The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) respects the Indonesian judiciary’s death sentences on three Taiwanese drug traffickers, but would see if there are any steps that can be taken to ensure that their rights and interests are protected, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) said.
Chen made the remarks on Monday after it was reported last week that the Indonesian Supreme Court sentenced Luo Chih-chen, Chen Jia-wei and Wang An-kang to death for attempting to smuggle more than 2kg of amphetamine through Jakarta International Airport in 2014, the first overseas capital sentence for Taiwanese in the past few years.
The court’s spokesman, Suhadi, said that the sentences are a legal issue that are not related in any way to bilateral relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs late on Monday said that Taiwan’s representative office in Jakarta has asked Indonesian authorities to send an official notice on the matter, while the office’s staff members were trying to ascertain whether there are any remedial measures.
The foreign ministry said that relatives of the three Taiwanese visited them in Indonesia in November last year to make sure they were being treated humanely.
It reiterated the Ministry of Justice’s stance that the government respects Indonesia’s judicial system and that the government will make efforts to protect the judicial rights of all Taiwanese abroad.
In November last year, the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Indonesia demanded the death sentence for 50 alleged drug traffickers, including the three Taiwanese, a request that was granted by a local court.
Representative to Indonesia Chang Liang-jen (張良任) said his staff had informed the relatives of the fate of the three convicts, promising to render any assistance to them.
Indonesia has been cracking down on criminal rings involved in drug trafficking and cross-border telecoms fraud, Chang said, advising Taiwanese not to “try their luck” with Indonesian law.
More than 30 Taiwanese charged with drug trafficking remain in prison in Indonesia, including three who were given life sentences in 2013.
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