[Cody Dawg]

Anyone following the story of Schapelle Corby? It is a very interesting story, a sad one, that highlights that in a foreign country you may have no rights whatsoever if charged with a crime. In fact, you might very well lose your life because of antiquated legal or judicial systems or legal or judicial systems that do not presume your innocence.

Here is a brief overview.



Schapelle reportedly has never taken drugs nor does she associate with people who take drugs. Yet, while on her way to Bali for holiday or vacation, someone reportedly put marijuana in with her belongings. When she arrived in Bali she was arrested and charged with the crime of trafficking drugs. In Bali that is a crime that carries a sentence of death by firing squad.

Living here in the United States where we strive to give even the most lowly criminals the benefit of the doubt by providing an attorney free of charge (or an attorney working pro bono as ordered by a court of law) and often the system benefitting the supposed criminal (even to the point where criminals are acquitted through technicalities), it might be easy to presume that other countries have similar laws, such as the United States.

But, what if it were you that went to Bali on vacation and upon arriving you were arrested and charged with drug trafficking - and you had not committed a crime? How would - or could - you defend yourself? If you are like Schapelle and have many processes denied you (like bringing witnesses to court) then your chance of successfully defending yourself in a foreign country is almost nil.

I find it interesting that the Australian government did not step forward to put more pressure on the government of Bali.

Honestly, I thought of vacationing in Bali but after becoming acquainted with this story, I don't think I will ever visit there. Her story is a cautionary tale for everyone.

Today Schapelle was sentenced to 20 years in a miserable, fetid, rank Balinese prison. If she is indeed innocent, as seems to be the case, that is a terrible fate for her.

Here is the story:

The case against young Australian Schapelle Corby in Bali raises more questions than answers. Philip Cornford examines the evidence.

There is a moment in Schapelle Corby's life, before it plunged into chaos, when the world seemed wonderful, an exciting adventure. It is a moment when what was to come was just not conceivable, beyond the imagination of any traveller. It is a moment caught in a photograph, and it was the last time a camera was kind to her.

The photograph was taken by her mother, Ros, after Corby, 27, and her three companions had been cleared to board QF50, the first of two flights that would take them from a crisp, mid-spring Brisbane dawn to the sultry humidity of Bali.

The photo shows four happy travellers: Katrina Richards, 17, a kindergarten teacher who works part time at the Corby family fish and chip shop on the Gold Coast; Corby; Ally McComb, 25, a friend of four years and former flatmate, and Corby's brother, James, then 16 and a year 11 student.

They are carefree, relieved. Getting to the airport on time was a rush. Now they are on their way to magical Bali. The photograph records their elation.

"We were all so excited," Ally recalled. "We'd worked hard and saved all year. I stopped going out. It was my first trip to Bali."

For Katrina, it was her first time away from home. "I'd never flown before," she said.

James had been to Bali once before, when he was nine, for the wedding of his sister, Mercedes, to a Balinese man.

It would be Schapelle Corby's fifth trip to Bali since 1999. Her former husband was Japanese; she had worked in the hospitality industry in Japan for four years, visiting Bali on stop-overs to and from Japan to see Mercedes, her older sister.

At Brisbane airport, cameras other than Ros Corby's were watching the four - the closed circuit television security cameras that survey the Qantas check-in counters. At 5.33am they observed Schapelle and her two female companions present their luggage - three suitcases and a bodyboard.

The board belonged to Corby. She had packed it at her mother's Brisbane home. As they were leaving, Ally McComb remembered the flippers she had borrowed from Corby. Corby unzipped the bodyboard bag and put the flippers inside.

Ally, Katrina and James testified in Denpasar Local Court on Thursday - the first day of the defence case - that the garage was brightly lit and they clearly saw that the yellow bodyboard was the only object in the bag before the flippers were put in.

Sydney Airport, later that morning

At Sydney, their bags were taken to the international airport, to join Australian Airlines flight AO7829 to Bali.

