Wow, so many people arrested in the past month....

Four arrested with 176 kg of marijuana in Jakarta
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City police arrested Friday evening four suspected members of a drug syndicate and confiscated 176 kilograms of cannabis in their possession.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said on Saturday detectives from the city police acted on a tip that a transaction was about to take place at the Minang Asih Restaurant on Jl. Raya Buncit, South Jakarta.

"We then stationed 11 undercover detectives around the location to be ready for the transaction. One of the detectives pretended to be a driver while others observed the situation," he said.

At around 8:00 p.m., a minivan arrived in the location, and two people got out from the car and entered the restaurant to meet two others, Tjiptono said.

Police checked the car and found four boxes inside.

"We checked the content inside and found 87 kg of marijuana. We subsequently arrested the four people in the restaurant," he said.

The four, identified as Marjuki, Himainan Adi, T. Rinaldi Abdullah, and Saifudin, then told police they were storing 89 kg of marijuana in a house on Jl. Raya Tonjong, Bojong Gede, Bogor, West Java.

"We search the house and found 89 kg of marijuana also packed in boxes," Tjiptono said.

The four are now detained at the city police headquarters.

The arrest was the latest in series of antidrug raids across the capital, which have resulted in a spate of arrests for drug dealing and trafficking.

In a month-long campaign from March 22 to April 22, city police apprehended at least 761 people, including four foreigners, and confiscated over 368 kilograms of marijuana, 275 grams of heroin, 857 grams of crystal methampetamine (shabu shabu), and over 1,700 ecstasy pills.

Among the people arrested, 347 people were alleged drug dealers while 404 others were classified as drug users. The four foreigners included three Chinese nationals.

A suspected Nepalese drug trafficker identified as Man Sing Gale, 40, was shot dead last Wednesday by the police after he resisted arrest in Bekasi, West Java. Police recovered 1.25 kilograms of heroin, 276 grams of cocaine, 500 ecstasy pills and a firearm in the raid.

On April 4, police shot dead big-time drug trafficker Filip Widjajanto, 46, in a raid on his factory in Jasinga, Bogor. In the raid, police confiscated machines that were able to produce thousands of pills a day.

Big drug cases revealed in April

No. Date Cases Suspects Evidence

1. 4 Ecstasy factory Filip Widjajanto Factory able to

produce thousands

of ecstasy pills

2. 22 Trafficking 761 traffickers 275 grams of heroin

and users 857 grams of shabu

shabu, 1,700 pills 3. 26 Trafficking Man Sing Gale, 1,25 kg of heroin,

a Nepalese 276 grams of

cocaine

500 ecstasy pills 4. 27 Trafficking Sugiyanto, Deni 664.875 lexotant

Akbar, and Rahman pills

5. 27 Trafficking Marcus Aijal alias 34,801 ecstasy

Max pills

6. 29 Traficking Four people 176 kg of marijuana

good news make jakarta free-drugs city!

Australian woman jailed for 20 years for drug smuggling in Indonesia

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AFP) - In a verdict likely to generate outrage in her homeland, a young Australian woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling marijuana into the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Judge Linton Sirait said 27-year-old Schapelle Corby was guilty of carrying 4.1 kilograms (nine pounds) of the drug onto the island last October despite her claims it had been placed in her surfboard bag by a smuggling ring.

The student beautician broke down in tears as Sirait said her crime had been "legally and convincingly" proven. She hugged her father and mother after the verdict, smiling weakly and repeatedly reassuring them: "It's okay, it's okay".

The case has generated fanatical interest in Australia, where polls show most people were convinced of her innocence. Her trial, which could have resulted in a death sentence, has been front page news for months.

Friday's sentence -- including a 100 million rupiah (10,500 dollars) fine -- could cause frictions between Jakarta and Canberra at a time when their often prickly relationship is improving.

Security has been tightened at Indonesian missions in Australia following earlier death threats.

Unrelenting media attention has prompted the involvement of Austrialia's government, which has urged Indonesia not to use the death penalty and mooted a one-off prisoner exchange deal that could see Corby repatriated.

Holidaymakers have warned they will boycott Bali, which desperately needs Australian cash to revive its tourism industry after an October 2002 bomb attack by Islamic extremists that killed 202 people, many of them Australian.

Analysts say Corby's case has touched a nerve for many Australians who for years have seen Bali as their tropical playground and fear that they could find themselves imprisoned in a squalid cell for crimes they did not commit.

Prime Minister John Howard, whose government has been accused of not doing enough to assist Corby, on Friday called on his fellow citizens to accept the verdict.

