Indonesia mulls delay in arms deal with Brazil over execution
Indonesia says it is rethinking the purchase of military hardware from Brazil amid a standoff between Jakarta and Brasilia over the planned execution of a Brazilian national in the Asian country.
"Indonesia will re-evaluate all aspects of our bilateral relationship with Brazil," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
According to local media, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government was "thinking about" postponing the purchase of defense equipment for the country’s air force from Brazil, including a squadron of 16 Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano aircraft and a multi-launcher rocket system.
Brazilian national Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira, 53, was executed in Indonesia last month by firing squad, for drug trafficking despite an appeal from the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, for mercy.
His compatriot, Rodrigo Gularte, who was sentenced to death in 2005 for smuggling cocaine into Indonesia is among the 11 prisoners awaiting a date to be executed.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's president warned on Tuesday that nothing can derail the planned execution of the 11 convicts, calling on foreign countries not to intervene in Indonesia’s internal affairs.
"The first thing I need to say firmly is that there shouldn't be any intervention towards the death penalty because it is our sovereign right to exercise our law," President Joko Widodo said.
Last month, Indonesia executed six convicted traffickers, including foreigners from Malawi, Brazil, Nigeria, the Netherlands and Vietnam.
Brazil and the Netherlands later recalled their ambassadors in Indonesia after Jakarta brushed aside their appeals for clemency and executed their citizens over drugs offenses.
The Brazilian leader went even further by refusing to receive the Indonesian envoy ,Toto Riyanto’s credentials to express her anger at the planned execution of the 42-yearold Gularte. The move led to the Southeast Asian country's recalling of Riyanto.
The development comes as Indonesia has recently postponed the execution of two convicted Australian drug smugglers on death row amid a similar tense standoff between Jakarta and Canberra over the fate of the two prisoners.
More than 138 people are on death row in Indonesia mostly for drug crimes. Drug offenders face harsh punishments including the death penalty in the country. About a third of the convicted are foreigners.
HJM/GHN/HMV
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