Five Bali Nine Inmates Transferred to Australia

SEAToday.com, Jakarta - Five of the nine convicted members of the Bali Nine were transferred to Australia on Sunday ( 12/15) morning. They were handed over to the Australian government at the VIP Room II of the Swarawati Building of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali.

The five transferred Bali Nine inmates, Matthew James Norman, Scott Anthony Rush, Si Yi Chen, Michael William Czugaj, and Martin Eric Stephens, were subsequently put on a ban list, in accordance with Indonesian law.

Deputy Coordinator for Immigration and Corrections of the Coordinating Ministry for Kumham Imipas, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, explained that the five inmates along with Australian representatives took off from Ngurah Rai Airport at 10:35 WITA and landed in Darwin, Australia at 13:12 WITA or around 14:42 local time.

Meanwhile, the practical arrangement for the transfer of the five Bali Nine members was signed by Yusril and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke virtually on Thursday (12/12).

The Bali Nine is the nickname for nine Australian prisoners who were arrested in Bali for a drug syndicate case in 2005. They were convicted of smuggling 8.2 kilograms of heroin.

The nine prisoners consist of Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran, Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Renae Lawrence, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, and Martin Stephens.

Andrew and Myuran were executed in 2015, while Renae was released in 2018. Tan Duc passed away the same year while serving a life sentence.