Schapelle Corby
May 28th, 2005 at 10:39 am by David FarrarCathy thinks the Schapelle Corby verdict is an outrage. She also has some excellent travel advice for travelling to “bongo bongo” countries.
Cathy also recounts the time she had some difficulties in a foreign country (and I can verify it was true, as I was doing my small part to help through the UK High Commission). The advice from NZ Govt was “Cathy, do you still have your passport”, “yes”, “oh good – then just get the fuck out of there”.
Her conclusion based on market economics is that “not even an Australian is stupid enough to risk their life to smuggle something as worthless as marijuana INTO Indonesia. It’s akin to importing Coconuts into the Pacific Islands, ice to Antarctica or alligators to New Orleans!
I’m not quite so convinced. From what I have heard Australian marijuana is much more valuable than the local variety and the 4 kgs had a street value of $80,000.
I certainly think the Indonesian legal system has not given her a fair trial. I am less convinced she is necessairly innocent. According to Wikipedia, the customs officer at the airport “he asked Corby to open her bag and she opened up an empty compartment of the bag. When he demanded a different compartment of the bag to be opened, she tried to prevent him from performing his duty”
Almost everyone found smuggling drugs claims “Oh someone else put them there”. Now soemtimes this may be true, but no-one would ever be convicted of drug smuggling if it was accepted at face value. Where the Indonesian justice system has failed though is not finger-printing the bag etc.
It is also unfortunate her father has a (minor) drugs conviction. It shouldn’t be a factor but when trying to convince a court that you would never be involved in this sort of thing, I suspect stuff like that does count.
Now don’t get me wrong. The Indonesian justice system has not been fair, and a 20 years sentence is absolutely way over the top. However one can not rule out the possibility that Corby , despite knowing the penalties, did decide to risk it and make some “easy” money.
No tag for this post.
May 28th, 2005 at 10:59 am
I’m sure I read somewhere that marijuana’s value in Australia is significantly higher than in Indonesia, and that she’d have to be brain dead (from a business point of view) to export from Australia. If this is true it would certainly lend weight to her claims of innocence.
Anybody know if this is true?
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:13 am
4 kgs of dope is a staggeringly large amount – very difficult to plant on someone, and you’d have to be pretty daft to carry 4kgs of anything that bulky through customs without noticing the extra weight.
Of course the sentence is outrageous – but there ARE huge orange posters all over Denpasar airport advertising ‘Death Penalty to Drug Smugglers’ . . .
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:38 am
“If this is true it would certainly lend weight to her claims of innocence.”
This point has been advanced by several others. I cannot follow why this would lend weight to her innocence. Clearly, *someone* (perhaps Corby herself) believed it was a good idea to smuggle dope from Oz to Bali.
If this made sense to someone, it might also have made sense to Corby, right???
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:39 am
The Australian marijuana’s is a much higher quality. Evidentally the Bali varient is closer to hemp, and I would guess that the THC content is much lower. The Bali varient is better for making rope etc.
So there is a definate reason for importing marijuana’s from Australia to Bali.
I heard the same thing about the Bag search from a journo talking to Martin Devlin on Devlin Live. I wonder how much other information coming out in the trial hasnt been heard due to possible biased reporting.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:42 am
I agree her defence does not have the ring of truth about it. 20years for this seems a bit stiff. I understand she has meade 19 trips to Bali if true why??? I assume her distress is really at what her fate is going to be rather than a feeling that there has been a miscarriage of justice. It will do nothing for the Bali tourist industry.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:50 am
Also – let me be the first to point out that Cathys advice about ‘Bongo Bongo countries’ – which apparently include such alien cesspits of corruptoin as Sweden, Japan, Switzerland and Singapore – is almost entirely worthless.
Try following rule number 3 – Do not speak unless you are spoken to and even then you have to measure whether the person understands English. If they do not then you loudly say “English”, “English”. Never say anything that can be confused as saying “yes” or “no”. EVER. -somewhere like Israel or Saudi Arabia and they’ll have your pants around your ankles before you can blink.
