A West Sumatra court ordered the first executions in...

A West Sumatra court ordered the first executions in the Indonesian province's history, sentencing to death two young men convicted of murder.
The sentence handed out to Irwan Sadawa Hia and Taroni Hia, both from the North Sumatra province,was received enthusiastically by around 200 people attending the court session in Lubuk Basung, around 120 kilometers from the provincial capital Padang.
The panel of three judges, led by Mansurdin Chaniago, said the two defendants were found guilty of premeditating the murders of Thamrin Sutan Makmur, Syamsinar and Doni Mahendra - all residents of Maninjau - on December 4, 2001.
The murders took place after Irwan lost his job at a local hotel and asked Taroni to help him rob the family of Thamrin, a fish supplier. Desi, Thamrin's daughter, said the defendants came to their house around midnight on the pretext of buying fish, when her mother Samsinar was preparing pre-dawn food in the kitchen during the December fast.Suddenly, the two robbers brutally stabbed Samsinar, Thamrin and Doni with knives.
Judge Mansurdin told the court room the defendants deserved the death penalty because they had committed "sadistic murders".Swasta Syam, a lawyer for the pair, said he and his clients were "shocked" by the death sentence.
"We are still thinking whether to file an appeal to the High Court or to the Supreme Court," he said.