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Indonesia brings up refugees in warning to Australia over planned executions

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Family members of Australian death row prisoners Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran and Australian Consul-General in Bali Majell Hind, right, head to Nusakambangan Island by a ship at Wijaya Pura port in Cilacap, Central Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. The relatives made their second visit to the Indonesian prison island where the convicted drug traffickers are to be executed soon by firing squads. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) (The Associated Press)

Helen Chan, left, the mother of Australian death row prisoner Andrew Chan, walks with Australian Consul-General in Bali Majell Hind toward a ship for heading to Nusakambangan Island, in Cilacap, Indonesia Wednesday, March 11, 2015. The relatives made their second visit to the Indonesian prison island where the convicted drug traffickers are to be executed soon by firing squads. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) (The Associated Press)

Sabine Atlaoui, left, the wife of Serge Atlaoui, a French national who is on death row after being convicted of drug offences, attends her husband's judicial review hearing at the district court in Tangerang, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Atlaoui is among nine foreign drug criminals who are to be executed soon despite clemency appeals from several of their governments. An Indonesian is also scheduled to be executed. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (The Associated Press)

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.