The five remaining members of the notorious “Bali Nine” still alive or living in Indonesia flew home to Australia on Sunday, 15 December 2024, when they boarded a Jetstar flight bound for Darwin after spending 19 years behind bars.
The five men now back in Australia are Scott Anthony Rush, Matthew James Norman, Si Yi Chen, Michael William Czugaj, and Martin Eric Stephens. The five, still classified as prisoners, were formally handed over to Australian authorities in a VIP conference room at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport following an exchange of documents attended by officials of the Indonesian Prison System, the Indonesian Police, Immigration officials, and the Warden of Kerobokan Prison. At the same ceremony, the men were delivered to the custody of officials from the Australian Department of Home Affairs and three staff from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
Accompanied by representatives of the Australian Embassy, the five departed Bali’s airport at 10:35 am on Sunday, landing in Darwin some four hours later.
I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, the Deputy for Immigration and Prisons from the Coordinated Ministry for Law and Human Rights, confirmed to the State News Agency Antara that the five Australians had safely landed on Australian territory. Surya made note, that the practical agreement signed between Indonesia and Australia governing the transfer, that the five men traveled back to Australia as prisoners to be placed, at least initially, behind bars. If the men are eventually granted pardons, amnesty or sentence remissions will be a matter for Australian officials to determine.
Under the terms of the transfer agreement, Australia must allow Indonesia to monitor the men’s status once they return to Australian territory. Australia is also required to reciprocate by allowing Indonesians now held in Australian prisons to be returned to their homeland.
The original Bali Nine were arrested on 17 April 2005 in the act of trying to smuggle 8.2 kilograms of heroin to Australia out of Bali’s airport. Two of the original nine, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were sentenced to death and executed by a firing squad in 2015. The only female member of the smuggling ring, Renae Lawrence, was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released on remission in 2018. A third member of the conspiracy, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, died from cancer in 2018 while serving a term of life imprisonment.
The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) reports that the five men are free and will not be compelled to remain in an Australian jail. The Australian authorities are providing the men with temporary accommodation. All have committed to “voluntary” rehabilitation in Australia.
Related Links
RI and OZ Negotiating Return of Bali Five
Home for Xmas? 5 Ozzies in Bali Pen Hopeful
Bali 5 Face Legal Hurdles to OZ Homecoming
Life Death Sentence Commuted to 20 Years
Stay Informed on Bali Tourism-Related News: Subscribe to Bali Update