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DENPASAR - Lawyers for the three Bali bombers are waiting at a Denpasar court to lodge a last-minute appeal aimed at halting their executions.
The appeal - on behalf of the families of Mukhlas, his brother Amrozi, and Imam Samudra - is expected to be formally lodged at the Denpasar District Court at 10am Bali time (1500 NZT).
Security forces are on high alert amid fears of revenge attacks once the bombers are executed by firing squad.
The executions can go ahead any time now, and Indonesian authorities have said the bombers have exhausted all legitimate avenues of appeal.
It is unclear on what grounds the new appeal will be based.
Two helicopters have arrived on the prison island of Nusakambangan, near Cilacap, off the southern coast of Central Java, waiting to take the bombers' bodies back to their home villages for burial.
Despite efforts to launch yet another appeal in the courts, Mukhlas' brother-in-law Nasir Abas has said the bomber is frustrated by the delays and wants the executions to go ahead as quickly as possible.
"He has asked for it to be done immediately," Abas told the Indonesian newspaper Radar Banyumas.
"The delays of the executions is not Mukhlas' wish, but it is the wish of his lawyer, who according to me, is running a secular legal process which is hated by Mukhlas himself."
Bombs detonated
This comes after three bombs were exploded today in the Moluccas islands in Indonesia, which is preparing for the expected executions of the Bali bombers.
Indonesian television stations Metro TV and TV1 reported one of the bombs went off outside the local governor's office.
If the appeal fails, Imam Samudra, Amrozi and his brother Mukhlas will go before the firing squad imminently over their lead roles in the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians.
Indonesian police have confirmed the two helicopters - which will transport the bodies and families back to the bombers' home villages in east and west Java - landed in Nusakambangan island, near Cilacap.
"At the moment the two helicopters are near the Permisan prison," Cilacap Sergeant Major Giarto told the online newspaper Tempo Intercatif.
A third helicopter was on standby for security and logistic operations, he added.
The bombers' families and lawyers are due to arrive in Cilacap on Monday morning, but may be too late for a final visit.
Mukhlas' brother-in-law Nasir Abas told the Indonesian newspaper Radar Banyumas he felt sad about the impending executions, but it was what Mukhlas wanted.
"I am opposed to the death executions but I respect the judge's decision," he said.
"For me this decision is in accordance with what he wishes, which is to die as a martyr.
"He has asked for it to be done immediately.
"The delays of the executions is not Mukhlas' wish, but it is the wish of his lawyer, who according to me, is running a secular legal process which is hated by Mukhlas himself."
Bali is on high alert for possible revenge attacks, with police enlisting help from villagers to monitor everyone entering the island from neighbouring Java.
The bombers have been in isolation at Batu Prison on Nusakambangan Island, off the southern coast of Central Java, since Friday.
Ali Fauzi, the younger brother of Amrozi and Mukhlas, left on Sunday for the high-security prison from the family's village in eastern Java, expecting to arrive around dawn for a routine visit.
He also said another brother would fly to Bali on Sunday to lodge a last-ditch appeal at the Denpasar court that sentenced the bombers to death.
It was not clear on what grounds they would seek to prevent their executions.
Indonesian authorities say they have exhausted all legal options.
As Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith again urged Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Indonesia, one hotel has reported cancellations from guests worried about a reprisal attack from the bombers' supporters.
However, several other hotels blamed the global financial crisis for a recent dip in bookings.
Asked about the three men's threats that their executions would be avenged, Mr Smith told the Nine Network: "We're taking all the precautions we can, but we do urge Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Bali and Indonesia at this time."
He said if people did go, they should avoid areas that have been targeted by terrorists in the past.
Bali police spokesperson Sri Harmiti said the national police headquarters in Jakarta had instructed the island's force to be on high alert.
Bali has increased patrols around vital facilities including fuel and electricity plants and is searching every vehicle and person who enters the island from Java.
"The security at all entrance gates to Bali, whether by air or by sea, has been increased," she said.
Yon Suharyono, warden of Bali's Kerobokan prison where the three bombers were held before being moved to Nusa Kambangan, said he had ordered guards to increase their level of supervision and frequency of patrols.
"We are on higher alert because in Kerobokan prison there are still convicted members of Amrozi's network from the first Bali bombing," he said.
Fears of reprisal attacks have prompted a number of cancellations from Australians in recent days, said David Kearns, general manager of The Villas Bali Hotel & Spa in Seminyak.
Michael Burchett, chairman of the Bali Hotels Association and general manager of Conrad Resort, said he has not noticed any major cancellations as a result of the imminent executions, with hoteliers more affected by the global financial meltdown.
Experts have said a terrorist attack to avenge the bombers' executions was unlikely, but warned lower-level unrest could break out when their bodies are returned to their villages.
A text message circulating between Australians in Jakarta from a well-known expat organisation warned people to take particular care from 3am, local time (9am NZT Monday).
It said law courts, economic sites, entertainment areas and US property could be likely targets of suicide bombers in Bali, Jakarta and Cilacap.
- AAP