In general, if you’re in a tourist trap like Bali the authorities will bend over backwards not to set you up or screw you over. Their entire economy depends on tourism, they don’t want to endanger it by shaking down New Zealanders for a packet of cigerettes.
And if you ARE going somewhere a little more interesting – Chechnya, Liberia, Nuristan ect – the place to go for advice is here:
Vote:http://www.comebackalive.com/df/dplaces.htm
May 28th, 2005 at 11:55 am
While I believe that Schapelle is guilty, I’m not to worried about the apparently excessive length of her sentence. There’s two ways ahead from the trial – the appeal and the political deal. The appeal could see her sentence cut to something more realistic depending on how savvy the appeal court judges are. However I would be more inclined to throw the appeals to get them over ASAP so that the far more likely political process can begin. This will have Schapelle being quietly repatriated after a couple of years in the clink. Of course the Aussies wouldn’t bother doing this for any old drug smuggler but that Schapelle looks cute even during her frequent bouts of waterworks, it’s damaging to relations with Indonesia to have her inside.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
>> However one can not rule out the possibility that Corby , despite knowing the penalties, did decide to risk it and make some “easy” money.
So why didn’t she take a direct flight, then? If you were going to smuggle drugs, would you really choose to travel through *two* airports rather than just one?!
And how can it be ‘easy money’ (or any money at all) when by all accounts she would have made a massive loss on the deal?
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 12:05 pm
The prosecution are appealling on the grounds that 20 years in prison was too lenient. They want Corby to get life.
Meanwhile in Kanchanaburi, a Thai policeman who cold-bloodedly murdered two British backpackers has been sentenced to life for the murder of Vanessa Arscott (“As Miss Arscott ran away screaming for help he ran her down in his car and shot her three times”) and just over 33 years for killing Adam Lloyd.
The parents of the murdered couple sought the death penalty.
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/27/wthai27.xml
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 12:20 pm
I am not entirely convinced of Schapelle Corby’s innocence and people do try to do some stupid things when the lure of large amounts of cash beckons. However, I agree that the sentence handed out by the court is over the top, particularly considering the same court has allowed one of the Bali bombing masterminds to walk off with a sentence of a few years. A mad Muslim murderer kills and injures hundreds and gets a slap on the wrist and a girl imports a substance used for getting high and has her life ruined. Doesn’t really add up.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 12:34 pm
With all due respect to Cathy, I’d be more impressed if the Ocker media could have done the same full court press when Australian citizen Nguyen Tuong Van was sentenced to death in Singapore for drug smuggling.
I have to wonder if Deryn Hinch has a point, and the MSM wouldn’t have given a damn if Corby wasn’t a cute, middle-class white girl who (of course) could never, ever do such a thing.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 1:09 pm
point nimber one…weed is worth much more in aussie than bali..
some of the strongest weed i have ever smoked came from bali..so that ‘they have bad weed’ line just dosen’t hold up..
the weed was not packed for a customs run..it was just sitting loose in a bag in a bag..it looked like good weed so the smell must have been overpowering..
so the reasoning of smuggling aussie pot to bali just dosen’t hold up..on many levels..
and how it was packed means either an incredibly stupid person did it (if so my moneys on the boofhead brother who was there..anyone else seen him on tv yet?..cor!)
or it was never going to pass customs in the first place..which of course supports the interstate smuggling defence..
(having lived there for a while and having known some colorful characters, this interstate dope transport scenario makes perfect sense..)
and it has been proved this method was already being used to transport other drugs…
this one could have been a freelance on the side or anything..with missed communications at the other end meaning it carried on to bali being the likely scenario..
but as far as indonesian law is concerned all those interstate transport defences and the like didn’t mean diddly squat..
just the fact the weed was found in a bag she admitted was hers was it..cut and dried..over and out..
and of course, if she was brown and not pretty in a pakuranga/glenfield sort of way, the aussies wouldnt have given a toss about her fate..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 1:13 pm
And DPF wrote:
Now don’t get me wrong. The Indonesian justice system has not been fair, and a 20 years sentence is absolutely way over the top.
