ID :
148488
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 19:49
Auther :

Gillard, SBY discuss prisoner transfer



Australia and Indonesia have agreed to resurrect negotiations for a prisoner
transfer agreement that could see the likes of Schapelle Corby brought home.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard raised Corby's case with Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono during their first official talks in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Ms Gillard told Dr Yudhoyono her government supported Corby's current clemency plea,
which argues the Queenslander should be freed because she is suffering depression
and a mental illness that could endanger her life.
Asked if he would grant Corby clemency Dr Yudhoyono was tight-lipped, even though he
has previously said he would not consider clemency for drug smugglers.
But Dr Yudhoyono did propose resurrecting a stalled plan for a bilateral prisoner
transfer agreement that could see Corby and some members of the Bali Nine serve some
of their sentences on home soil.
"I am quite optimistic that we will be able to develop such a framework," he said.
Ms Gillard thanked Dr Yudhoyono for the proposal and told him she looked forward to
the start of discussions.
"These discussions may take some time and could require legislation to be passed by
the Indonesian Parliament, however the prime minister welcomed this significant
development," Ms Gillard's spokesperson said.
A prisoner transfer agreement was originally mooted more than half a decade ago, but
negotiations went nowhere.
Ms Gillard also raised the cases of three of the Bali Nine drug smugglers - Scott
Rush, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran - who are on death row with final legal
appeals in train.
"Should those legal proceedings finalise with Australian citizens facing the death
penalty then at that point the Australian government would indicate its support for
clemency," she said.
On Ms Gillard's proposal for an asylum seeker processing centre in East Timor, Dr
Yudhoyono said he still wanted more details.
"To ensure that the regional processing centre is a proper way in improving the
effectiveness in our regional co-operation in dealing with people smuggling," he
said.
"Indonesia is open to that, but we have to discuss in depth to ensure once again
that this is a solution to our regional problem."
The leaders also discussed economics and trade, agreeing to begin negotiations on a
comprehensive economic partnership agreement.
"One that not only comprehends further trade liberalisation but deals with the full
range of economic issues that bring our countries together," Ms Gillard said.
She announced Australia would spend $500 million to extend Australia's school
building program in Indonesia, which has already helped build 2000 schools across
the country.
"This will enable the construction of 2000 new schools, and it will enable 1500
current Islamic schools to be brought up to accreditation standards," she said.
Funding for the extension will come from Australia's existing overseas aid budget.
Ms Gillard also announced another $1.1 million for recovery efforts in the Mentawai
Islands, which were devastated by a deadly tsunami late last month.
Before the meeting, Ms Gillard indicated she would not be pressing Dr Yudhoyono on
human rights concerns, despite the recent emergence of a video showing Indonesian
troops torturing a Papuan separatist.
"President Yudhoyono has already made it clear that he will have an investigation of
those matters and prosecutions will flow from that investigation," she said.
Indonesia was the final leg of Ms Gillard's first prime ministerial visit to Asia.
She visited Vietnam for the East Asia Summit at the weekend and Malaysia for
bilateral talks on Monday.
Corby was arrested at Bali airport in 2004 with more than four kilograms of
marijuana in her boogie board bag and sentenced to 20 years' jail.

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