Updated

A senior Indonesian official has warned Australia to tone down criticism of planned executions of two convicted Australian drug traffickers, saying that Canberra should be grateful to Indonesia for keeping asylum seekers away from Australian shores.

The minister for political, legal and security affairs, Tedjo Edy Purdjianto, said at a seminar Tuesday that if 10,000 illegal migrants who have been stopped in Indonesia from reaching Australia were allowed to proceed, Australia would be faced with "a human tsunami."

He criticized Australia's continuing pressure on Indonesia to spare the lives of the two men facing firing squads along with eight other convicts. Authorities are waiting for them to exhaust legal appeals before setting execution dates.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott responded Wednesday by saying he isn't picking fights with anyone.