Indonesia's death penalty

By Ross B Taylor

Indonesia's execution of six drug offenders - including five foreigners from Brazil, The Netherlands, Vietnam, Malawi and Nigeria - should serve as a grim reminder to traffickers and dealers of the risks they face when they break the law in foreign countries.

There is understandable anger in the home countries of the foreignors.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said she is "outraged" over the execution of Brazillian drug smuggler Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira.

She has recalled her ambassador and warned of dire consequences.

That's all very well, but it ignores the longstanding Indonesian law that automatically imposes the death penalty on drug smugglers.

With 40-50 young Indonesians being killed each day by drugs, President Joko Widodo has declared his country to be in a "state of emergency" and in need of "shock therapy".

With two of the Bali Nine, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, on death row, following Cahn's appeal for clemncey being denied this afternoon (Thursday), Australia has a direct interest in President Widodo's reinvigoration of the death penalty to defeat the evil caused by smugglers.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have rightly reiterated Australia's total opposition to the death penalty.

But when a sovereign nation with laws warranting the death penalty for drug offences deems it is in a state of emergency and sees executions as an answer to the scourge, it is perhaps unrealistic to expect governments to be able to achieve much.

The executions demonstrate the dire peril that waits those who contravene the law in foreign countries.

While the death penalty may be abhorrent to many, staying within the law when abroad is an important requirment for any country to expect of its citizens.

Ross B. Taylor AM is the President of the Indonesia Institute. His full article originally appeared 19 January in The West Australian.