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‘There will be consequences’

ABC

ABC

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has described Indonesia’s treatment of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and their families as “ghastly” and said there will be consequences as a result of their executions.

Ms Bishop was angered by scenes of Chan and Sukumaran’s families being jostled by a large media scrum en route to their final meeting with the condemned men.

“I’m obviously deeply disturbed at some of the aspects of how this has been handled,” Ms Bishop told the ABC’s 7.30 program on Tuesday night.

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“I think the ghastly process that the family have been put through today just underscores how chaotic this has been.

“I’m very concerned for the family. They do deserve respect and they do deserve to have dignity shown to them at this time of unspeakable grief.

“But that doesn’t seem to have been extended to them at this time.”

One step could be recalling Australia’s ambassador from Jakarta, a traditional sign of strong diplomatic disapproval and one used by Indonesia following revelations of Australian tapping their leaders’ phones.

Ms Bishop confirmed there will be diplomatic repercussions for Indonesia should the executions by firing squad proceed.

“I don’t intend to focus on consequences, but of course should these executions proceed in the manner that I anticipate, of course there have to be consequences, but I don’t want to go into the details,” she said.

AAP

Myuran Sukumaran’s grief-stricken parents Raji and Sam Sukumaran. Photo: AAP

Ms Bishop also said the Indonesian government had made no official notification over the timing of the men’s executions.

The Minister said Australia’s ambassador in Indonesia was continuing to make representations at the highest levels on Tuesday.

However, she was sanguine about the chances of a reprieve.

“Short of a last-minute intervention by president Widodo, I fear the very worst for our citizens,” Ms Bishop said.

In the lead-up to the executions, there were widespread calls for further government action.

International human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson says Australia should cut off aid to Indonesia and give the $600 million to earthquake-ravaged Nepal if the executions proceed.

Mr Robertson joined a vigil in Sydney on Tuesday night, with other vigils being held in Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.

Former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said capital punishment achieved nothing but the “further destruction of life”.

“As a long-standing friend of Indonesia with a deep affection for its people, I add my voice respectfully requesting this act of clemency,” he tweeted.

While a group of actors produced a video telling Tony Abbott he should have gone to Jakarta to bring the drug smugglers home, Ms Bishop said expert advice warned against a prime ministerial trip to Indonesia.

“Clearly, if travelling to Indonesia would make a difference, we would have gone there,” she told the Nine Network on Tuesday.

ABC

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