Prime Minister Tony Abbott promised his government's foreign policy would focus less on Geneva and more on Jakarta, meaning bilateral relations with key partners would be prioritized over vague and amorphous multilateralism. How ironic then that in a fit of absent-mindedness, Abbott has allowed the execution of two convicted Australian drug traffickers to damage relations with Indonesia. Australia is piqued because Indonesia has rejected attempts to impose Geneva-based human rights morality over Jakarta-sourced domestic law on tackling the scourge of drug trafficking that destroys and blights the lives of millions of impressionable innocents around the world.

The essential facts are not in dispute. The so-called Bali 9 — all Australians — were arrested in April 2005 by Indonesian police on being tipped off by Australian counterparts and convicted of trying to smuggle 8.3 kg of heroin into Australia. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders, were sentenced to death and executed 10 years later on April 29. The rest were given prison sentences. The Indonesian criminal justice system may not be as efficient or corruption-free as Australia's, but few doubt their guilt. Fully aware of the dangers if caught, they took the risk for the sake of the big profits and have paid the ultimate price because the gamble failed.

The earthquake in Nepal is a tragedy. The deaths of two self-serving drug traffickers peddling death-dealing poison is a regrettable outcome resulting from their own criminal folly. Their near canonization is way over the top and makes one wonder if they deserve a state funeral. (The last sentence had been written as a sarcastic comment. Since then the Australian Catholic University has announced the creation of two new scholarships named after the executed drug traffickers. So much for satire.)