- Indonesia’s Leading English News Website, Direct Daily from the Island of Bali.
Indonesians in UK Donate 20 Kilograms of Coins to Australia
Indonesians in UK Donate 20 Kilograms of Coins to Australia
LONDON ~
A group of Indonesians residing in London donated 20 kilograms of coins packed in a luggage to the Australian High Commissioner, here Tuesday, as part of the “Coins for Australia” campaign.
The campaign was organized in response to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s recent statement linking his country’s funds for assisting the tsunami victims in Aceh in 2004 with the case of the two convicted drug smugglers due to be executed.
Caya Fairrie and Irma Lengkong Mikkonen, the initiators of the “Coins for Australia” program, informed Antara news agency that they were encouraged by media reports about the massive coin collection campaigns in Indonesia and decided to conduct the same activity here.
The coins, packed in the luggage, were donated in a campaign activity held for a week by Indonesians living in various cities in the United Kingdom such as Hertford, Cambridge, Nottingham, York, and Bedfordshire, Fairrie remarked.
“When we handed over the luggage, we were well received by David Lawrence and Fred Lewis from the Australian High Commission,” remarked Fairrie, who was accompanied by Irma Lengkong Mikkonen and Dande Dibiarma Darmawan.
Myuran Sukumaran (33) and Andrew Chan (31) are among the 11 prisoners on death row who will soon be executed on the island of Nusakambangan, Central Java Province.
The two Australian ringleaders of a drug trafficking group called “Bali Nine” had been flown out of Bali Island on Wednesday to the Nusakambangan Prison.
In response to Indonesia’s firm decision to go ahead with the Bali Nine members’ executions, Canberra has threatened Jakarta, as indicated in Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s statement.
Abbott was quoted as saying by ABC that his government “will find ways to make its displeasure known if the executions are carried out.” The Australian prime minister also emphasized that Indonesia should remember Australia’s generosity when a deadly tsunami hit Aceh in 2004.
“I would say to the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government: We in Australia are always there to help you, and we hope that you might reciprocate,” he was quoted by BBC as recently saying.
Abbott’s statement was then responded by Indonesians, including primary school students, in various parts of the archipelago by conducting the “Coins for Australia” and “Coins for Abbott” campaigns.
Certain elements in the Australian society also echoed calls for boycotting the Indonesian resort island of Bali’s tourism industry if Jakarta proceeded with its plan to execute the two ringleaders of the Bali Nine group.
The two were arrested along with seven other Australians while attempting to smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin from Bali to Sydney, Australia, in 2005. President Joko Widodo had recently rejected Sukumaran’s clemency petition.
Indonesia had recently executed six drug convicts as part of its efforts to combat drug trafficking in the country.
The six convicts were Namaona Denis of Malawi; Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira of Brazil; Daniel Enemuo, alias Diarrassouba Mamadou, of Nigeria; Ang Kiem Soei, alias Kim Ho, alias Ance Tahir, of the Netherlands; Rani Andriani, alias Melisa Aprilia, of Indonesia; and Tran Thi Bich Hanh of Vietnam.
9 Comments
Let us know when you get to about 20 tonne, that may equal something worth collecting.
Rp 10,000 IDR A$ 1.00 AUD
And where do we send our address for the return of quarter of a billion dollars individuals sent you, separately from the billions from our government?
This bloodthirsty campaign makes me understand why you need aid, primitive lot.
To the people sending coins to Australia please stop.
I am Australian and I am disgusted by our Prime Minister
he isn’t fit to be running our country.
I can understand your sorrow and pain to be spoken to in such a low and ignorant way. Australians are generous and giving people we are not Indian Givers.
you have lost thousands of people through disaster and we as a nation along with many other nations donated with love respect and a generous heart.
This embarrassment is shared by most Australians. We do NOT want any money returned. So please use your coins for your people in need.
Respectfully ?Helen????????????
Helen, don’t speak on behalf of all Australians. Not all of us share your sentiment. A country that has been ranked in the top 10 of most corrupt country in the world, has little credibility in a lot of Australians view. As if its drugs thats destroying their country. Endemic poverty, corruption on al levels, rainforest destroyed at the highest rate on earth, basic infrastructure lacking, genocides of West Papuans. They can stick their worthless coins and currency
I agree with Helen
Tony Abbott isn’t fit to be prime minister …he is a disgrace!!!
How much does $10,000 AU weigh? Because that’s the amount that won’t be spent by my wife and I after I cancelled the travel plans to Bali next month. NOTHING to do with any law, objection or opinion on the death sentence. Frankly, armed guards, mass police response, fighter jets, warships and hysterical Indoneseans throwing coins at effigies of our Prime Minister?? All this does is tell the masses here in Australia we are not welcome. Fair enough, your country. I will no longer come. And anyone that denies many Australians are feeling the same is a fool. Singapore looks nice.
Shooting young men in the head is state sanctioned murder.
It’s barbaric and Indonesia should be ashamed of themselves. They are looking like fools internationally and this coins campaign only highlights their foolishness.
Australia is a civilized society who helps Indonesia constantly. Tony Abbot is a strong leader doing all he can to protect his citizens.
Give back the money if you want. There’s plenty of other nations in the area who would be grateful for it.
Sukamarin will also be judged one day and his fate will be eternal.
Better still Indonesia
…a little compassion goes a long way.
Sebuah kasih sayang kecil pergi jauh
Please don’t kill the 11 people that are currently facing the firing squad.
Rather than sending coins…
…please find a way to put an end to capital punishment in Indonesia.
It is not only a brutal form of punishment to those who are killed and their families, but it also has an effect of behind the scene brutalising it’s own population.
Compassion between people is a far better thing than state sanctioned killing.
So true Helen…
Shame on aus, trying to pay for these 2 guys with our tax money for them to stay in jail forever, they did the wrong thing,of course they r reformed cos they are in jail they have no choice..
Bali has there law, if u want to go there, live by there rules..