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nother batch of convict executions, including two members of the so-called Bali Nine on Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java, has stirred the curiosity of local residents.

Hundreds of people have visited Wijaya Pura Pier near the prison island in the last few weeks as execution stories make the headlines.

'€œWe hear about the executions in the news every day, so we'€™ve grown curious about how they will be conducted,'€ Rohimah, 34, of South Cilacap, said over the weekend.

She was unaware that the prison island was off limits, not only to the public but also to the media.

'€œI thought I could get a peak of the prison and the location where the firing squad will carry out the executions,'€ Rohimah said after being told about the restrictions.

The Supreme Court has said that the second batch of convicts will be executed in the near future on Nusakambangan, the biggest prison island in the country.

The island is home to some 1,500 high-profile inmates serving a minimum five years'€™ imprisonment.

The pier is the official entrance to the prison island, where all officials and visitors arrive after a seven-minute boat ride from Cilacap on the mainland. An increase in people visiting the pier has resulted in tightened security in the area.

Dozens of police personnel from the Cilacap Police were deployed to the site last week. Only those holding special permits were allowed onto the island via an official ship.

'€œWe came from Jakarta to see Wijaya Pura Pier. We want to see Nusakambangan up close,'€ said Sugi, 48, one of a group of 14 people.

Before news of the executions hit the media, visitors were allowed to enter Nusakambangan to access Permisan Beach. The white-sand beach used to be open to the public until 6 p.m. '€œNow we are not allowed [to go to the island],'€ Sugi said.

Cilacap Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ulung Sampurna Jaya said security had been tightened on Nusakambangan. '€œWe don'€™t know yet when the executions will be conducted, but we are ready,'€ he said.

The two Bali Nine drug smugglers on death row, Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, said they loved Indonesia and respected the country. Their words were conveyed by their families on Sunday, after they visited the two at Kerobokan prison.

'€œMyu and Andrew love Indonesia and they have a great respect for the Indonesian people and culture,'€ said Chintu Sukumaran, younger brother of Myuran in Denpasar.

Chan'€™s older brother, Michael, said the pair were very grateful for the support they had been given. '€œOur brother is very grateful for the support and kindness that'€™s been shown to him by so many people,'€ he said.

'€œThey [Myuran and Andrew] are also thankful to the Indonesian government, the prison officials and many volunteers, which have allowed them to create a holistic rehabilitation program that is now the envy of most prisons worldwide.'€

According to Michael, many prisoners who participated in the program have gone on to better lives and they hoped President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo would give them another chance to continue the program.

The two were sentenced to death for attempting to smuggle 8 kilograms of heroin from Bali to Australia in 2005. Jokowi has rejected their appeals for clemency.