The last five members of Australia’s infamous drug smuggling
group, the Bali Nine, have set foot in Australia after being imprisoned in
Indonesia for more than 20 years.
According to Anthony Albanese, PM of Australia, Matthew
Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj are now in
Australia. Furthermore, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude towards the
Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto for his concern and helping the Aussies
return home.
In 2005, the group was reportedly captured while attempting
to smuggle approximately 18 pounds of heroin from Bali while actively strapping
it to their bodies. Andrew Chan and Myran Sukumaran, the group’s ringleaders,
who were executed in 2015 attracted global attention due to their severe sentencing
under Indonesian drug laws which classifies drug trafficking as a serious
offense and is punishable by death or life imprisonment.
After the execution took place, it resulted in the scrapping
of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia. After the execution of
the group’s ringleader Andrew Chan, Australia was the one to recall their
ambassador in the Indo Australian diplomatic crisis. Remaining members have
experienced long durations behind bars with one member, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, succumbing
to cancer in 2018 and Renae Lawrence being the only female detainee to be
released in 2018 after being locked for over 13 years.
On Sunday, the five men departed from Bali's Ngurah Rai
International Airport on an Australian Jetstar flight to Darwin. Indonesian law
minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that the men were transferred as prisoners
but are now under Australian jurisdiction. Reports suggest they will live
freely within Australian society while continuing their personal rehabilitation.
The Albanese government, which previously secured the
release of high-profile detainees like Julian Assange and journalist Cheng Lei,
acknowledged the gravity of the men's crimes but emphasized that their return
marks the end of their long sentences and the start of their reintegration into
Australian society.
This case remains a significant chapter in highlighting the
severity of Indonesia's anti-drug laws and the long-standing diplomatic
challenges it posed between the two nations.
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