I reply:
Well, I’m sure there are aspects of Australasian law and jurisprudence Indonesian observers would find ridiciulous, unfair and “way over the top”. Wonder what the reaction would be here if New Zealanders abroad were subjected to racial abuse, media vilification and threats against out diplomatic posts if an Indonesian citizen was convicted under our drug laws.
I certainly don’t think the MSM and public hysteria in Australia (often with a pretty nasty racist edge, sorry to say) will do a damn thing to influence meaningful law and judicial reform in the neighbourhood.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 1:29 pm
David, you said “The Indonesian justice system has not been fair, and a 20 years sentence is absolutely way over the top. However one can not rule out the possibility that Corby , despite knowing the penalties, did decide to risk it …”
All that’s true, but doesn’t this case and its outcome impel you to question at all the puritanical and hypocritical War on Drugs that has empowered the whole tragic bloody circus?
If she is guilty, as I suspect she is, should what she is guilty of even be considered a crime? I suggest the anger and outrage at the decision would be directed instead at the outrageous War on Drugs.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 3:33 pm
The fact that she is a cleanskin at age 27,and has no drug convictions at all causes me to think she is probably innocent. It is extremely rare for males {even Maori} to commence offending once they reach 25. If she was engaged in drug sales to this degree then her activities and those of her associates at each end would come in for some serious investigation. It appears no-one else is suspected of involvement. As others have stated the double airport stop, and the economics don’t stack up. Her sister lives in Bali so she would be well aware of the penalties, so why not shift opiates or meths…easier to conceal easier to sell, greater profits same penalty. The subsequent arrest of Bagagge handlers who were already under suspicion at the time of her arrest throws further doubt on her guilt. I might be wrong but for once I would vote Not Guilty.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 4:27 pm
For those who thinks the drugs were planted, why would anyone move drugs by air within Australia ? Load up your car or truck and move huge quantities with an almost zero chance of detection. Smuggling it via peoples luggage is just so unlikely. Cocaine or Heroin, maybe. And, 4.5 Kg of dope is big, so big that no one could miss the addition to your luggage. Think, your board bag starts out at one size, and when you pick it up is has the equivalent of a very large pillow case stuffed full inside it. Aussie dope is smuggled to Bali, it has a premium value.
A poster on Tim Blair’s blog asserts from the court evidence that her bag was weighed at check in and in Bali, at the same weight, which is worth checking because if true, it blows a hole right through the planted evidence scenario.
I believe that on the evidence as I have seen it that she is almost certainly guilty, and in the circumstances she received as fair a trial as she was ever likely to get. 20 years is a long sentence, but it can’t be emphasized too much, you must obey the local laws. We (and the Australians) expect that of indonesians and others coming here, they have the same right in their own country.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 4:27 pm
For those who thinks the drugs were planted, why would anyone move drugs by air within Australia ? Load up your car or truck and move huge quantities with an almost zero chance of detection. Smuggling it via peoples luggage is just so unlikely. Cocaine or Heroin, maybe. And, 4.5 Kg of dope is big, so big that no one could miss the addition to your luggage. Think, your board bag starts out at one size, and when you pick it up is has the equivalent of a very large pillow case stuffed full inside it. Aussie dope is smuggled to Bali, it has a premium value.
A poster on Tim Blair’s blog asserts from the court evidence that her bag was weighed at check in and in Bali, at the same weight, which is worth checking because if true, it blows a hole right through the planted evidence scenario.
