When people started buzzing about military fighter jets spotted at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, it was unclear if the aircraft’s arrival was linked to the impending executions of the Bali Nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
Reports were mixed, with some asserting that the fighter jets could be transporting the pair, while others said it their presence in Bali was just for a routine test.
The Jakarta Post is reporting that the military has prepared the Suhoi fighter jet squadron to guard the transfer of the Bali Nine pair from Kerobokan Prison in Bali to their execution site, the prison island of Nusakambangan in Central Java.
“We have also prepared the Army’s Raiders and Cavalry forces to provide security for the two death-row convicts, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, in their journey from Kerobokan Penitentiary to Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali,” said Ninth Regional Military Command (Kodam IX) Udayana commander Maj. Gen. Torry Djohar Banguntoro, as quoted by Antara.
Though Banguntoro did not disclose when this actual transfer is to happen, he did say a little bit about the preparations: “A squadron of Sukhoi fighter jets is ready to guard a Hercules aircraft that will transport the death-row convicts [to Nusakambangan]. We have also prepared sea patrols and land-security measures,” he said after a meeting with members of House of Representatives Commission I overseeing security affairs in Kupang.
“On the exact date [of the transfer], it’s beyond our responsibility. What we can confirm is that security precautions for land, sea and air are all ready,” he said.
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