The bags were scanned with hand-held monitors and cleared for loading. The three suitcases went through the security X-ray. The bodyboard was too big for the conveyor. It was put on a trolley and put into a baggage canister that contained two of the other bags. It was one of the last items put into the canister, placing it near the front. It would be one of the first items taken out in Bali.

The canister was closed by a canvas flap, but not locked. It was held for about 97 minutes until about 9.45am, half an hour before the Bali flight's departure.

All the baggage transfers were monitored by CCTV. There are no other security measures in these areas - big, open areas to which anyone with an "airside" security pass has access.

There are no inspections of bags or vehicles to check what staff with Aviation Security Identification Cards carry in and out of the airport.

The Australian Federal Police say drug dealers are known to use innocent travellers as unsuspecting drug "mules". They have arrested baggage handlers at Sydney International Airport for the offence. Drugs are inserted in luggage at one airport, a photograph of the target bag and its tag are emailed to the destination airport, where baggage handlers remove the drugs before the passenger collects the bag.

Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar, the holiday begins

The flight landed in Bali around 2.30pm local time. Spirits were high. Now to collect their bags and take a taxi to their hotel. Mercedes would be waiting.

Their bags were X-rayed before moving to the baggage carousel. By the time the four got there, the bags were on the carousel. But not the bodyboard. It had been set apart on the floor.

Schapelle Corby was struggling with her bag, so Ally told James to help her with the bodyboard. They took it to the customs counter of Igusti Ngurah Nyoman Winata.

Accounts conflict of what happened next. Corby says she saw that people ahead were opening their bags. So she put the bodyboard on the counter and began to open it.

The bag was found to contain the bodyboard, flippers and 4.1 kilograms of top-quality hydroponic marijuana in two plastic bags, one inside the other, the size of a pillow case. The bags were placed in front of the bodyboard, next to the zip.

The customs officers got very excited. It was their biggest marijuana intercept.

Shocked, at times tearful, Schapelle Corby said she had never seen the marijuana before. She insisted it must have been put in her luggage during transit. So any video images showing the bodyboard bag's size and shape while it was in Corby's care were important.

Her lawyers were later to ask for them. But the CCTV at the Brisbane Qantas check-in was experiencing problems; any images recorded that morning were wiped 25 days later.

At Brisbane the weights of the bags had not been individually recorded. Their weight on check-in and on arrival in Bali was crucial. In Bali, customs and police ignored it.

February 2005, Denpasar District Court

Mr Winata was the first witness called when Schapelle Corby's trial opened in the Denpasar District Court, the equivalent of an Australian Supreme Court. Mr Winata said that when he told Corby to open the bag, she opened a front pocket, saying: "Nothing in there."

He again ordered her to open the main flap. "The suspect (appeared) to panic. When I opened the bag a little, she stopped me and said, 'No.' I asked why. She answered, 'I have some...' She looked confused."

Winata said he opened the bag and saw the flippers, the plastic bags with the marijuana and the bodyboard. "I asked the suspect what was in the plastic bags. She said it was marijuana. I asked her, 'How do you know?' She said, 'I smelled it when you opened the bag'." A second customs officer supported his evidence.

Asked for her response, Corby got to her feet and angrily declared: "He's lying." In a strong voice, she said: "I opened the bag at the customs counter. He did not ask me. I opened it myself. I saw a plastic bag inside. It had been half opened." Corby made a gesture of recoiling. "Oh! The smell!"

The marijuana was in a bag that has a nozzle through which air is extracted to compact the contents. Customs photos taken at Denpasar clearly show this bag was inserted upside down into another identical bag. Other photos show customs officers handling the marijuana through the bottom of the inner bag.

Yet the officers denied to Corby's lawyers that they opened the bodyboard bag after the drugs were detected by the X-ray machine, or that they inspected the drugs then shut the bag.

Corby said the bag had been unzipped and zipped shut. She indicated how the two zips now met in the middle, but she always zipped the bag shut from right to left with a single zip.