I believe that on the evidence as I have seen it that she is almost certainly guilty, and in the circumstances she received as fair a trial as she was ever likely to get. 20 years is a long sentence, but it can’t be emphasized too much, you must obey the local laws. We (and the Australians) expect that of indonesians and others coming here, they have the same right in their own country.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 4:34 pm
Sorry about the double post. David, your comments software has faults. The first post was rejected for having the wrong security code, which, as it has been posted, it obviously did not. Other times I have had comments that simply fail to make contact when posted. I use Safari 1.3, is that an issue, or is it a general problem ?
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 4:42 pm
Until today i was convinced the young lady was innocent. Now I’m not so sure. I read that Australian grown Maori Bananas is worth heaps more than the local hooch in Bali. I read the young lady (27) has visited Bali 19 times.(Thats a hell of a lot of expensive trips for a girl from one tropical region to another unless it’s for business) I see John Howard is not joining the fray abusing the Indon legal process. (Does he know something we don’t?) It seems entirely possible Bali has been treated as an extension of the Australian market by Australian dealers and Ms Corby may have been one of their mules.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 4:44 pm
“It is extremely rare for males {even Maori} to commence offending once they reach 25.” – what a prick of a thing to say
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:02 pm
Hobbo the prick is that the comment is true. Young maori men go through a prolonged adolescence through-out their twenties. By the time they reach 30 with the responsibility of families they grow up and their offending rate drops to that of the general community. They are good people, easy to deal with, capable of reason but many many young maori men spend a lot of their 20′s in prison. My theory is they are largely brought up by their mothers, father is absent discipline is absent from their lives and have no sense of self discipline until family responsibilities catch up and enable them to grow up. I seen it heaps and heaps of times. the demon drink is a huge factor.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:28 pm
If an Indonesian was charged with a similar offence he would get nowhere near 20 years possibly only two years in a much better prison with all the amenities with nowhere near the danger. This case stinks to high heaven and I hope the Aussies protest to hades about this case.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:29 pm
‘capable of reason’
can be taught simple tricks . . .
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:35 pm
First sentence should read “If an Indonesian was charged with a similar offence here in NZ etc.”
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:35 pm
Getting back to the subject for a moment, Ed you said “20 years is a long sentence, but it can’t be emphasized too much, you must obey the local laws. We (and the Australians) expect that of indonesians and others coming here, they have the same right in their own country.”
Crap. It’s wrong there and it’s wrong there. It’s obviously advisable to be prudent if you’re the one contemplating the illegality, but it’s quite appropriate for us to decide whether or not the law is an ass wherever it is. Which it is.
Doesn’t matter what country they’re in, no one has a ‘right’ to lock someone up because they don’t like the drugs in their carry-on luggage.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:37 pm
Getting back to the subject for a moment, Ed you said “20 years is a long sentence, but it can’t be emphasized too much, you must obey the local laws. We (and the Australians) expect that of indonesians and others coming here, they have the same right in their own country.”
Crap. It’s wrong there and it’s wrong here. It’s obviously advisable to be prudent if you’re the one contemplating the illegality, but it’s quite appropriate for us to decide whether or not the law is an ass wherever it is. Which it is.
Doesn’t matter what country they’re in, no one has a ‘right’ to lock someone up because they don’t like the drugs in their carry-on luggage.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:38 pm
Whoops, that should read ” It’s wrong there and it’s wrong here.”
And Ed’s right, David. Your comments software is playing up.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 5:55 pm
I’m with you on this one DPF. She quite probably is guilty. Or the defense wasn’t worth a dime.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 6:15 pm
If she has visited 19 times that is very suspicious. Also very stupid if she is a drug smuggler as one would get a profile.