"I do ask the Australian people to accept and understand that when Australians go abroad they are subject to the justice system of the countries they visit," he said, adding that he "feels for this girl".

Speaking ahead of Friday's trial, Queensland businessman Ron Bakir, who has speaheaded campaigns for Corby's release, told AFP that Australia was convinced of her innocence.

"Ninety two percent of Australians support her. We want to take her home and that's our target."

Opinions in Indonesia have been equally forthright, with many wanting to see Corby convicted as a warning to an expanding drugs racket and a snub to what is perceived as Australian attempts to meddle in its affairs.

Throughout the trial, Corby supporters led by her friends and colourful family have gathered outside the court in Bali's capital Denpasar to protest her innocence -- sometimes clashing with Indonesian anti-drugs campaigners.

Several hundred Australian journalists crowded around the courtroom, with major networks including Sky News and Network Seven beaming live pictures of the verdict to a nation on tenterhooks.

Immediately after the sentencing, Corby's lawyers filed an appeal. Erwin Siregar, one of Corby's Indonesian counsel, criticised the verdict as "unfair".

"Testimony made by all witnesses presented by the defendant were pushed aside," he said.

Glenn Jeffers, a supporter of Corby, appealed to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to spare Corby from prison. "She is definitely a victim," he told reporters outside the court.

Corby's sister Mercedes Blake added: "She is innocent. This is not fair."

there are some discussions about the case in the OZ forums --> Skybar --> News, weather etc.

another thing i wanted to say...the court proceedings were broadcast LIVE in Australia this morning. Weird...
The Australian public (and media) seems to have taken an uneducated response to this issue.

I think they have. A poll found 92% of Australians support her. I understand their position because, if it is anything like the US, about half of people 18-26 smoke pot regularly. The message is simple, however. Don't smuggle drugs into Indonesia.

The media is so vile. It's like they are trying to provoke the response of a rapid dog.

I think you are just becoming defensive over an obviously flawed court system.

How can you sit there claiming we know nothing...

When your legal system was so obviously 1 sided.
Disallowing key evidence? (Fingerprinting the bag, The bag weight issues, the letter/s and testimonies about the 'drug mule' smuggling going on at our airports)
Not to mention the obvious ignorance of the judges during her testimony (Video doesnt lie) and the prosecution somehow claiming she admitted she smuggled the drugs in her testimony.


The reaction from Aust people comes because of too many obvious errors, and wrongs commited by YOUR legal system, plus its obvious failings in the past (lets not get into that).

I sincerely hope our govt forces yours to release Corby to us.

And you must realise now your economy will drop. Many australians will not visit bali now. (I personally have seen 3, 2 of which cancelled trips and one who is undecided)
Your only hurting yourselves.

Hey and while your at it indonesia give us back our 500 million dollar loan and all the aid we gave your country. I hope bali has a fun time when its tourism disappears. If your looking for justice dont go to indonesia looking for it.

Why should they do that? Your own democratically elected leader has stated that Australians should respect the legal systems of other countries and respect the ruling. He is the one that initiated the 500 million dollar soft loan. It was not done by any sort of referendum by the people.

There is nothing impressive about your kneejerk reactions.

He should respect the legal systems of other countries normally, yes.

But when an Australian citizen is being so obviously treated unfairly, intervention is nessacary.

Maybe i should plant some drugs into an indonesians baggage, and have security find it.
...
Actually in that case I WOULD BE FOUND OUT AND JAILED.
Due to the fact that OUR legal system dose not ignore evidence
and does not convict when there is any reasonable doubt.

Which yours so obviously does.

We help indonesia in its time of need, 9 of our people die helping your people after disaster and one of our citizens cant even get a fair trial, next time we should let your people die then hey?.

Wow, I just want to say wow at how our Southern neighbours have reacted to this case. Disgraceful is a very light word.

Case For Corby

1. The drugs being in her bag is no where near suitable to be used as evidence to convict

2. The drugs being more expensive to buy here and sell there yields a loss so there is no purpose to smuggle it in

3. Her defence theory was completley plauseable and likely what occured the federal police are investigating the drug smuggling ring in the airports which is proven to exist, also I should mention ford was later stabbed in jail after he testified to what he heard.

4. 4kg isn't a large weight and would you or anyone else REALLY remember the exact weight of any of their luggage

5. The bali officials declined to have the drugs tested to find out their source or any other relevant information

6. They failed to record the search

7. They failed to test for finger prints on the bag containing the drugs

8. The police claim corby conffessed to them, which corby denies ever happend. (and who the hell WOULD conffess guilty OR innocent).

