No executions this week: Indon president

Indonesian President Joko Widodo says there will be no executions this week, but that there will be no reprieve for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has indicated Bali Nine drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will not be executed this week, but has again reiterated that the fate of the two men has already been decided.

Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33, were transferred to Nusakambangan on Wednesday, the island off central Java where, along with eight others, the two men are set to be shot by firing squad.

The transfer from Bali's Kerobokan prison came as Australian politicians and officials continued their 11th-hour pleas for Chan and Sukumaran to be spared.

But in an interview with al-Jazeera, Mr Widodo says he had examined the cases but that he must put Indonesia's national interest first.

"I as the president have to follow the constitution which still allows executions and their verdicts have already been decided by the court."

Mr Widodo told the reporter off camera that there will be "no executions this week".

Asked if he had considered the rehabilitation of the two men, the president said: "I think the decision was already taken by the court. We can't discriminate between people from different countries."

"One more time, I am looking at our national interest."

The comments came as it emerged Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had "a very tense phone call" with her Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, in which she pleaded for the lives of the Bali Nine duo.

Ms Bishop confirmed she had talked to the Indonesian foreign minister about a prisoner swap, but would not provide any details of the proposal.

"We are seeking opportunities to explore every option that might be available to us, every avenue that might be available to save the lives of these two men," she told reporters after a candlelight vigil in Canberra on Thursday morning.

Chan and Sukumaran were sentenced in 2006 for their parts in a plot to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin from Bali to Australia.


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Source: AAP


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No executions this week: Indon president | SBS News