PC – Where I’m not a pure libertarian is that while favouring decriminalisation for personal use, I am not convinced banning drug dealing is wrong. In a perfect society if everyone had perfect information about the health risks of drugs, less of an issue, but I am not sure 14 year old kids are great at informed choices.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 6:15 pm
I have only kept half an eye on this case and up until today was convinced Corby was innocent -having read other posts I am not so sure. I agree with Craig Ranapia that if she wasn’t photogenic her fate would have mean’t diddly to Australians.(spot on with the Pakurange/Glenfield look to Craig)
But I have no faith in the so called Indonesian ‘Justice’ system, just look how the Bali Bombers who murdered 202 people, many Aussies, were feted like rock stars during their court appearances and let off with light sentences. So we have a clear message from Indonesia that mass murder is ok and a stupid Aussie bimbo with a large amount of dak is the face of unspeakable evil. Pleae no one start me up on Islam being the religion of peace, justice and compassion please.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 7:53 pm
“But I have no faith in the so called Indonesian ‘Justice’ system, just look how the Bali Bombers who murdered 202 people, many Aussies, were feted like rock stars during their court appearances and let off with light sentences.”
Light sentences? The four people involved in the bombing got either the death sentence or a life sentence. How is this light? How were they “feted like rock stars”?
Bashir who is seen as the mastermind behind the Bali bombings was convicted on the charge of conspiracy, but was acquitted on the charge of terrorism. Even if he had have been convicted on the charge of terrorism, this would likely have been overturned on appeal, becuase the Constitutional Court had previously found that the terrorism law could not be applied retrospectively (the law was not in place until after the Bali bombing). While I wish the police (and that includes the Australia Federal Police who were involved in the investigation in Indonesia) were able to find the evidence of Bashir’s guilt, they weren’t. There was evidence presented at his trial, but certainly no smoking gun. Now, how many other legal systems, particularly in 1st world countries, have also suffered from the same problem of trying to convict people on terrorism charges? I think you will find terrorism it is very difficult to prove in a court of law.
tonto:
“If an Indonesian was charged with a similar offence he would get nowhere near 20 years possibly only two years in a much better prison with all the amenities with nowhere near the danger. This case stinks to high heaven and I hope the Aussies protest to hades about this case.”
What absolute crap.
“Indonesian Kiagus Zainal Abidin was sentenced to death by the South Sumatra High Court for trafficking 58.7kg of marijuana. ”
http://www.westpapua.net/news/02/05/160502-law.htm
Sure that is a lot more than Corby, but it is the same charge. There are 9 Indonesian in total on death row for drugs. Could you please tell me where this special jail for Indonesians is? Perhaps, you can tell the Indonesians who are in the same jail as Corby so they can apply for a transfer.
I think you will find that westerners get better treatment in many Asian jails as they have their Embassy and international organisations there to complain to. Nobody cares about the Indonesian prisoners and they usually get the rough end of the stick. I wonder if an Indonesian prisoner would be allowed to get as many visitors as Corby does?
DPF:
Doesn’t a fair trial go the procedures involved in the trial as opposed to the evidence.
There is conflicting evidence on how many times she has visited Bali, she has said in an interview on 60 Minutes, it was only 5-6 times.
I agree with your point about the length of sentencing, but as Helengrad has said (one of few sensible things to come out of her mouth)
“…sends a clear message to Kiwis that when you go overseas you can
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 8:54 pm
Correcting an error within my message;
Vote:If an Indonesian was charged with the same offence in NEW ZEALAND he would get nowhere near 20 years possibly only two years in a much better prison with all the amenities with nowhere near the danger. This case stinks to high heaven and I hope the Aussies protest to hades about this case.