In short your prosocutions evidence was a joke, it was based on nothing more than the drugs were in her bag, circumstancial at best. In any fair court she would have been on her way back home by now. What material do they have in your law schools over there? "law for dummies"

1) She was caught with the marijuana by custom officials
2) The marijuna she was caught with is 50% more expensive than the marijuana readily available on the Bali street
3) Her defense is from a convicted felon based on hearsay. The fact that Ford was allowed to testify is unheard of. When asked who the person was that said Corby was innocent, he refused to name names.
4) She did not noticed the hike in weight nor was she able to prove there was different weights between Australia and Indonesia
5) None of the theory as sworn evidence. It cannot be tested in the courts. Hence, the court disregard those theories.

1) Her bag had Marijuana in it apon arrival in Bali. <- That is the proper wording, get it strait
2) This only goes to show that whoever put it in the bag had reason
3) Her defence seems as such because the onus of proof in the indonesian system is on her. This is the wrong way around. She did not know how it got there, how is she meant to prove anything when all the crucial evidence is not allowed?
4) Yes im sure the first thing on her mind was "Oh crap and extra 4.1 kilograms of weight in my bag, drugs must have been planted!. She was on a holiday for christs sake, she was enjoying herself
5) This is stupid. Plain stupid. The case so damn obviously had cause for a HELL OF ALOT of reasonable doubt as to whether she did it. The evidence was nowhere near enough to put her away.


None of this even touches apon the judges obvious bias and dislike for her.

Too bad to see how Australian has been blinded by their media who stirred public. For this they really make the case out of it. A sensational one.
On CNN, a reporter from --if I'm not mistaken-- The Tribune (perhaps one of Australian major media) emphasized they will boycott tourism to Bali. Well, even they threat to deploy their troops here in our country, we should do what we think we have to do. And we have done it. Let the court decide.

Too bad you have been blinded by your own nationalism and your own media coverage.

or maybe you honestly view that case (and your whole system) as fair. In which case i would hope that you have nothing to do with our country ever again.

Too bad you have been blinded by your own nationalism and your own media coverage.

or maybe you honestly view that case (and your whole system) as fair. In which case i would hope that you have nothing to do with our country ever again.
Hey, at least we don't deport our own citizens or lie about throwing babies overboard.

Too bad you have been blinded by your own nationalism and your own media coverage.

Nationalism? What nationalism. It's about someone smuggling drug into our country.


or maybe you honestly view that case (and your whole system) as fair. In which case i would hope that you have nothing to do with our country ever again.

we can live without your country.... really.

Nationalism in that you are unable to accept/acknowledge a flaw in your justice system due to your blinding pride.


And that second comment is an amazing lie.
The amount of aide our country has supplied to you is alot.
500 million dollars, just because were nice. And an interst free 500mil loan.
And payment of 9 lives lost, helping none other than your fellow countrymen and women.
And the costs involved in sending people over to help.


I am all for this (well was) until it becomes obvious that your legal system is unable to give one of us a fair trial.

This is NOT about 'someone smuggling drugs into the country'
I agree, SOME australian tried to smuggle drugs to your country. Do i agree with this? No

but do i agree with your legal system fixing the outcome of a trial, just so they can put a face on it, NO.

Hey, at least we don't deport our own citizens or lie about throwing babies overboard.

sometimes accidents happen we have alot of illegal immigrants that pour into our country they like to use indonesia to come from as well, but hey, at least people want to come and live here, they cant wait to get out of indonesia can they.

lol @ the claim Indonesia doesn't need us thats classic just bloody classic hahahaha. And Malt my hat goes of to you, completly correct.

This is NOT about 'someone smuggling drugs into the country'
I agree, SOME australian tried to smuggle drugs to your country. Do i agree with this? No

but do i agree with your legal system fixing the outcome of a trial, just so they can put a face on it, NO.

Malt, I DON'T care if she walks free if she's proved unguilty. I really don't care. What I care the most is, the court's verdict should not be in any circumstances based on public opinion or presure from other country/organization whatever.

^ What your clearly overlooking is that the trial was flawed, and unfair.

Are you so ignorant that you cannot see/acknowledge this?
I will not relist the reasons why, it has been done multiple times.

Corby was going to be declared guilty right from the start, the investigation was pathetic and the trial was unjust, australia should demand her immediate return, at which time upon her arrival in australia we overturn the unjust sentence by Indonesian courts.

and Malt you dont need to run through all the points, she was given 20 years jail on nothing more than the drugs just happened to be in her bag. Circumstancial at best.

good news make jakarta free-drugs city!

