A man walks next to an electronic screen displaying the latest news about convicted Australian drug traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug trafficking gang currently on death row in Indonesia, in Sydney on March 4, 2015. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
SYDNEY — The remaining members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring could be released from Indonesia and returned to Australia if “ongoing” talks succeed, a minister said Sunday.
Indonesian police arrested the nine Australians in 2005, convicting them of attempting to smuggle more than eight kilograms (18 pounds) of heroin off the holiday island of Bali.
In a case that drew global attention to Indonesia’s unforgiving drug laws, two of the gang would eventually be executed by firing squad, while others served hefty prison sentences.
READ: 5 foreigners in drug case could face death in Indonesia
Trade Minister Don Farrell said Australia was pushing to repatriate the five men who remained jailed in Indonesia.
“The discussions are ongoing,” he told Sky News Australia.
“They would continue to serve their sentence, except they’re serving them in Australia.
“We will see what happens in the days and weeks ahead.”
Australia’s foreign affairs department said it was “providing consular support to the men and their families” and it would continue to “advocate for the men’s interests”.
READ: Indonesia rejects prisoner swap to save death-row Australians
Accused ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in 2015 despite repeated pleas from the Australian government.
Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died of cancer in 2018, months before Renae Lawrence was released after her sentence was commuted.
Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush and Martin Stephens remain in jail.
The youngest member of the group, Norman was 18 years old at the time of his arrest.
Muslim-majority Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers.
It is not uncommon for foreigners to be arrested for drug offenses in Bali, which attracts millions of visitors to its palm-fringed beaches every year.