"The Indonesian government enforced the existing law according to international principles. The execution also affected an Indonesian citizen, and so we are not discriminatory," Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia hopes the recent execution of six drug convicts, including five foreigners, will not damage its cooperation and diplomatic relations with other countries.

"It is too quick to speculate about the impact (of the execution), but let us just wait and see. We, however, hope it will not affect our cooperative relations with other countries," foreign ministrys director general for America and Europe Dian Triansyah Djani said here on Monday.

She made the statement in response to the decision of the Dutch and Brazilian governments to recall their ambassadors following the execution of their citizens over drug crimes on Sunday.

The Indonesian foreign ministry received an official notification about the recalling from the Brazilian government early on Sunday and from the Dutch government late on Sunday evening.

Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the two ambassadors were recalled temporarily and only for consultations.

"The foreign ministry views the recalling as the right of the governments concerned," he added.

He remarked Indonesia will continue to consider the Netherlands and Brazil as friendly countries and will keep its diplomatic channels open.

He said Indonesia remained committed to strengthening its bilateral relations with all countries, including Brazil and the Netherlands.

Regarding the execution, he emphasized, "it must be seen within its context. In terms of law, an execution is only carried out against a heinous crime, in this case it is narcotic drug trafficking."

He pointed out that as a sovereign democratic country that respected the supremacy of the law, all the legal process was carried out before the executions.

He added the executions were also carried out in line with the international law principles.

"The foreign ministry is of the view that the issue must be seen in a wider context and not narrowly. The destruction that the crime has brought on Indonesians as well as the global community should be considered," he stated.

"In Indonesia, drug problems have already reached an emergency level. Around 40 to 50 people die every day from narcotic drugs in the country," he pointed out.

Based on the 2013 data, around 4.5 million people used narcotic drugs and their number is predicted to increase to 5.8 millions in 2015.

He observed the execution was not a diplomatic issue but a law enforcement one.

"The Indonesian government enforced the existing law according to international principles. The execution also affected an Indonesian citizen, and so we are not discriminatory," he added.

"This is not a diplomatic incident. This is a law enforcement action taken within the countrys national law corridor," he stressed.

Six drug convicts, including five foreigners from Brazil, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Malawi, were executed early on Sunday morning.

According to him, eradicating narcotic drugs was not an easy matter. So, the Indonesian government has issued Law Number 35 of 2009 on narcotics and also established the National Anti-Narcotic Agency.

However, he said, the law will be futile unless it is not accompanied by the will of law enforcers to implement it firmly.

He lamented that Indonesia has not only become a user country but also a producer country as proven by the detection of a number of factories indulging in large-scale production in the past few years.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015