What the fuck is wrong with drugs? Some of you have such a dismal and blinkered attitude. Indonesia wants to grow up and they have just knocked that back by decades with such a flawed and inefficent display of their judicial system.

Good luck with your GDP.

Good luck with your GDP.
Our GDP is doing well thank you. We are one of the largest trading partner for the United States.

Our GDP is doing well thank you. We are one of the largest trading partner for the United States.
yes, we grew 6.35% in Q1 2005, highest in Asia with the exception of China and possibly Vietnam.

and while I'm at it, you guys have all been brainwashed by the sensationalism of the Australian media whose motivation lies in nothing but circulation and $$$. Surprisingly the Herald, what I thought was a respectable publication, has fallen into this trap too (they try to make up for it by publishing 'balanced' articles today in the 'comments' and 'insight' section, but its too little, too late). The manner of media coverage is nothing but a reflection of Australians' fear/suspicion of its northern neignbour. Its as simple as that, as far as I'm concerned. Only the AFR (and possibly the Australian - being a national publication and all) have provided respectable coverage of the issue. Oh, and thanks for your comments, John Howard. And luckily the other side of politics has been rational and level-headed about this too... looking back, they could've so easily exploited the sentiments of 92% of Australians but they chose not to... salute to Kim Beazley for not sucuumbing to this temptation...

What the fuck is wrong with drugs?

it destroys lives.

we can live without your country.... really.


Fantastic, great news, good luck and Good-bye. :)

it destroys lives.

so does wrongfull convictions

so does wrongfull convictions
Agree, hope you will start demonstrating against the wrongfull conviction of the Japanese tourists.

http://www.webwitness.org.au/news8.html

Agree, hope you will start demonstrating against the wrongfull conviction of the Japanese tourists.

http://www.webwitness.org.au/news8.html

If those man were found guilty in an australian court of law with a judicial system that works best for the accused I have no doubt they are guilty, at least our police forces bother to investigate these things before sending you to court. Becuase you are foolish if you believe the police in bali conducted a proper investigation before proceeding to court, need I list their failures to you?.

Edit: I can assure you those men were not convicted simply becuase the drugs were found in their suitcases, it doesn't work that way in our courts. Nor should it in any court anywhere.

Really? Are you 100% sure? Or are you blinded by nationalism?

What about Tallaal Adrey? An Australian in Kuwait who was denied consular access by the Kuwaiti. Where is the outrage?

If we believe Corby, should't the outrage be against Brisbane's airport? Interesting that Brisbane is comming out scotch free.

If we believe Corby, should't the outrage be against Brisbane's airport? Interesting that Brisbane is comming out scotch free.

The airport baggage handlers are now being closely watched by the federal police and being investigated so no, brisbane aiport is not coming out scotch free.

Too little too late ain't it?

Really? Are you 100% sure? Or are you blinded by nationalism?

What about Tallaal Adrey? An Australian in Kuwait who was denied consular access by the Kuwaiti. Where is the outrage?

What about Tallaal Adrey? he was charged with selling weapons to terrorists, he hasn't be convicted and jailed for any crime, theres not much to be outraged about if we have no idea whats going on, and we wont until Kuwait realeses details and evidence to us, then we will decide if we need to be outraged or not. Dont use an arrest to compare to what happend to Corby. We aren't going to cry foul when an australian is only arrested in a foreign country.

Edit: Also I should make special note his alleged crimes have to do with terrorism which is a touchy world issue right now.

lets see what new evidence the defence comes up in the next trial. the Aust govt can help by thoroughly investigating that alleged drug smuggling ring operating in the airports.

Of course you must be outraged. He is not given consular access, which is his rights. Imagine if Corby wasn't given consular access.

Edit: Corby is lucky she wasn't caught in Singapore or Malaysia. She would've been hang.

lets see what new evidence the defence comes up in the next trial. the Aust govt can help by thoroughly investigating that alleged drug smuggling ring operating in the airports.

Im confident they will, and yield some usefull information but maybe if the bali police did their jobs right in the first place this would never have happend, too little to late now they aint it.

Im confident they will, and yield some usefull information but maybe if the bali police did their jobs right in the first place this would never have happend, too little to late now they aint it.
It's not too little to late. If they found a racket and it directly deals with the Corby case, the high court can overturn the sentence. Of course, it's up to the defense team to find out who exactly did it and have him testify to that fact in front of the Indonesian court. It cannot be hearsay, as hearsay is not accepted in the court. Ford's testimony should have never been heard. No court in the world, except dictatorial one, would accept hearsay evidence.