May 28th, 2005 at 9:01 pm
Jay – didn’t you see TV coverage or read on-line editions of Aussies newspapers at the time of the Bali Bombing Trial, I was appalled at the pictures of Indonesians at the Trial crying and screaming to touch the accused Bombers (hence my rock star analogy) and praising them in the name of Allah? Apparently offers of marriage were pledged too.Relatives of the dead had their grief compounded by these sick fools and the Aussie media was very critical of the way the Bombing was minimised by Indonesian civil and religious authorities who in part, blamed the victims for bringing on their deaths due to their ‘decadence’.I am aware of Bashir getting off the hook and appreciate the need for rock solid evidence but I still stand by my unease of Indonesian Justice
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 9:36 pm
Sally: No, I didn’t see the coverage so I take your point on that it is despicable, but I don’t see how it relates to the processes of the Indonesian judicial system. The Indonesian justice system dealt harshly with the 4 Bali bombers, they can’t be responsible for what individual Indonesians do. Serial murders/rapists in NZ/Australia sometimes get marriage proposals as well, but this doesn’t make their judicial systems unjust it just means there are sickos in every society.
Tonto:
If the 4 people involved in the Bali bombing had been charged with same offence in New Zealand, they wouldn’t have got the death sentence or life in prision, should Australians protest about as well then.
If you don’t want to face an Indonesian court, don’t go to Indonesia. The government can only provide consular assistance when you arrested overseas, they cannot get off the charges, you are on your own.
I agree with what Craig says above if the situation was reversed and Indonesians were protesting about the NZ/Australian judidical system, what would our opinions be then?
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:39 pm
I found it staggering that Oz has even got as far down the track re: prisoner transfer as they seem to. At university, I took a paper hosted each week by a different MFAT secretary, and whenever it came up, the response was the same: If you get into shit overseas, the most that MFAT will do is provide a phone so that you can call home and ask for money. In contrast to America (and it would now seem, australia), NZ will not and cannot get involved in the judicial process of another sovereign country.
Oz and Indo. have an uneasy relationship with each other that is tinged with a real fear (on both sides). The ‘Tomorrow, when the war began’ series by John Marsden underlined that exquisitely.
You really have to have a screw loose to get involved with drugs in a place like Indonesia. Everyone should know that. If you suspect anything [tampering], you need to sort it quick because the consequences are devastating.
What I didn’t understand was that she admitted the drugs were hers, didn’t she? or she admitted something which absolutely blew her case apart. Either way, surely Aussie investigators would have been working overtime to work out whether the drug transfer scenario was possible/plausible/actual. Surely??? Is Schapelle the goat which federal drug investigators have hung out to dry as an example to others?
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:45 pm
Of course if Lord PC says she’s guilty then she must be guilty! Rubbish. At least before spouting off here I researched the situation. First, the street value was high but in Australia not in Bali. There the value was estimated at $4000AU while it’s Australian value was estimated at $36,000. So someone who scrimped and saved to buy her plane ticket allegedly went out and paid for drugs so she could get back 10% of her original investment. Okay that makes sense! But PC says she guilty so who am I to argue.
Second, local deals in pot in Bali were interviewed and all of them told the press that they think she’s innocent and that her crime didn’t make sense. They all said why import it from Australia to Bali. They also noted that the argument that it was for Australians willing to pay higher prices didn’t make sense. As they said to reporters they need a steady supply to do that not a once off thing. And there is no steady supply since the risks are so high and it’s so easy to get locally and so cheap. They noted anyone wanting a bigger high could just smoke more and it was most cost efficient at their low prices compared to the high price for the other. But an authority on everythig says she’s guilty.
Third, it was noted that baggage handlers in Australia were working with a drug smuggling ring. Drugs would be put in unlocked baggage in Brisbane. When it arrived in Sydney a handler there would take it out. It was allegedly put in her bag in Brisbane and got missed in Sydney. An inmate says two dealers in his prison were complaining that just such a shipment from Brisban to Sydney had not been retrieved and went on to Bali by mistake. That makes more sense as the drugs in Sydney could be sold at the high prices they wouldn’t get in Bali. But of course she’s already been pronounced guilty here.
