Andrew Chan's heartbreaking letter to teenage self
Andrew Chan penned a heartbreaking letter to his teenage self as part of a documentary aimed at deterring young Australians from the dark and destructive world of drugs.
It was one of his final acts of remorse before he was executed alongside fellow Bali Nine member Myuran Sukumaran and six other drug convicts on Indonesia's Nusakambangan Island in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“Your family and friends are heartbroken, and your life will be ended by a firing squad,” Chan writes in the letter.
“Underneath, you’re not a bad person and drugs made you different.”
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The six-page handwritten letter warns young people that it is all too easy to get involved with the wrong crowd, citing his own downward spiral.
"I was once 15, 16 and it wasn't too long ago I was sitting in a class just like you guys,” Chan writes.
“To cut a long story short, I got mixed up with drugs at a pretty young age and by the time I was 15 I was merged into the scene.”
Chan read the letter aloud in Dear Me: The Dangers of Drugs - a short, not for profit documentary that is being used for educational purposes in schools in Australia and the UK.
The film's creator, Malinda Rutter, said Chan hoped it might save even one person from drugs.
“I've done things which I am not proud of in my life and I've made some pretty stupid decisions,' Chan reads.
“My life is a perfect example of an absolute waste. I've missed weddings, I've missed funerals and the simple presence of my own family."
Chan said one of the most difficult things was not being able to hug his loved ones.
“The hurt and pain - I don't just put it onto myself, but the pain I put on my family is agonising," he says.
Chan revealed that most of his school friends were either dead or in prison.
He implored young people not to take the same path that he did.
“What you choose today will make what you become tomorrow.”
“I hope these words will penetrate in your minds and in your hearts and I hope that most of you, if not all of you, will achieve more than I ever did.”
The bodies of Chan Sukumaran are being flown back to Australia and are expected to arrive in Sydney on Friday.
Morning news break – April 30