Mr Winata denied customs officers had slit open the inner bag. Corby said the bag was "half opened" and was giving off an overpowering smell. The customs officers confirmed her reaction.

In court, the inner bag was instantly noticeable: the bottom was sealed with black tape.

Asked to show the position of the drugs bag when he found it, Mr Winata placed it upright in the outside bag, with the taped end down - reversing the positions shown by the customs photographs. He insisted he had not made a mistake.

Prosecutor Ida Bagus Nyoman Wiswantanu did not question Mr Winata's answers.

Holes in the argument

The customs officers had neglected four basic investigative procedures. They handled the outside drug bag with unprotected hands, taking no precautions against contaminating the only item of evidence. They also handled the bottom of the inner bag when they took out the marijuana.

At the airport, Ally McComb, then later Mercedes, demanded the bags be fingerprinted. They got the same reply. "Too late. Too many people have touched them."

Corby's lawyer, Lily Sri Rahaya Lubis, and her assistant, Vasu Rasiah, insist that only the external bag was contaminated. Most of the bag that contained the drugs was still clean because it had not been removed from the outer bag. Only the bottom of the inner bag had been handled.

The fingerprint evidence is basic and important. If Corby's prints are on either bag, she is condemned. If they are not, it is strong evidence for the defence, although not conclusive.

In late December, after repeated requests to have the evidence fingerprinted, the lawyers confronted the director of Bali's drugs bureau, Senior Commissioner Bambang Sugiarto, in charge of the investigation.

Mr Sugiarto had the bags brought to his office in Ms Lubis's presence. "He confirmed the inside bag had not been removed. He said he would have it fingerprinted," Ms Lubis said. It wasn't.

But on February 3, when Corby made her second court appearance, the inner bag was taken out of the outer bag and handled freely by a number of people, including customs officer Winata, prosecutor Wiswantanu and assistant judge I Gusti Lanang Dauh.

Later that day the frustrated defence lawyers made a formal application to have the bags fingerprinted. Chief Judge Linton Sirait said he would consider it. Two court sittings later, the lawyers are still waiting for his decision.

A second basic procedure was overlooked at the airport. No attempt was made to search or weigh the other luggage, even after Corby demanded it. No mention was made of this by the prosecution. Or of the failure to take fingerprints.

The third overlooked procedure is even more basic. CCTV cameras at the Bali airport could corroborate or contradict Corby's account of what happened in customs. The prosecutor said the tapes were not checked. The defence has asked to see them. The prosecutor said he would check to see if they are available.

There was a fourth failure. The X-ray machine that detected the marijuana does not take photos. So no image was available to show the location of the marijuana in the bodyboard bag before it got to customs.

The prosecution closed its case on February 17. It relies entirely on indisputable evidence that the marijuana was found in Corby's bodyboard bag and on the contested testimony of two customs officers and two police about her actions and responses.

Thursday March 3, the defence begins

Schapelle Corby's lawyers have several points to make.

Why, if Corby was smuggling the drugs, did she not take the basic precaution of putting a lock on her bodyboard bag?

Why did she not put the drugs behind the bodyboard, which would have concealed them from anyone opening the bag? Why did she not try to conceal the contents of the plastic bags?

Why would anyone risk a death sentence smuggling marijuana to Bali, where it will sell for much less than in Australia?

Where is the police evidence that Corby or any of her family had connections with drug traffickers?

The federal police confirm that Corby has no criminal record. Queensland police have no intelligence to relate her to drugs.

The drug's wholesale price in Brisbane is $4000 for half a kilogram. Where did a woman who works in a fish and chip shop get the $36,000 it could cost to buy 4.1 kilograms?

The defence will argue that the marijuana was put in the bag in Brisbane by an employee with "airside" access, most likely for pickup in Sydney.

But the pickup was somehow missed and the marijuana travelled on to Bali. The defence will also argue that the drugs were placed in the wrong bag on the wrong flight.