Of course you must be outraged. He is not given consular access, which is his rights. Imagine if Corby wasn't given consular access.

Edit: Corby is lucky she wasn't caught in Singapore or Malaysia. She would've been hang.

Like I said before. The magic word "terrorism" is involved there which makes it a whole different set of rules alltogether.

It's not too little to late. If they found a racket and it directly deals with the Corby case, the high court can overturn the sentence. Of course, it's up to the defense team to find out who exactly did it and have him testify to that fact in front of the Indonesian court. It cannot be hearsay, as hearsay is not accepted in the court. Ford's testimony should have never been heard. No court in the world, except dictatorial one, would accept hearsay evidence.

I was referring the to little to late statement to the barli police as a little more effort on their part could have cleared her already, but they didn't want that to happen did they?.

Before you blame Indonesia legal system. I guess you Australian should blame her lawyer. Her legal defence is nothing than a useless team. They didnt represent any backups which supported that corby is innocent, thus the judges has no option than sentenced her.

Its lucky she only gets 20 years. for next process, she could even get only 2 months after appeal.

Oh and btw. I wont hesitate to report any of you guys here for bashing the indonesian, Same goes with the Indonesian. Racism and insulting other forumers are prohibited

And I mean it.

Cheers

I was referring the to little to late statement to the barli police as a little more effort on their part could have cleared her already, but they didn't want that to happen did they?.
The Bali police's duty is to gather evidence and present it to the prosecutor. The prosecutor then decide which law the defendent have allegedly broken. It is up to the defense attorney to defend their client and clear them. Not the police and not the prosecuting office.

The Bali police's duty is to gather evidence and present it to the prosecutor. The prosecutor then decide which law the defendent have allegedly broken. It is up to the defense attorney to defend their client and clear it.

The bali police clearly failed in their duty to gather evidence.

The bali police clearly failed in their duty to gather evidence.
How so?

Since David-80 is clearly putting an abrupt stop to this line of discussion I shall move on....

hows the weather in jakarta tonight?

yeah lets just all stop..peace, man. :cheers:

Since David-80 is clearly putting an abrupt stop to this line of discussion I shall move on....

hows the weather in jakarta tonight?
Craggles, I think we're having a civil debate. I don't think we're insulting each other.

Craggles, I think we're having a civil debate. I don't think we're insulting each other.

Id rather not risk having a mod riding my behind :p

and if anyones interested in 28 degrees in jakarta right now, partly cloudy with 74% humidity.

Edit: and the winds coming from the North East at 5km an hour.

talking about winds, who's going to win the super 12 tommorow?

we'll find out when they win it wont we!

How shameful the actions of some Australians (both on this forum, and in public) have been. I would just like to say that I support the Indonesians all the way in this one. My opinion on drugs are different to the laws in your country, but I respect that you have laws and they must be followed. Many Australians have been acting disgracefully on this issue, and have shown their true racist colours. Many believe that if you're not a "first world" citizen, you can't possibly have a functioning legal system or a functioning country for that matter. Unfortunate that ignorance and misinformation is rife in Australia. THe reactions of many of many Australians remind me of WW2 Germany - people indoctrinated into believing something so untrue.

How shameful the actions of some Australians (both on this forum, and in public) have been. I would just like to say that I support the Indonesians all the way in this one. My opinion on drugs are different to the laws in your country, but I respect that you have laws and they must be followed. Many Australians have been acting disgracefully on this issue, and have shown their true racist colours. Many believe that if you're not a "first world" citizen, you can't possibly have a functioning legal system or a functioning country for that matter. Unfortunate that ignorance and misinformation is rife in Australia. THe reactions of many of many Australians remind me of WW2 Germany - people indoctrinated into believing something so untrue.
Thanks. :okay:

Australia's Justice

A few letters have been published in the papers outraged by the way Schapelle Corby has been treated by the Indonesian police and judiciary. Like she was treated badly because she is Australian.

I guess Schapelle has been treated more or less like any other person who has been charged with possession of a drug. Reading some of the sites who have sprung up to support Schapelle the anti-Indonesian feeling is all there to see. for instance this is what http://www.dontshootschapelle.com/ starts with:

Twelve brutal Indonesian troopers armed with high calibre rifles. Schapelle Corby, 27, innocent and defenceless girl from Queensland, Australia, shackled to a pole. This could be her fate - all for failing to secure her baggage when going on holiday. This is Indonesia's concept of a `justice' system.


