Jakarta Globe, Bastiaan Scherpen, Feb 06, 2015
Jakarta. Ambassador Rob Swartbol, who was recalled to the Netherlands after the recent execution of Dutch national Ang Kiem Soei, has returned to Indonesia.
Dutch Ambassador Rob Swartbol, fifth from left, at a ceremony to present his credentials, along with three other ambassadors, to President Joko Widodo on Dec 18, 2014. (Antara Photo/Andika Wahyu) |
Jakarta. Ambassador Rob Swartbol, who was recalled to the Netherlands after the recent execution of Dutch national Ang Kiem Soei, has returned to Indonesia.
In a letter
to the Dutch parliament dated Feb. 5, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders explains
that Swartbol was sent back on Wednesday, and that his Indonesian counterpart,
Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi, has been informed.
The
ambassador was recalled after Ang, a drug convict, was executed by a firing
squad early on Jan. 18, along with four other foreigners — including a
Brazilian — and an Indonesian national.
Brazil also
recalled its ambassador.
In the
letter to parliament, Koenders says the Netherlands opposes the death penalty
in principle and that one of its government’s goals is to try and get Indonesia
to abolish the punishment. The minister adds that — especially now that new
executions have been announced — it is important to be represented in Indonesia
at the ambassadorial level.
“At the
same time, I would like to investigate the possibilities to cooperate with
Indonesia to fight drug-related problems,” Koenders says in the letter.
Indonesia
has announced that two Australian drug convicts, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew
Chan, will be executed soon.
Previously,
days before the string of executions that included the Dutch citizen, the
European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy
released a statement condemning the executions, as “deeply regrettable.”
“The EU is
opposed to capital punishment in all cases, without exception, and has
consistently called for its universal abolition,” Federica Mogherini said in
the statement. “The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which
fails to act as a deterrent and represents an unacceptable denial of human
dignity and integrity.”
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