They will argue that the positioning of the marijuana in front of the bodyboard indicates it was inserted in haste during transit.

The problem is that the defence can establish a lot of doubt but no proof. From the outset, Mr Wiswantanu insisted that the only way he would accept that Corby was innocent was proof - visual or by weight - that the marijuana was not in the bodyboard bag when she checked it in at Brisbane airport. Or visual evidence of someone putting the drugs in the bodyboard bag.

Any chance of getting that evidence has gone. Qantas says the CCTV tapes were wiped on November 2, two weeks before it received a letter from the lawyers officially requesting copies.

But Corby's lawyers say their first request for the tapes was made on October 14, six days after Corby's arrest, to a Qantas security official who had flown from Sydney to Denpasar to meet them. This request was repeated a number of times.

The lawyers say that, in the last week of October, the Qantas security official told them the tapes were going to be destroyed within a week. On October 28, they sent the security official an email, noting this, and requesting copies of the CCTV tapes before they were wiped. This did not happen.

Mr Wiswantanu is demanding the death penalty.

He has successfully prosecuted six foreigners for importing drugs, one of whom got the death penalty.

If she is convicted, Schapelle Corby will face a firing squad. She is fighting for her life.

[Randman]

1, Bali is part of Indonesia.
2, Bali is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
3, Bali natives are some of the nicest people in the world.
4, There have been plenty of Aussies who've been busted taking drugs there.
5, The fact that Canberra hasn't done much should say something.
6, Some simple research would give the numbers of Aussies and other foreigners held on drug charges in SE Asia.
7, The strong approach to drugs by these countries is a very good deterrent.

And fianlly,

8, This is the latest in your trumped-up xenophobic diatribes. You really need to stop reading so much of Drudge.

[ecoco]

Your article reeks of appeal to emotion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schapelle_Corby is much more balanced

[Randman]

The drug smuggler got 20 years.

Corby verdict: Guilty

A three judge panel in Bali, Indonesia, has found Australian tourist Schapelle Corby guilty of smuggling marijuana into the country and sentenced her to 20 years in jail.

The court also imposed a fine that amounts to about $A14,000.

"Judges are of the opinion that the accused imported marijuana,'' Judge Wayan Suastrawan said. "She was arrested red-handed at the airport.''

Ms Corby has until next week to appeal the decision, but commentators have suggested that higher courts are not only unlikely to overturn the trial court decision but could impose a harsher sentence.

Corby backer and Australian businessman Ron Bakir told reporters outside the courtroom that there would be an appeal.

Among the possible outcomes of the trial were a firing squad for Ms Corby.

The prosecution had asked the court to sentence her to life in prison.

As the sentence was being read out, the courtroom -- noisy throughout, to the point of hampering translation -- exploded into chaos as Ms Corby's family began shouting at the judges.

Ms Corby appeared deeply shaken by the verdict.

Wonder if it'll be like Bridget Jones' experience in Edge of Reason.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Anyone following the story of Schapelle Corby? It is a very interesting story, a sad one, that highlights that in a foreign country you may have no rights whatsoever if charged with a crime. In fact, you might very well lose your life because of antiquated legal or judicial systems or legal or judicial systems that do not presume your innocence.

Then don't travel to those countries. I would never travel to a US state that has the death penalt for example. Nor any other state with it.

[jbartone]

Poor Schappelle! I hope that we can atleast bring her back here to serve her sentence, I wouldn't wish something like serving time in some shithole prison in a shithole country on anyone.

I say **** Indonesia.

[jbartone]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Honestly, I thought of vacationing in Bali but after becoming acquainted with this story, I don't think I will ever visit there. Her story is a cautionary tale for everyone.

I feel much the same.

Blow up a nightclub full of Australians : Get 2.5 years.

"Smuggle" 4.2kg into a country already overrun with drugs : Get 20 years.

How does that work ?

[Cody Dawg]

Bingo, jbartone!



That is why I am wondering - along with millions of others.