Words like 'brutal Indonesian troopers' are emotional words which are, quite frankly, offensive. They are doing what they are told, the same way 'Coalition of the willing' forces in Iraq have used force on civilians, including children, causing casulaties. At least Schapelle had the chance of defending herself. Are the Australian/British/USA soldiers more or less brutal than Indonesian ones?

Also she is an innocent victim because she failed to secure her baggage. She sure is, but why she should have it done in the first place? If anything she was the victim of an AUSTRALIAN criminal ring. But maybe we can't believe that our aussie baggage handlers would be so mean in placing drugs in an unsuspecting tourist's bag (or even some police..) but because we cannot accept that there is something wrong with our system it's much easier to somehow get angry with the Indonesians.

And what about this news just reported in the Jakarta Post


Indonesia urged Australia on Monday to stop detaining illegal fishermen aboard their boats, after an Indonesian died while being confined to his vessel.

Indonesian ambassador Imron Cotan said he was convinced that the 37-year-old who died last month had succumbed to natural causes.

But he pressed for better care for the Indonesian fisherman who are picked up working illegally in Australian waters, often on cramped and ramshackle boats.

"Quite naturally we have concerns because this is the second occasion that we have (voiced) our concerns to the federal government," Cotan said on ABC radio.

"They are now building what they call a land-based detention centre."

The fisherman collapsed and died two weeks ago while confined to his boat in a quarantine area of Darwin Harbour.


This is the second death that has occured. According to a report in The Age:


The culprits are poor, illiterate villagers who know only one way to survive and that is to fish. Seafarers such as the Bajau, the sea gypsies from near Sulawesi and the men from Rote, an island only 150 kilometres north of Ashmore, travel hundreds of kilometres in sail-powered perahus, known as Type 2 vessels, equipped only with homemade magnetic compasses and knowledge handed down through the generations.

These fishers are burdened by debt to the handful of families that own the boats. They are barely able to eke a subsistence lifestyle..............for many their journey ends in detention holding areas off Darwin and Gove in the Northern Territory, Broome in Western Australia and Thursday Island in Queensland.

A group of rainbow-coloured vessels is held a short distance offshore from Darwin’s popular Stokes Hill wharf. The fishers are kept on board, waiting in cramped and stifling condi-tions for the day they will be told to return to their homes.

They remain under 24-hour surveillance and are rarely allowed ashore. They complain they do not receive enough food. Indeed, earlier this year, a 21-year-old Indonesian fisherman died on one of the boats after complaining of intense hunger and suffering a seizure.

Anwar Lamaya, former president of the Islamic Society of Northern Territory, says the conditions are inhumane. Zacharias Manongga, Indonesian consul in Darwin, says he has been arguing with the AFMA to place the detainees in houses so that they can at least walk about or even play a game of soccer. .....The masters of the detained boats, who are rarely the owners, are prosecuted and reoffenders can spend several months in jail.

The crews wait on the boats until court proceedings are completed and then they are either deported to Indonesia or allowed to sail back after they pay a bond to have their boat released from custody. If the money, usually $3000 to $5000, is not paid, the vessel is burnt.

It is a policy that is criticised by academics and advocates who have studied the issue. They say the Federal Government, by destroying the fishers’ only means of survival, is putting them further into debt to the handful of families that owns the boats and controls the fishing industry.

These powerbrokers can easily replace the destroyed vessels and pass the costs on to the masters and crew members, who have no choice but to re-enter Australian waters and most likely reoffend to repay the debts. ......

more like war against freedom and rights. How can you have a fair trial when no evidence is brought foward, and there is no jury???? most corrupt legal system in the world, instead of constantly putting down Australia, maybe you should start using the brains god gave you, and learn afew things of us, its called being civilised.

Is trolling your form of civilization?

not used to someone sticking up for their country in here hey? used to having the run of things as far as hating other countries? i dont hate indonesia, or its people, its the government i dislike, and your population has been blinded to the fact, that you're all run by one of the most corrupt governments the world has ever seen. If you want to call someone having an opposing opinion to yours, trollong, well ok then i am trolling. Thats the beauty about the free world, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

From your reaction, it is clear you hate Indonesia. We Indonesians normally don't bother hating other countries, but when our country is intimidated and threatened such as what's happening now in Australia, of course we tend to defend ourselves from the attacker, in this case Australia.

What do you expect will be the outcome of Australia's Indonesia-bashing? You expect us non-whites to cower in fear and subservience to ignorant rednecks like you? Not a chance

i dont hate Indonesia, i dont know what gave you that impression. I do dislike your government and your legal system, but thats all, Indonesians are some of the nicest people on the planet and i aint disputing that.

true.. indonesia's government, i would imagine, is pretty damn corrupt.

