Bali, Indonesia - Lawyers for relatives of three Indonesian Muslim militants on death row for the 2002 Bali bombings launched a last-minute appeal Monday, in a new move to save the condemned men from imminent execution.

The three militants - Imam Samudra; Mukhlas, alias Ali Ghufron; and Amrozi - face a firing squad for their roles in the bombings of two nightspots on the popular tourist island that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Lawyer Imam Asmara Hadi said the appeal was filed in Bali's Denpasar district court because the three convicts have not been properly informed of the rejection of their previous appeal.

A spokesman for the Indonesia's Supreme Court, Djoko Sarwoko, said based on the existing laws, no more appeals can be accepted because such a legal move is limited to only one time.

Meanwhile, the prisoners' families and lawyers were denied entry to Nusakambangan Island where the prisoners are being held, off the southern coast of central Java, because they did not have permission from the attorney general's office.

Security has been boosted across the predominantly Muslim nation due to fear about revenge attacks from militants ahead the execution of the three convicts.

Police cleared the port area of the island and strung barbed wire across entry points, while dozens of armed officers and hundreds of unarmed guards were posted at the docks, local media reports said.

Ali Fauzi, the younger brother of Amrozi and Mukhlas, said that he wanted to pass on a message from his family, the state-tun Antara news agency reported.

While no date has been announced for the executions, latest developments, including the isolation of the three from other inmates, indicate that the executions are imminent.

Imam Samudra, Mukhlas and the so-called smiling assassin Amrozi were alleged members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a regional terrorist network responsible for several bombings across Indonesia in recent years. They have been on death row since 2003 when a Bali district court handed down their sentences.

None of the bombers have shown remorse over the attacks. (dpa)