This is at Drudge, Randman?

I had no idea, to be honest. I read the Sydney Telegraph because I visit Oz as I have a close relative there. That's why I'm familiar with this story.

Quit with Drudge rant, "Rantman."

[Cody Dawg]

And, anyway, it's not AT Drudge.

= Rantman.

[Warung]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Honestly, I thought of vacationing in Bali but after becoming acquainted with this story, I don't think I will ever visit there. Her story is a cautionary tale for everyone.

Just got back from vacationing there for 2 weeks. 'Had an awesome time. No worries here. Great people, really good food...fun times.

I must admit that I did check my luggage before entering the airport...several times. *g*

4 kilos of pot...meh. I feel sorry for her. I hope they win the appeal.

[Wiskedjak]

Cody, if a foreign national commits a crime in the US, should they be judged by the laws of their nation, or the laws of the US?

[BoomStick]

Indonesia is a cesspool of crime and radical islam.

The environmental damage there is down right criminal, yet the lefties seem to think that cheap child prostitutes and round the clock binge drinking makes up for it.

[bubblewrap]

Originally Posted by jbartone

I feel much the same.

Blow up a nightclub full of Australians : Get 2.5 years.

"Smuggle" 4.2kg into a country already overrun with drugs : Get 20 years.

How does that work ?

It's OK to kill "Christians".

[Warung]

Originally Posted by BoomStick

The environmental damage there is down right criminal, yet the lefties seem to think that cheap child prostitutes and round the clock binge drinking makes up for it.

[Cody Dawg]

I must admit that I did check my luggage before entering the airport...several times. *g*

Why? Because you knew that security was lax.

That is an AWESOME post.



Because it highlights a huge problem: How baggage is handled in OTHER countries.

Seriously, the United States has become extremely careful with screening measures, but what about countries that do not have the funding/money to put stringent screening measures into place?

Schapelle Corby may very well have been used as a "mule" or someone who unknowingly carries drugs into a country. I understand it is very common in South America and the Bahamas and other third world places where sometimes the "screening" is a table in an antiquated airport that is relatively unsophisticated. The only "screening" done is by looking at the person carrying the luggage or baggage. It seems to me that a wholesome young woman would be a perfect mule for a drug smuggler.

[Cody Dawg]

BTW, one rule of thumb that I have learned?

TRAVEL LIGHT.

NEVER CHECK BAGGAGE.

Seriously, no matter where I am traveling to I only bring what I can carry on in a carry-on bag and that's it. Sometimes that means wearing business attire and bringing two changes of clothes (mix and match) and two pairs of shoes, and other basics and that's it. Nothing else. If it cannot go on the aircraft with me then it doesn't go.

But, with Schapelle, she was bringing a body board with her, which could not be brought on board with her. Honestly, from everything I've seen and heard about her, she was a health nut and I cannot imagine someone who cares about their body and health smoking pot or taking drugs or being involved with that kind of thing.

[SVass]

http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-05-26-voa84.cfm
"The Bush administration has taken another step toward resuming full military to military relations with Indonesia. The decision was announced a day after a White House visit by Indonesian President Suslio Bambang Yudhoyono.

The United States restricted military aid to Indonesia more than a decade ago because of human rights concerns, and the Congress cut it off altogether in 1999 to protest the Indonesian army role in militia violence in East Timor."

Perfect timing by Karl Rove

I would suggest that one not go to corrupt foreign countries. It is far safer that way. I have restricted my travel to Canada and England. sam

[BoomStick]

Those are the last bastions friendly to terrorist sympathizers.

[Cody Dawg]

You're both correct.

I think it's very sad that the Australian government didn't work harder to actually do something to help Schapelle.

On the other hand, maybe trying to do more might have angered the Balinese "judges" and put her in front of a firing squad instead of getting 20 years.

Now, one thing I want to say?