However, the indonesian government IS taking a stand against this corruption, and it seems as though they are attempting to both improve and fortify their government system. This can be seen through the judicial branch of the indonesian government. The Judicial branch is clearly improving as they are actually enforcing their written laws now-- something that hasn't been done before. This can be witnessed through the Corby case, in which they enforced their anti-drug trafficing laws as is written in their constution, despite the fact that they followed through it with a punishment that was more leninent than what had been written. Unfortunately, the australian populus is clearly detering the indonesian government, or more importantly the Judicial branch (which would be the foundation for any stance against corruption) from any improvement by clamoring for justice for someone who is clearly guilty in the eyes of the indonesian law.

so as an australian, you have no right to sit ur ass there nagging and complaining about how trashy the indonesian government is, while your own populus is not even allowing the indonesian government to improve and patch itself up by not allowing them to exercise their drug-trafficing laws as written. contrrarily, it would be just to state that by defending corby, australia is further contributing to the detriment of the indonesian judicial system, as they are not allowing the indonesians to exercise their law.

An Australian guy yesterady was sentenced to 20 years in Vietnam for smuggling a small quantity of heroine from Vietnam to Australia. I don't see any bombastic coverage and public reaction anywhere close to what we all saw in relation to Schappelle Corby. The differences are, 1) he was a 43 year old guy and 2) ethnic vietnamese and 3) in vietnam. it just makes u wonder whether the display of public outrage reflected genuine concerns about the "injustice" that schappelle experienced or whether it was more of a reflection of anti-indonesian/anti-asian sentiment among some sections of the community in australia.

probably because the guy had the drugs on him, so there is proof he did it, see the only problem us Australians have with the whole thing is Corby wasnt proven guilty or innocent, she was just sentenced to 20 years without any real evidence being put foward, thats the problem.

probably because the guy had the drugs on him, so there is proof he did it, see the only problem us Australians have with the whole thing is Corby wasnt proven guilty or innocent, she was just sentenced to 20 years without any real evidence being put foward, thats the problem.
She was caught with the drugs. According to the Custom Act in your own country, she is guilty of traficking. According to our Custom Act, if you trafick the drugs into the country, you are guilty. The prosecutor proved that the drugs was with her when she came into the country.

Her defense is based on hearsay and theories that cannot be tested in court. You want someone to blame, blame the defense team for being piss poor. Blame the smuggling ring that put the drugs in her bag (if you believe her). Don't blame the court for taking the evidence that was presented in court and find her guilty based on that evidence.

On the case, this is a very good read.

Corby and the mob
Andrew Bolt
01jun05

AND now to the verdict on the Schapelle Corby case. I find the defendant guilty of xenophobia, spite, boorishness and a self-righteous tribal hysteria.

No, I don't mean Corby.
I'm referring to the weeping and bellowing mob that is demanding we do all it takes -- even starve the poorest Indonesians -- to free this convicted drug trafficker. "Our" Schapelle.

What a shock to see the beast of mob rule roar like this, and in support of a woman who seems on the evidence more likely to be guilty than she's painted.

Yes, Corby may be as innocent as she says. But picture how she must look, and how we all now look, to an Indonesian, whether a judge or a citizen.

Here is a surfer girl who worked as a bar hostess in Tokyo's nightclub area, flying into Bali for reportedly the fifth time in six years.

(Corby, a student beautician who'd scraped up cash from working at a fish-and-chip shop, told 60 Minutes she'd been to Bali "five or six times since I was 16".)

Customs officials screen her bags and detect something suspicious. They watch her, and later tell a court she seems nervous. Her bodyboard bag is more than twice its usual weight, bulging with an extra something the size of a stuffed pillow.

Actually, she says later, she'd only dragged her bag, and had so much other luggage she couldn't tell its weight was unusual, or that there was anything inside but a bodyboard and flippers. Yes, well.

Two police and two customs officials agree on what happened next. They say Corby's brother James carried the bag for her to the customs area, where officer I Gusti Nyoman Winata asked her to open it.

Corby zipped open the front pocket. Now the main zip, demanded Winata.

"The suspect (seemed) to panic," he later testified.

"When I opened the bag a little bit, she stopped me and said, 'No!'

"I asked why. She answered, 'I have some . . .' She looked confused."

ABC's Lateline showed Winata re-enacting Corby's lunge to stop him opening her bag. He seemed as honest as Corby does, and said he had no doubt of her guilt.

