It's been nearly 20 years since a group of nine Australians were arrested in Bali, for attempting to smuggle $4 million worth of heroin.

And now seemingly out of nowhere, five members of this group, who became known as the infamous Bali Nine, have been thrust into the spotlight after a news report said they would be returned to Australia as soon as Christmas. 

So what's changed the fate of the remaining five so dramatically?

Today, senior writer Michael Bachelard, our former Indonesian correspondent, on the group that once ignited a firestorm of debate around capital punishment, drugs and the ethics of our own police force. And what political and cultural factors might determine their fate.