I actually respect countries with tough drug laws. Singapore is another country like that. Turkey is another. The United States has fairly lax drug laws compared to other countries (even less industrialized countries) and look at the millions of addicts that this country has.

My spouse just had to fire a #1 top manager who came to us from another company because he failed his drug test. He was adamant that he does not take drugs and it is so unbelievable that he takes drugs that we wanted to believe him. So, we waited 30 days and tested again. Second time was worse because not only was he positive for drugs, but the test showed a dilution - meaning that he was flushing (or trying to.)

He's an attorney. When the second drug test came back and my spouse let him go, he said, "I know that I failed it and I'm sorry and I know I no longer have a job." It's very sad - he has a baby on the way any day. He chose doing drugs to having a job and taking care of his baby.

This country represents the #1 drug nation in the world whether it is because of legal drugs or illegal drugs. Where I live there is a drugstore on every single corner - literally. It's amazing.

[von Wrangell]

She smuggled drugs into another country?

4.3 kilos of THC.

She got what she deserved. When you go to other countries you are dealt with by their laws. Same reason I won't go to any conferences in the US. Too much risk of being treated in a way I won't accept being treated and just because they could suspect me of doing something.

[Cody Dawg]

Did you actually READ any of the initial post?

The point of the post, von Wrangell, is what you just mentioned: INNOCENT PEOPLE CAN BE CHARGED FOR CRIMES THEY DID NOT COMMIT.

Which is why you just stated you will not come into the United States:

Too much risk of being treated in a way I won't accept being treated and just because they could suspect me of doing something.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Randman

7, The strong approach to drugs by these countries is a very good deterrent.

Are you kidding? I've got better drug connections in China than I do in California.

[Cody Dawg]

That's interesting, nonhuman.

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Did you actually READ any of the initial post?

The point of the post, von Wrangell, is what you just mentioned: INNOCENT PEOPLE CAN BE CHARGED FOR CRIMES THEY DID NOT COMMIT.

Which is why you just stated you will not come into the United States:

Then she shouldn't have went there. And there is a very well known rule that when you travel you are responsible for your luggage. Doesn't matter if you are holding it for someone else(oldest trick in the book) or left your own luggage unguarded. It's your responsibility to check what is in your luggage.

If you don't you are responsible for any crime that might have happened.

[BoomStick]

In other words the US is the only country that you can trust not to railroad an innocent person.
If they are detained, it means they must be guilty and need immediate prosecution.

I'm glad to see our great security people keeping these middle eastern terrorists at bay.

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by BoomStick

In other words the US is the only country that you can trust not to railroad an innocent person.
If they are detained, it means they must be guilty and need immediate prosecution.

I'm glad to see our great security people keeping these middle eastern terrorists at bay.

Never heard about Guantanamo then....... Or the Arab-Americans that have been detained for months without any legal protection......

Oh, I forgot. You want the Arabs in America and around the world to be held without any legal protection. Silly me.

[Cody Dawg]

I'm confused BoomStick.

What are you saying? I don't think the US is the only country that people can trust.

However, I think our security here is better than in Indonesia post 9/11...usually.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Shame nobody could show that the drugs belonged to someone else.

[BoomStick]

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

Never heard about Guantanamo then....... Or the Arab-Americans that have been detained for months without any legal protection......

The difference is that woman wasn't a filthy terrorist shooting at people.

If they are in Guatanamo, they are guilty, otherwise they wouldn't be there.

[PacHead]

She should have killed hundreds of people instead. She would have recieved a lighter sentence in the terrorist cesspool known as Indonesia. Such crimes are taken lightly there, especially when infidels are slaughtered.

Of course, if she was a terrorist, then the same people who claim she is guilty in this drug case, would be whining and moaning about her release.

As for myself, you won't find me travelling to such primitive and barbaric places, where they have Fred Flintstone justice systems, and the chances of getting railroaded are very real.

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by BoomStick

The difference is that woman wasn't a filthy terrorist shooting at people.

If they are in Guatanamo, they are guilty, otherwise they wouldn't be there.

