Outrage In Australia!

[Nickdfresh]

Australian outrage over drug verdict

Sunday, May 29, 2005 Posted: 10:51 PM EDT (0251 GMT)

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/05/27/corby.appeal/story.corby.mum.jpg
Corby and her mother hug after the verdict.
Image:

(CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/05/27/corby.appeal/?section=cnn_topstories)) -- The Australian government is offering to send a team of lawyers to help Schapelle Corby fight her 20-year prison sentence for drug smuggling in Indonesia.

The 27-year-old Australian beautician's fate was sealed Friday, when an Indonesian court found her guilty of smuggling over 4 kilograms (nine pounds of marijuana) into Bali. Her enraged mother screamed, "Our government will bring you home."

She could have received life in prison or the death penalty. The Associated Press cites a report by the state news agency Antara that prosecutors are planning to appeal the sentence, saying 20 years is too lenient.

In addition to the prison term, Corby must also pay a $10,700 (10 million rupiahs) fine.

She has been held in a Bali jail since her arrest at an airport in Denpasar last October.

Her verdict and sentence have generated outrage in Australia, where the government is trying to negotiate her returning home to serve her prison sentence.

The case has triggered threats against Indonesian diplomatic missions in Australia and Indonesia.

A recent survey among Australians found 90 percent believed Corby to be innocent.

Even actor Russell Crowe has jumped in, asking how his government could let Corby "rot away in a foreign prison."

Corby has maintained her innocence and insisted that the drugs found in one of her unlocked bags were planted by baggage handlers in Australia.

During the trial, Corby's team was buoyed by news that the Australian Federal Police and Qantas Airways were investigating the role of baggage handlers in a cocaine smuggling operation.

The scene in the courtroom turned chaotic Friday when the guilty verdict was read.

Corby appeared confused after the verdict and sentence were read, but after conferring with her interpreter, reality sank in and she glared at prosecutors.

She turned toward her mother, Rosleigh Rose, and said, "Mum, it's OK," before breaking down in tears.

Corby's sister, Mercedes, screamed shrilly at the judges: "It's not all right! How dare you!"

As she was being led away, Schapelle broke free from guards and hugged her mother.

"Schapelle, you will come home. Our government will bring you home," her mother vowed after guards separated them.

One of Schapelle's attorneys told a reporter, "I don't think she can survive ."

Her financial backer, Australian businessman Ron Bakir said he would do whatever it took to get her home and called the verdict "a massive injustice."

Outside the courtroom, an emotional Mercedes said the family would appeal the verdict. "To all our family and friends, we love you all," she said. "Schapelle is innocent. This verdict is unjust. The case now enters a new phase, and we'll stand by Schapelle every step of the way.

"Our lawyers have done their best and with the support of all the Australians, thank you. Schapelle will be coming home soon."

The sister then screamed, "I don't even know why [they had] the bloody trial. They didn't take any of our witnesses into account."
Dismissed key evidence

"The defendant has been proven legally and convincingly guilty," a translator quoted the judges as saying on Sky News.

In rendering the verdict Judge Linton Sirait said Corby had "convincingly carried out a crime" by unlawfully importing the drug.

"The actions of the accused were a danger to the community," he said. "This was a transnational crime that could damage the minds of young people."
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/05/27/corby.appeal/story.corby.jpg
The panel of three judges dismissed every defense witness, including testimony from Australia prisoner John Ford, who backed Corby's claim that she was an unwitting "drug mule."

The judges found Corby's defense team unable to prove if there was another person responsible for the drugs.

But her defense team raised concerns about the failure of police to fingerprint the plastic bag containing the drugs or to videotape the search. In addition, a request to have the marijuana tested to reveal its source was denied.
Home reaction

Prime Minister John Howard said he understood why Australians feel so deeply about the Corby case.

"The fact that we are a nation whose young travel so much, it is an issue that has touched this country very directly," he said.

Many callers to radio talk shows in Australia said they regretted making donations to Indonesian tsunami victims, The Associated Press reported.

Others called for Australians to boycott the popular holiday destination of Bali and Indonesian products.

