World
Australia offers jail fees for death row duo in Indonesia
Canberra: Australia refuses to give up hope that two of its nationals sentenced to death in Indonesia will be spared and has offered to pay the costs of the convicts’ life sentences in jail, if they are granted clemency, according to media reports on Thursday.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop made the offer in a letter sent to her Indonesian counterpart last week, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Australian pair of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are set to face the firing squad in Indonesia after being arrested, along with the rest of their “Bali Nine” gang in 2005, for trying to smuggle 8.2 kg of heroin worth 40 billion rupiah (about $3.1 million) into Indonesia.
While the Australian government’s attempts to get the lives of the two convicts spared have fallen on deaf ears so far, with the pair being transferred last week to Indonesia’s “execution island” of Nusakambangan, Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop was not giving up hope.
Her letter, addressed “My dear Retno”, also formally made the “one-off” offer to swap Indonesian prisoners convicted of attempting to smuggle 390 kg of heroin into Australia.
She made the point that the Indonesian prisoners sought to import 47 times the amount of drugs Chan and Sukumaran and their co-convicted sought to smuggle into Australia.
“The Australian government would be prepared to cover the costs of the ongoing life imprisonment of Chan and Sukumaran, should a transfer not be possible,” Bishop wrote.
“The vast majority of Australians very strongly support the government’s efforts to seek clemency for Chan and Sukumaran.”
The minister also warned: “We would not want to see their execution compromise the strong ties we have worked so hard to foster over many years.”
However, the offer was formally rebuffed in a letter Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi wrote in response, three days later.
“Let me reiterate that there is no legal basis within the Indonesian law that would allow for such an exchange to take place,” Marsudi wrote.
“The president is of the position that such an exchange cannot be undertaken.”
Marsudi did not address Australia’s offer to pay the life imprisonment costs of the two death row convicts, but reaffirmed her commitment to “strengthening and elevating” the good bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Australian Opposition leader Bill Shorten said he would speak directly to Bishop before declaring whether the Labour Party would support paying Indonesia for the condemned pair’s prison costs.
“But, I do support the government doing whatever it can to prevent this absolutely needless execution going ahead,” he said.
The timing of the Bali Nine pair’s executions remains unclear, although their transfer to the “execution Island” suggests that they will soon face the firing squad.
Australia’s Grand Mufti has become the latest leading voice to call for mercy for the Chan and Sukumaran, and has flown to Indonesia to plead with the country’s Religious Affairs Minister.
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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