Winata looked inside and found 4.1kg of top-quality marijuana, stowed in two airlock plastic bags, one tucked inside the other.

What is it, he asked?

"It's marijuana," the officials heard Corby reply.

Keep thinking how this all must look to an Indonesian. Who would you believe?

Think how it seems when the marijuana turns out to be hydroponically grown, and worth anywhere up to $80,000 in Bali, where it is prized by expatriates who are sick of the weak local weed and feel safer buying from a tourist. Big profits.

Keep picturing. The Indonesians learn that Corby, although having no criminal record, comes from a wild and woolly family.

One of her brothers is in jail for burglary and stealing, her mother is on to her fourth partner after having six children by three men. Her father had a minor conviction some 30 years ago for possessing marijuana.

Sure, none of that makes her guilty, but how would all this make Corby seem to an Indonesian? Here's a tip: Not like she came from the responsible land of the straight-and-narrow.

I T gets worse. Corby's defence team is soon headed by a salesman who looks like a spiv and is a former bankrupt who still owes creditors plenty.

Her main defence witness becomes an alleged rapist flown in from a Melbourne jail to tell how he heard some crook who'd heard some other crook say Corby was unwittingly carrying drugs for crooks operating at the Brisbane and Sydney airport terminals.

With Australians like this behind Corby, it's a wonder the whole country wasn't tossed into the cell with her.

The judges are then asked to believe these unknown smugglers took the marijuana into a high-security area at Brisbane in easy-to-see-through plastic and popped it into a random bag to be flown to another high-security area in Sydney.

Why the smugglers would do that, rather than simply drive the drugs down to Sydney by car, all safe, no one can say. That they then let their valuable drugs fly off to Bali is another mystery.

No wonder our own Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty dismissed Corby's theory as "flimsy". Corby's judges must have thought her team took them for idiots.

Idiots? They soon learned plenty of Australians took them for far worse. And now it was not Corby on trial, and losing, but Australia.

In one heady spasm, hundreds of thousands of Australians became certain that Corby the beautiful battler was in fact innocent.

Suddenly she was the star of a reality-TV Perils of Pauline -- complete with cartoon-like big breasts, every-woman prettiness and more tears than a soapie. It helped the plot that she was repeatedly filmed hands bound and besieged, pale in a jabbering, jostling crowd of brown foreigners.

Damn those natives. "The judges don't even speak English, mate, they're straight out of the trees, if you excuse my __expression," raged 2GB Sydney fill-in host Malcolm T. Elliott.

"Whoa, give them a banana and away they go."

Others screamed that the judges were lying Muslims out for revenge (in fact, the chief judge was a Christian, and the other two Hindus).

Newspapers attacked Indonesia's courts as corrupt and their jails as temples of "gloating sadism" where there was "little sympathy of foreigners, for which you may perhaps read Christians". Save "our" Schapelle from the demon heathen!

No surprise, then, that Indonesian officials here were bombarded with so many threats and insults that Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer had to plead for them to be left alone. What would we say of Indonesians if our own diplomats were monstered like this?

Now Corby's defenders demand we boycott struggling Bali. Actor Russell Crowe, among others, even warned Indonesia to remember we gave money for its tsunami victims -- as if we only gave charity in exchange for passes out of jail.

Sick, but the feeling has grown. The Salvation Army, out on its Red Shield appeal, had to promise not to send donations to Indonesia. Let their poor suffer for "our" Schapelle.

Meanwhile, radio hosts insisted the Prime Minister call the Indonesian President to fix things in court for Corby, as if such interference wasn't plainly corrupt.

Worryingly, even senior politicians lost their heads in the hysteria, with Justice Minister Chris Ellison vowing to try bringing Corby home in a "one-off" prisoner exchange. The other 150 Australians in jail overseas should get breast implants.

HAVE we lost our heads? Are we really such a vile rabble?

What must Indonesians make of this hissing mob that threatens their diplomats, vilifies their country, blackmails them with aid and treats their judges as the corrupt playthings of our politicians? And all this for the sake of a convicted drug smuggler who seems quite probably guilty, and only possibly innocent.

Even our whinges about their drug laws must seem bizarre. Guess who truly has the worst laws -- Indonesia, which gave Corby 20 years' jail for having 4.1kg of marijuana; or Victoria, which meanwhile gave a mere 12-month community service order to a teacher found with 29kg -- and let her keep her teaching licence?

So how must we seem to Indonesians? Like barbarians, or even terrorists, and it's hard at the moment to think them very wrong.