Trying to keep a fragile relationship with Jakarta intact, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said any criticism of Indonesia or its justice system would be counterproductive and reflect very badly on Australia.

Copyright 2005 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

[i]I'm wondering what our Australian posters think of this shit! I hear there is a lot of speculation that innocent peoples' luggage is stuffed with drugs by handlers and people are made unwitting couriers! This is bullshit!
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/05/27/corby.appeal/story.corby.reaction.jpg :(

[kentuckyklira]

Drugs should be legalized so that the authorities can take care of real crimes!

All over the world!

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by kentuckyklira
Drugs should be legalized so that the authorities can take care of real crimes!

All over the world!

To some extent I agree.

But his is completely sick! Her "crime" would have gotten her a fine in the US where pot is also illegal!

On top of it, she might be completely innocent since a lot of Australians and Indonesians complain they find drugs in their luggage all of the time.

[kentuckyklira]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
To some extent I agree.

But his is completely sick! Her "crime" would have gotten her a fine in the US where pot is also illegal!

On top of it, she might be completely innocent since a lot of Australians and Indonesians complain they find drugs in their luggage all of the time. I thought smuggling 9 pounds of pot would get you jailed in many parts of the USA as well!

Am I wrong or have things changed??

:confused: :confused:

[ashstralia]

i'm one of the 90% who believe she is most likely innocent.

investigations are underway into our domestic baggage handlers,

some of whom apparently abuse their positions to ferry drugs around the country

in customer's luggage. someone fucked up and for some reason didn't collect the pot.

lucky for her it wasn't smack, cause 9 other aussie idiots

got caught with that strapped to their bodies, and they will face the firing squad.

there's no way i'll ever go to indonesia.

[Grant]

This case has had pretty much all of the backing by the media and the Australian public for the past 7-8 months or so. They broadcasted the verdict live here. Even though her sentence is an outrage (she never really stood a chance from Day 1) luckily for her she escaped the death penalty by firing squad. While her defence team is trying to appeal the verdict, the prosecution wants to increase it to life imprisonment. There's been talk of boycotts to Indonesia, many people are already cancelling their aid relief for Tsunami, prisoner exchange which seems doubtful, and Special Ops forces to bring her home. Websites have even been erected for Schapelle's release and sadly enough even death threats were made at the Indonesian consulate in Perth.

It's a fucked up legal system over there! 20 years for grass (not heroin) smuggling/possession (if she is guilty, that still hasn't been remotely established, not at least by our ideals of innocence till proven guilty and the established criteria for the fair and proper conduct) and there's terrorist leader suspect Abu Bakar Bashir who was implicated for the killing of 202 people in the Bali bombings on 12th October, 2002, who is serving just a few years sentence. Even military officers and soldiers who committed killing crimes in East Timor have escaped justice through equittals.

[Grant]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
I'm wondering what our Australian posters think of this shit! I hear there is a lot of speculation that innocent peoples' luggage is stuffed with drugs by handlers and people are made unwitting couriers! This is bullshit!

In answer to your question, even though I expected a harsh verdict, watching the poor girl's emotional reaction and the family, as well as the cheers by the Indonesians in the court room when the verdict was delivered, I was so filled with rage that I wouldn't have minded in taking out a "contract" out on that judge.

[Seshmeister]

9 lbs is quite a lot of pot.

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by Seshmeister
9 lbs is quite a lot of pot.

true dat....

bit more than just 'personal'.

[SweetSecrets]

Panamark told me all about this. It horrifies me! I am terrified to ever visit countries that have shitty judicial systems like that. It is just too easy to get screwed. I hope everything works out for that poor shella.

I think it is pretty shitty of Indonesia to do that to an Australian girl after all Australia did for them during the tsunami incident. That just really makes me mad!

[SweetSecrets]

What are Indonensian prisons like anyway? If it is anything like Thailand's she won't last a year.

This is really sad.

That is right up there with my nightmare of having my head cut off with a butter knife in Iraq.

[FORD]

Just by being a Muslim country, I would guess their prisons would really suck, especially for women.

Is Amnesty International on the case yet?

