Australian in Bali may face death

Myuran Sukumaran (L) is one of nine defendants

Indonesian prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for an Australian man who allegedly led a plot to smuggle drugs from the resort island of Bali.

Prosecutors accused Myuran Sukumaran of being "the head of an international drug smuggling syndicate".

Along with eight compatriots, Mr Sukumaran is accused of trying to carry 8.2kg (18lb) of heroin out of Bali.

The trials are being closely watched in Australia, where many people oppose the death sentence.

Under Indonesian law, prosecutors specify what penalty they think the defendant should receive if found guilty, but judges are free to ignore this recommendation.

'Bali nine'

Dubbed the "Bali nine" by the Australian media, the eight men and one woman were arrested in April 2005.

Some were detained at Bali's airport with heroin strapped to their bodies, while others were arrested in a nearby hotel room.

Scott Rush, 20, was the first of the group to hear the prosecution's plea at Denpasar district court.

Indonesian prosecutors asked on Monday that he should face life in prison, saying his age and good behaviour during the trial so far were mitigating factors.

They made the same recommendation on Tuesday for another defendant, 20-year-old Michael Cjuzag.

But Mr Sukumaran was given no mercy by the prosecutors, and he showed little emotion as they asked the judge for the death penalty.

Indonesia has increasingly become a transit route for drug traffickers, and courts across the country have toughened up on offenders in recent years, sentencing several foreigners to death for serious drugs offences.

Another Australian, beauty therapist Schapelle Corby, was found guilty of smuggling marijuana into Bali and sentenced to 20 years in jail last May.