An 85-year-old Merimbula man is becomingly increasingly frustrated at the stubbornness of the Indonesian Government and its refusal to show mercy to two convicted Australian drug smugglers up for execution this month.
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Ian Stroud, an ex-Navy officer who has lost all but five per cent of his eyesight, feels very strongly about the impending execution of so-called Bali Nine ringleaders Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan.
He hopes to get the support of many Australians who feel the same way and believes boycotting travel to Indonesia, especially Bali, may put pressure on the Indonesian Government to grant clemency to the Australians.
At 85, Mr Stroud is not savvy with social media so began his campaign by approaching the Bega District News to kick start a #BoycottBali Twitter hashtag.
You can show your support by sharing Mr Stroud’s story and using the #BoycottBali tag on social media.
People power might beat the firing squad
IAN Stroud is an action man, passionate about life and the community he lives in.
As ex-Navy, Mr Stroud has proudly served his country and his local community - being the driving force behind many successful community projects.
More recently, Mr Stroud has set his sights on preventing the two Australian “kids” from facing the Indonesian firing squad.
Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were jailed in 2005 after they were arrested with seven others while trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin valued around $AUD4million from Indonesia to Australia.
Repeated efforts by the Australian Government and lawyers for the pair to overturn their death sentences have been unsuccessful, with president Joko Widodo refusing to grant clemency.
Mr Stroud wants to get the word out to the Australian travelling public to boycott all travel to Indonesian holiday destinations, especially Bali, in a last-ditch attempt to sway the Indonesian Government’s decision to execute the men.
Without a great understanding of the Internet or social media (and no “spacebook”) and with great difficulty in writing or typing due to significantly impaired vision, he approached the Bega District News with his proposal.
Mr Stroud is a believer in “people power”.
“If we can do anything we can put pressure on the Indonesian Government by boycotting travel to any Indonesian holiday resorts, particularly Bali,” he said.
“These boys should do time in prison, but they definitely should not be shot.
“They don’t have much time left if the firing squad goes ahead, so I’d like the Australian Government and Australian public to make it known that the Australian travelling public will boycott any travel to Indonesia for the next three to five years.
“In this way pressure has got to be put on the Indonesian Government by those local people who rely on our tourism.
“I feel if that was pushed through it would be a way to save their lives,” Mr Stroud said.
“It may just be a drop in the ocean, but for the Indonesians who rely on us to travel to their country for their income, every drop counts.
“A loss of money for these people is a big thing, so if they got word of it, they could then put pressure on their government,” Mr Stroud said.
Mr Stroud said before going to sleep at night he would lay awake thinking about ways to save these men from the death penalty.
“On principal I want to do whatever I can to save these two and I think this is the only pressure that can have an effect.
“I think it is two-faced of the Indonesian Government to shoot these two men as the drugs were supplied by Indonesia.”
Mr Stroud hopes politicians at all levels will get behind this campaign, and the Australian community, who are just as outraged and devastated as he is about what is going to happen to these men.
If you are against the death penalty and think it should be abolished, Mr Stroud asked that everyone stand with him as it may make all the difference to not just the lives of these two men, but to many others who are affected by this process.
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