[BigBadBrian]

So much for the Indonesian tourism trade.

:gulp:

[Big Train]

Sounds to me like they are just doing their job. 9 lbs is not a small amount. Until they can prove otherwise, its her bid to do.

[Grant]

Originally posted by Big Train
Sounds to me like they are just doing their job. 9 lbs is not a small amount. Until they can prove otherwise, its her bid to do.

Yes, they are doing their job but you've missed the point...problem is for us to even comprehend is the miscarriage of justice, the time should fit the crime. She's obviously been made to use as a scapegoat. Same thing that happened to American William Hayes from Midnight Express. That's what the public is bitter about. She claims she's innocent and has no real history for using or associating with the drug. I guess it's our own government to blame since they've hardly even done any major crackdown on baggage handlers in our airports to support her case.

[FORD]

Did Australia make any changes to their airport/baggage handling procedures after 9-11-01, as the US did?

I can't see a scenario like this happening here anymore without it being obviously set up.

Which might be one of the few positive outcomes of our current airport harassment system.

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by SweetSecrets
What are Indonensian prisons like anyway?

hi mary.

according to a weekend newspaper article, if you have money

bali jail is not entirely uncomfortable. jailers will even allow you to

have alcohol brought in for you, and family members can come in to

a grassed area (no pun intended) for all day picnics.

$100 is a fortune in bali.

[SweetSecrets]

Originally posted by ashstralia
hi mary.

according to a weekend newspaper article, if you have money

bali jail is not entirely uncomfortable. jailers will even allow you to

have alcohol brought in for you, and family members can come in to

a grassed area (no pun intended) for all day picnics.

$100 is a fortune in bali.

Well that's some good news. I feel so sorry for that gal. She's probably about my age! I couldn't imagine being stuck in prison for 20 years or even five!

[SweetSecrets]

Originally posted by FORD
Did Australia make any changes to their airport/baggage handling procedures after 9-11-01, as the US did?

I can't see a scenario like this happening here anymore without it being obviously set up.

Which might be one of the few positive outcomes of our current airport harassment system.

I have now entered AUstralia three times this year. On one of the trips, I brought my Les Paul with me in one of those huge Anvil flight cases, and Australian immigration thought I was some kind of terrorist.....oh yea...I look like a real terrosist kinda gal.

So there I am...in my little Abercrombie skirt that I had changed into to look cute for Panamark....as the entire brigade of Australian customs go through my suitcase, pulling every article of clothing out of my bag and scanning my shampoo bottles!

They walked away with my Les Paul, and I about had a seizure!

From what I could tell, Australian customs was pretty "full on!"

I was crying by the end of the interrogation.

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by FORD
Did Australia make any changes to their airport/baggage handling procedures after 9-11-01, as the US did?

yeah, like mary said, if you're a passenger you get grilled.

which raises the question... how did she get all that pot

through baggage on the way out??? she didn't.

the tarmac/baggage work is so heavily unionised it's like the mafia.

they are a law unto themselves.

[Seshmeister]

Originally posted by SweetSecrets
I have now entered AUstralia three times this year.

I would just like to put it on the record that I have never entered ashtralia...:)

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by Seshmeister
I would just like to put it on the record that I have never entered ashtralia...:)


:lol:

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Big Train
Sounds to me like they are just doing their job. 9 lbs is not a small amount. Until they can prove otherwise, its her bid to do.

The problem is that they're selective as to when they do their job.

[BOMBER]

As far as I'm concerned Indoneisa can go fuck themselves.
The point here is that scores of not only Aussies but innocent people had their lives ripped apart or lost in the Bali bombings,do you think the Indoneisan legal system came down hard on the terrorists?
What a fucking joke.
Instead a girl in the prime of life has had 20 years taken from her for a crime that no way in any shape or form can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she committed.There are more holes in the prosecutions case than there currently are in Carlton's backline.
I remember Australian 60 mins doing a forum over in Indoneisa with about 40 Indoneisan civilians.The forum was just a vehicle for Indoneisan people to vent their thoughts on Australians.
The program made me sick and left me asking the question,what in the world have we ever done to you?
This was before the Bali bombing and before the tsunami,I actually thought these two tragic events may bring our nations a little closer.
From the reaction from a group of Indonesian people when Shapelle
received 20 years,I see not much has changed.

