One call changed everything for Bali Nine

Sydney: Back in 2005, Scott Rush was just a teenager heading to Bali for what he thought was a fun trip. His dad, Lee, had a bad feeling about it. He even called the Australian Federal Police, hoping they could stop Scott from leaving. But things didn’t go as planned.

Scott and his friend Michael were lured into a shady deal by a guy named Thanh Nguyen. They were given a phone, which made Scott suspicious. He thought, “This can’t be good.” Sadly, his dad’s call didn’t stop him, and off he went to Bali.

Once they arrived, they checked into a hotel that was under police surveillance. It was like a scene from a movie. They met Nguyen and then got tangled up with Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the leaders of the drug syndicate.

Lee Rush felt completely let down when he found out his son had been arrested. He thought he was doing the right thing by alerting the police, but it seemed to backfire. Many believe that call led to the harsh fate of the Bali Nine.

Fast forward almost ten years, and the two ringleaders, Chan and Sukumaran, were executed. It was a heartbreaking moment that reopened wounds for many, including the Rush family.

Back in Australia, the pressure was on the AFP. They denied giving any guarantees to Lee Rush that they would stop Scott. But the reality was that their tip-off had serious consequences.

Lee Rush returned to Australia recently, now a changed man at 39. The phone call his father made almost two decades ago still echoes in their lives. The AFP has since made changes to their processes, but the question remains: could things have been different?

Some say if the guidelines had been in place back then, maybe Sukumaran and Chan would still be alive. But then again, the Bali Nine made choices that led them down a dangerous path. It’s a tough situation with no easy answers.