Tragic that this piece needs to be written.

and the point of the article besides a little abbottphobia?

Maybe it is racism that Indonesians should not be permitted to execute Australians.

After all executions are legal in most US states and in the US federal civilian and military legal systems. No-one is saying Australians should boycott or not be tourists in the US.

Politically:

- Abbott gains nationalistic points whenever he criticises Indonesia

- Indonesian President Jokowi gains nationalistic points whenever he criticises Australia.

Interesting isn't it?

People who try to smuggle a few pounds of what's routinely available in the very prison that holds them are routinely put to death; and because some of their product may cost the life of several addicts, ending their days with a self administered overdose!

Diabolical double standards!

Whereas those who quite deliberately and knowingly presided over the death of hundreds of innocent tourists, received a few years incarceration; and if reports are to be believed, provided with all the comforts of home by those who think spilling innocent blood is okay?

And those who preside over the drowning death of tens of hundreds of alleged asylum seekers, by sending them to sea in ramshackle rotting death traps; escape with even less time served.

They say thou shalt not kill!

Yet have no compunction blowing away certain types of criminals, or people who refuse to have their territory annexed by a bigger land hungry neighbor!

And we know as fact that there were war crimes committed as virtual state sanctioned murder, yet there were no genuine inquires; and these folks still not only walk free, but it would seem, are able engage in the political contest?

Now I have absolutely no sympathy for drug smugglers, who knowing traffic commercial quantities of sometimes lethal illicit drugs, and would lock them up and throw away the key!

However, true justice is both blind and consistent, and can't be bought!

If those who may be inadvertently responsible for the loss of a single life, are to be shot at dawn, then why not those who send their customers to sea in death traps; or, quite deliberately and knowingly commit murder, who hide behind some notion of permissible murder, due to as yet unproven religious or seriously amended beliefs?

And either suffer from a slap on the wrist in comparison or still walk free.

Something stinks in Indonesia, and it smells like the very worst kind of incredibly rotten hypocrisy, seemingly coupled to a completely corrupted, for sale justice system?
Rhrosty.

Perhaps the writer cold give minute by minute account of the deaths of innocents killed in Iraq, how an arm blown off, the other mangled, half a head missing, guts spewing everywhere, remaining eye out of its socket and so on, all because the USA drops a few bombs, which is quite legitimate, where are the writers who should be condemning the death sentence in many states of America,, of course we won't do that , will we, but Indonesia lets all condemn them, uncivilised murderers of Australian drug traffickers, if we condemn one then condemn the murderers in the USA where the death sentence is legal, but of course we won't , will we.

Slightly off topic but somewhat still relevant...

what kind of sentence do others think is appropriate for poachers that kill elephants, rhinos, and gorillas?

Personally I'm happy if the poachers are killed on the spot.