[DLR'sCock]

Pretty fucked up....


Going to jail for 20 years for something that God made...the humans that wish to control you, know what they are doing...

[Seshmeister]

Originally posted by DLR'sCock
Pretty fucked up....


Going to jail for 20 years for something that God made...

True but by that reckoning you could argue against Hagar not going to jail for 20 years for crimes against music.

[DLR'sCock]

Originally posted by Seshmeister
True but by that reckoning you could argue against Hagar not going to jail for 20 years for crimes against music.


Maybe, just maybe God is punishing us everytime we are forced into a situation where we have to here Hagar or Van HAgar? Certainly this is no group of saints, eh'?

:D

[Grant]

Originally posted by BOMBER
I remember Australian 60 mins doing a forum over in Indoneisa with about 40 Indoneisan civilians.The forum was just a vehicle for Indoneisan people to vent their thoughts on Australians.
The program made me sick and left me asking the question,what in the world have we ever done to you?


Because we're a western civilisation which is founded prodimanently on Christian values. It's those fucking Islamic extremists that are the problem over there. I don't ever intent to plan to visit Indonesia in my lifetime. As far as I'm concerned, the country has no vital interest to me on a tourist level. Maybe we should've let the Japanese stay there and spare the lives of our boys during the war.

[The Scatologist]

Hey, what do you expect from the same guys who commit atrocities in East Timor?


Are Indonesians genetically preengineered to be assholes or something? I mean, The sisters are half Indonesian......

[Nickdfresh]

BTW, when I wrote it was a "little pot," I thought I heard four ounces on TV, not four kilos!. :D I guess it wasn't a little pot after all!:D

[The Scatologist]

See here's the thing. What the fuck would she be doing with 4 Kilos of herb?

It was obviously a smuggling operation fuck up, cause no one would be STUPID enough to take 4 fucking kilos of marijuana on their trip.


Well some are, but I really doubt she's one of them.

[DlocRoth]

WTF?

If she didn't do it, then yes, that is some straight up Villium Ha-yes shit.

BUT, on the other hand, let's say she did do it. (Try, that is)

Don't go to fucking Indochina and try to smuggle shit.

If you're gonna get 20 fucking years, what kind of fucking tool do you have to be?


If ya can't do the time......

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by The Scatologist
See here's the thing. What the fuck would she be doing with 4 Kilos of herb?

It was obviously a smuggling operation fuck up, cause no one would be STUPID enough to take 4 fucking kilos of marijuana on their trip.


Well some are, but I really doubt she's one of them.

The speculation is that Australian baggage handlers stash drugs in unsuspecting passengers luggage, then their Indonesion counterparts pick up the dope from the "mules" luggage and the owner's none the wiser.

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by Nickdfresh
The speculation is that Australian baggage handlers stash drugs in unsuspecting passengers luggage, then their Indonesion counterparts pick up the dope from the "mules" luggage and the owner's none the wiser.

nick, they do it purely within australia.
someone fucked up and allowed the drugs to continue on to bali.

the speculation is a network of baggage handlers are ferrying drugs
(not just pot) between our major airports.

it's a lot safer than road freighting them.

[FORD]

Can't they just drop a pound or two into a kangaroo's pouch and send him out across the Outback?

[ashstralia]

Originally posted by FORD
Can't they just drop a pound or two into a kangaroo's pouch and send him out across the Outback?


:D

[ashstralia]

kangaroos and wallabies like to eat dope, too!

[OULUVROTH2]

Originally posted by kentuckyklira
I thought smuggling 9 pounds of pot would get you jailed in many parts of the USA as well!

Am I wrong or have things changed??

