Cilacap: Andrew Chan and his Indonesian fiancee Febyanti Herewila have been reunited on Nusakambangan as the families of the Bali nine duo stepped up their campaign to convince ordinary Indonesians that the men deserve mercy.

Andrew's brother Michael gave up his spot to Febyanti for the tightly controlled visit. It was the first time she has seen her fiance since Tuesday last week.

Febyanti, also known as Feby, is a fellow pastor who has known Chan since 2012, when she began helping prisoners at Bali's Kerobokan prison.

A friendship formed, which last year developed into a loving relationship. Last month, soon after hearing his bid for clemency from execution had been rejected by Indonesian president Joko Widodo, Chan proposed.

Febyanti made a dramatic, predawn dash through police lines to Kerobokan early on Wednesday last week to see Chan before his transfer to Nusakambangan.

As Febyanti and Michael Chan frantically negotiated with prison officials, she was in tears. The bid to see Chan was futile, and the Bali nine pair left the prison in an armoured personnel carrier 30 minutes later.

"Andrew was very happy to see some new faces today, especially Feby," Michael Chan told Fairfax Media after catching up with Febyanti and his family post-visit. "Just to be able to give his extended family hugs, and for them to pass on verbal messages of support to him has been very good and kept him upbeat."

Chinthu Sukumaran, meanwhile, gave an interview to the local TV network SCTV, the third the families have given to Indonesian broadcasters in the past fortnight.

Chinthu explained that, as a young man, Sukumaran had cared for his younger siblings when their father was "sick".

"'He was a good brother," he said. "He looked after my sister and I when my mother was working very hard to support us….he cooked for us, he took us to school."

He then outlined the projects Sukumaran had instigated and run in Kerobokan prison, explaining how they had provided skills to Indonesian prisoners to get jobs. Chinthu also thanked the Indonesian guards and prison officials for supporting his brother.

While Chinthu said he did not know if his brother was aware drug smuggling carried the death penalty in Indonesia when he committed the crime, he said Sukumaran had helped people get off drugs in prison.

"We just ask that he not be executed. There is reason to show mercy in this case."

Indonesians strongly support the death penalty, but the remarkable rehabilitation of the Bali nine duo is not widely known.

Even less well known is that the drugs they were trafficking were heading for Australia, a fact that even senior officials seem to be in denial about.

Bali governor Made Pastika, a former head of the anti-narcotics police, is a prime example.

Asked about the intended destination of the drugs last month, he said: "No we don't know that. The fact is that we arrested them here with the heroin, we don't know, are you sure they are going [there]?".

The Bali nine couriers were arrested at Denpasar airport after purchasing tickets for Australia.

The Australian Federal Police, who tipped off Indonesian authorities, made it clear the plot was to bring heroin to Australia.

Meanwhile, the head of corrections in Central Java, Ahmad Yuspahruddin, told Fairfax Media, Chan and Sukumaran were not permitted to mix with the general prison population but this will change if the executions are delayed for a lengthy period.

They are allowed out of their cells after breakfast until noon. After lunch, they can then leave their cells again until lockdown in mid-afternoon.

Sukumaran has not been able to paint yet, but that could change if there is confirmation of a lengthy postponement to the executions, Mr Yuspahruddin said.

He is understood to be sketching on a pad.

"We are unsure if the executions will be," he said. "We are just waiting for the Attorney General to advise us."