion dollars’ worth of assistance,” the PM told reporters, adding that Australians also lost their lives in that campaign to help Indonesia.

“I would say to the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government: We in Australia are always there to help you and we hope that you might reciprocate in this way at this time.”

And although Mr Abbott said that he although he values Australia’s good relationship with Indonesia, he “can’t just ignore this kind of thing.” Every plea Australia has made for Chan and Sukumaran to Indonesia has been ignored. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has remained firm on his stance not to forgive drug offenders. He previously said in an interview that there would be “no compromise” on the prisoners facing the death sentence.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop recently pointed out the alleged hypocrisy of the Indonesian government, saying that Indonesia campaigns for the clemency of their own citizens on death row in other countries. Her statement followed her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi’s claim that the executions are “purely a law enforcement issue.” Bishop argued that Marsudi routinely makes representations in other countries to ask them to spare the lives of their nationals, and this makes it a foreign policy matter.

Indonesia, meanwhile, has delayed the transfer of Chan, Sukumaran and six other convicts to Nusakambangan Island, where their execution will take place. Attorney General’s Office spokesman Tony Spontana said that the postponement was due to technical problems. The island was apparently not ready to handle the executions. The transfer was also delayed in response to the Australian government’s requests to allow Chan and Sukumaran to spend more time with their families.

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