Is that why they have been releasing people from there without bringing up any charges against ever since it opened?

Must make you furious that the US government just lets terrorists walk without punishing them.

[PacHead]

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

Is that why they have been releasing people from there without bringing up any charges against ever since it opened?

Must make you furious that the US government just lets terrorists walk without punishing them.

A few have been released to their home countries, which have pledged to keep an eye on them. Quite a few of the released terrorists have gone back to terrorist acts, so it's a huge mistake to release any of the terrorist psychos from Gitmo. In a war, nobody should be released before the war is over. The terrorist scum at Gitmo are being treated far, far better than they deserve.

[SVass]

Originally Posted by PacHead

A few have been released to their home countries, which have pledged to keep an eye on them. Quite a few of the released terrorists have gone back to terrorist acts, so it's a huge mistake to release any of the terrorist psychos from Gitmo. In a war, nobody should be released before the war is over. The terrorist scum at Gitmo are being treated far, far better than they deserve.

You are wrong! We signed a treaty requiring an evidentiary hearing for all captured combatants to determine if they were lawful prisoners of war. Until the hearing they can not be treated otherwise. After a long period, the Bush-Rove group has started the process. Some, against whom there is zero evidence, are being released. Some are being sent back to allied countries because their governments insist due to political pressure. We continue to intentionally violate the Geneva Conventions by denying fair hearings and proper prisoner of war treatment. War criminals like drug smugglers should be tried. sam

[PacHead]

Originally Posted by SVass

You are wrong! We signed a treaty requiring an evidentiary hearing for all captured combatants to determine if they were lawful prisoners of war. Until the hearing they can not be treated otherwise. After a long period, the Bush-Rove group has started the process. Some, against whom there is zero evidence, are being released. Some are being sent back to allied countries because their governments insist due to political pressure. We continue to intentionally violate the Geneva Conventions by denying fair hearings and proper prisoner of war treatment. War criminals like drug smugglers should be tried. sam

The terrorists do not fall under the Geneva conventions, and therefore we are not bound to treat them by those conventions. We are also therefore not violating anything.

[Cody Dawg]

As for myself, you won't find me travelling to such primitive and barbaric places, where they have Fred Flintstone justice systems, and the chances of getting railroaded are very real.

I think the same.

It's the Keystone Cops in places like that.

[Cody Dawg]

Many callers to radio talk shows in Australia were incensed, and some said they regretted making donations to Indonesian tsunami victims, The Associated Press reported. Others called for Australians to boycott Bali.

Even before the sentence, there were calls for Australians to boycott the popular holiday destination of Bali and to ban Indonesian products.

I think boycotting and avoiding Bali is a great idea, actually.

When they REFUSE to let the poor woman present any defense witnesses - which is what happened - during her kangaroo court trial then it smacks of shakedown and illegality and corruption.

I'll never vacation there. Hawaii is just as nice, the waves are bigger, and we're still in America.

[Randman]

Sorry Cody but as great as Hawaii is, Bali is much nicer.

[BoomStick]

If you like slave children prostitutes and transvestites.

[Cody Dawg]

Funny!

I have a friend who lives in Hawaii and once in a while goes to Bali to surf. (Actually, he's the guy that I told AKCrab to hook up with in Kauai.) He says it's quite lovely.

But, I'm serious when I say that there are places where it's not safe.

A number of years ago I had to fly into Tanzania. Went into Nairobi and then drove down to Arusha.

Well, while we were there the country/government arbitrarily made up a new rule: No Americans were allowed to drive home across the border. In other words, we had to fly. Problem is, the flights were booked up solid for about 3 weeks so we were stuck in Arusha and unable to leave. We paid someone to smuggle us across the border - literally. He took us to a checkpoint where he bribed the guards with $200 to let us through and then he drove like crazy back Nairobi. It was really frightening. Because, when we paid them we didn't know if all of a sudden they were going to arrest us and throw away the key or even shoot at us. These people are so third world - it was unbelievable.