:confused: :confused:


NO...UR NOT WRONG! NICK...JUST AS ALL LIBERALS TAKE EVENTS AND FACTS AND TWIST EM TO SUIT THEIR OWN POLITICAL BULLSHIT! BUT ONCE AGAIN...THE LAWS ARE SET IN EACH COUNTRY AND ITS UNFORTUNATE IF SHE WAS INNOCENT...BUT NOT A CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL ISSUE!!!

[FORD]

Ask not for whom the BCE spy satellite bell tolls.......

http://kh.google.com/kh?v=1&t=tqtsqsrqqqqrtqr

....it tolls for thee.

[OULUVROTH2]

HOPEFULLY THAT'S UR HOUSE BETWEEN THE CROSS HAIRS!!

JUST JOKING...UNLESS U SAY UR SORRY!

[FORD]

Nope. The BCE is looking for you. You will be easy to brainwash. For one thing, the job is half done already, and besides that, they don't have to wash much.

[OULUVROTH2]

Originally posted by FORD
Nope. The BCE is looking for you. You will be easy to brainwash. For one thing, the job is half done already, and besides that, they don't have to wash much.

UR SO FUCKIN FUNNY...I'D KICK UR ASS WITH MICHAEL ANTHONY'S BASS PICK!!! MISERABLE LIBERAL!

[ODShowtime]

Originally posted by OULUVROTH2
NO...UR NOT WRONG! NICK...JUST AS ALL LIBERALS TAKE EVENTS AND FACTS AND TWIST EM TO SUIT THEIR OWN POLITICAL BULLSHIT! BUT ONCE AGAIN...THE LAWS ARE SET IN EACH COUNTRY AND ITS UNFORTUNATE IF SHE WAS INNOCENT...BUT NOT A CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL ISSUE!!!

You need to shut the fuck up. No one cares what you think.

[FORD]

Originally posted by ODShowtime
You need to shut the fuck up. No one cares what you think.

Obviously he doesn't think at all. His posts are visual evidence that his IQ and shoe size are about the same.

[BigBadBrian]

Originally posted by ODShowtime
You need to shut the fuck up. No one cares what you think.

He's kinda funny. :D

[Warham]

Stop the CAPS. Please, for the love of God.

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
He's kinda funny. :D

YES BUT PURELY UNINTENTIONALLY. I HOPE THAT IS WUT UR SAYING!:p

[Panamark]

Shapelles defence team was not allowed to submit crucial evidence.
Due to Indonesian law.

2 facts that would prove her innocence were not allowed to be
submitted.

These were,

They weighed her cargo (ie: the boogie board) at Sydney airport
and Denpasar airport on arrival. This shows the obvious 4kg
in weight difference.

The Customs officials in Indonesia never fingerprinted the bag
of dope.. This would have shown her fingerprints were not
on the drugs..

Thirdly, Sydney airport has just been busted bigtime due to
crooked baggage handlers, another piece of evidence dissallowed.

Im with the rest of Australia, fuck these Indonesians, we do
everything for them, what do they do to us ???
Blow up Australian tourists in terrorist attacks, take millions
of dollars of aid from our country, then wont even treat this
poor girl to a fair trial when the evidence against her is
totally dubious...

Fuck em. I have no idea why our Government
keeps looking after them.

[Grant]

Originally posted by Panamark
Im with the rest of Australia, fuck these Indonesians, we do
everything for them, what do they do to us ???
Blow up Australian tourists in terrorist attacks, take millions
of dollars of aid from our country, then wont even treat this
poor girl to a fair trial when the evidence against her is
totally dubious...

Fuck em. I have no idea why our Government
keeps looking after them.

Also Abu Bakar Bashir is pushing for an early release...you know he only got 30 months for the killing of 202 people, so I heard. Very fucked up!

[Redballjets88]

why are they aiding people that hate them?

[Grant]

Originally posted by Redballjets88
why are they aiding people that hate them?

Not all Indonesians hate Australians. It's usually the Islamic extremists over there that are trying to incite their own people against western countries like ourselves. There's a terrorist cell in South East Asia called 'Jemaah Islamiah' which is allied to Osama Bin Laden's 'Al Quaeda'. That's our problem over there. Their legal system is fucked up at least from our standards. Our country is still trying to maintain good relations with Indonesia.