ANDREW Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are no saints. The two men now counting down to their execution by firing squad on an island off Java are not guilty of a youthful mistake or a momentary lapse of judgment. They were ringleaders in a failed plan to smuggle more than 8kg of high-grade heroin from Indonesia into Australia.

ANDREW Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are no saints. The two men now counting down to their execution by firing squad on an island off Java are not guilty of a youthful mistake or a momentary lapse of judgment. They were ringleaders in a failed plan to smuggle more than 8kg of high-grade heroin from Indonesia into Australia.

The act was carefully premeditated, the men were aware of the risks and possible consequences if they were caught, and there is no point glossing over the severity of their offences – crimes that would have met with harsh punishment had they been arrested anywhere in the world.

As the debate and lobbying efforts surrounding the looming executions intensify, it should also be remembered that Australia played a significant part in their arrest and subsequent fate. It was, after all, the Australian Federal Police – who have a close working relationship with their Indonesian counterparts when it comes to the narcotics trade – who alerted Indonesian authorities to the planned smuggling operation. In that respect, the legal and policing apparatuses of both nations have had a significant stake in the case since day one.

Amid all the emotion and some of the overblown rhetoric, we should also remember that Indonesia is a sovereign, democratic nation with its own laws, and one that makes no bones about its hard-line policy when it comes to drug trafficking. Indonesia may be a close friend and ally, but that does not mean the line between diplomacy and threat should be crossed.

Yes, Australia has been passionate in its pleas – both public and political – for Indonesian authorities to offer clemency to Sukumaran and Chan. That is only right when it comes to a nation looking out for its own. Indonesia is an equally strong and vocal advocate for its citizens when they face a similar fate in other countries, despite the penalties it applies within its own borders.

We also should not forget that these Australians are just two of the 10 prisoners expected to face the firing squad in the near future. Indonesia is executing two of its own at the same time – along with citizens of Nigeria, Spain, Brazil, France and Ghana.