There are so many other "beautiful" places in the world besides Bali. Hundreds.

Once place we went that was amazingly beautiful was Dominica I would go back in a heartbeat. I never had a fear of Muslim terrorists and kangaroo court judicial system.

[Randman]

The terrorists in the Bali bombing came from a different part. Most of Bali is Hindu and they can be the nicest people around.
As far as kangaroo courts, would you put yourself in the risk of doing something stupid? I love how everyone claims she is innocent. Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. My feeling is if she was setup, some investigator, lawyer, Aussie advocate could find something to cast doubt on the claim.

As far as BoomStick's comment, you must be thinking of a) Vietnam's Nha Trang beach and b) Thailand's Phuket beach, both are hours away from Bali.

And to compare Africa with Bali is just plain ignorant.

[Cody Dawg]

Yes, you're always right and everyone else is always wrong, Rantman.



You are the type of person who automatically just opposes a position...because.

You haven't even considered or read about or investigated the case with her. If you had you would know that there are MANY "advocates" who DID find witnesses willing to testify for her.

[Randman]

No Cody, I did read about the situation. Mostly from Aussie newspapers. But I don't jump to conclusions the way you seem to do quite often, which goes hand in hand with the fact that your facts don't always seem to be factual.
I just find it funny that you have such a gung-ho opinion of this person without actually considering if she could indeed have been guilty of something. and going off on tangents about how Bali is a dangerous place is silly. Please, go somewhere if you're going to talk about it.
Otherwise it comes across as another yenta who should have a blog.

[SVass]

Originally Posted by PacHead

The terrorists do not fall under the Geneva conventions, and therefore we are not bound to treat them by those conventions. We are also therefore not violating anything.

Sorry, there has to be a hearing to determine that the Geneva conventions do not apply! Our own courts have so ruled! Bush has lost in every court so far! They are not terrorists until a court says so. Your opinion and the opinion of Bush do not count.

Stay out of every country that has a dictator. If you are a Muslim of middle east descent, then stay out of weak democracies also as you may get grabbed by the CIA. sam

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by PacHead

The terrorists do not fall under the Geneva conventions, and therefore we are not bound to treat them by those conventions. We are also therefore not violating anything.

Keep telling yourself that. There was another country not to long ago that "circumvented" the rules. I doubt you want to be remembered in the future like that.

[von Wrangell]

People here seem to be forgetting the rules and regulations that apply when flying. I guess you don't fly much.

You are responsible for everything you take across the customs. It is your responsibility to make sure nothing has been put in your bags and that you are not carrying something for someone else.

If you get caught with something(like she was) you are just as guilty whether you knew about the drugs you carried or not.

[Cody Dawg]

If you get caught with something(like she was) you are just as guilty whether you knew about the drugs you carried or not.

NO, you are NOT.

If someone sets you up - plants the drugs there without your knowledge or permission - then you are NOT guilty. Saying that someone is guilty for a crime that they did not commit is stupid.

IF "someone" is guilty it is the airline company that allowed it to happen. That is specifically why Qantas airlines has been trying to help this woman and even tried to testify in her defense.

In fact, hundreds of Australians have launched complaints about how their belongings were ransacked and pilfered en route to Indonesia. There is something very wrong.

Another example? Jack Osbourne. He lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in items traveling recently; when he arrived at his destination his luggage had been opened and his belongings were stolen.

[Cody Dawg]

Here's the CNN splash page article.

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

[SVass]

You are missing the important point. The admitted drug abuser Bush is supporting Indonesia, while not admitting any personal responsibility for his own crimes against humanity. Ask whether the US should grant Indonesia financial and police torture advice support? sam

[bubblewrap]

Let's forget about Clinton's Indonesia Enron deal.

[Cody Dawg]

I'm getting confused.

How do any of these things have something to do with Schapelle Corby or Bali's laws?



Nevermind me. I'm going to exercise for a while, I suppose.