Fourth, I wouldn’t trust the little weasels who work in Customs in third world nations one bit. Only the one custom agent said she acted this way. As for the weight. Inside the bag was a boogie board and flippers. I believe she brought it in and checked it (odd place to hide the stuff since it was unlocked — odd for her not for people who didn’t have keys to locks). When it arrived in Bali her brother picked it up. If she carried it in and he carried it out he may not be aware of the weight difference and neither would shel. He set it down and the customs agent asked if it was his and he said yes. She interrupted and said it was actually her’s. Not acting guilty there. She said she lifted it up and thought something was wrong. She unzipped it and saw this plastic bag inside that wasn’t there before. She said she suddenly had this idea that this could be like what she saw in the films. She says after unzipping she also noted the strong smell of marijuana. But she had unzipped it and then zipped it again. Reasonable response I think. Surely if she knew it was there she would have taken more precaution in hiding it and wrapping it in regards to the smell.
Normally all bags are x-rayed. The Airport in Brisbane says her’s was not. It was not scanned in any way. So someone decided not to scan it. Who? Could it be the baggage person who hide the drugs? I didn’t know if she was guilty or not but the more I read the more I was convinced she was. Secondly, even if she wasn’t she doesn’t deserve this. The country is barbaric. But I don’t have revealed wisdom just facts so I bow to the superior wisdom of others — not!
Finally, David, your argument is bonkers. If not knowing the health risks of drugs means we can ban dealers then not knowing the health risks of fatty foods, sugar, cigarettes, etc means we can ban them. Or do people really know their are risks and not care? I suspect the latter. They don’t need to be physicians and know the precises risks. EVERYONE knows these things have risks. And they do it anyway. That is no justification for banning drug dealers, cigarette pushers, Columbian sugar dealers, etc.
Vote:May 28th, 2005 at 11:56 pm
Bonjour,
Vote:To all who still didn’t know yet: BALI BOMBERS HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH by Indonesian government. I’m also less convinced about Corby’s innocence since it’s wondering me why she didn’t realize that her bag has an additional 4,1 kg of weight? Well 4,1 kg is surely heavy as a baby.
May 29th, 2005 at 12:48 am
to notsosure,
I am sorry to say that your arguments are nonesense.
1. The Australians in Bali really want to pay high for better Mari from Aust. Even if there’s no steady supply it make them even willing to pay more. It’s surely valued even more in Bali then merely $36,000 in Aust.
2. You can transport your Mari in Aust. by truck or voiture, it’s simply much less risks than by plane.
3. If you know Bali as I do live there for 7 years, you’ll know that in Denpasar Airport Corby’s brother couldn’t meet her until she pass the check counter. So how could he met her and took her bag to the check counter? so in my opinion many of your arguments are based on fabricated facts.
In fact that if she’s caught in Malaysia or S’pore, she will be sent to heaven as soon as possible. The judge I think is quiet full of consideration if not unfair gave her a light punishment maybe just because she’s a pretty white Australian. I surely can tell that in France we wouldn’t give you a damn thing whether you’re a white pretty Australian or not.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 2:18 am
Ever since I heard about this story, I’ve found myself less and less able to control my reptilian hindbrain urges to throw rationality to the wind, become a neoconservative, and start beating my chest like an ape, growling with a distended jaw, for Corby’s freedom or blood running in the streets of Jakarta.
There is nothing that gets my blood boiling more than a show-trial and false (or trial-less) imprisonment. It’s part of why I’m leaving the U.S.
What’s the point of having someone conservative and willing to use force like Howard if he’s going to sit on his ass when for once, someone’s done something actually worth rattling sabers over?
At any rate, I wrote my senators and congressman and told them to withdraw any sort of tsunami aid to Indonesia – I’m wondering if they’ll consider it. It does mean $400b that they won’t have to spend – or can spend elsewhere – so I figure it might only take one or two letters…
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 7:41 am
The Age have a laundry list of prosecution evidence:
1. The vacuum-sealed marijuana was in a boogie board bag that Corby admitted owning.
2. Customs official Gusti Nyoman Winata said he asked Corby to open the bag, but she unzipped only a front pocket. “When I opened it a bit, she said: ‘No’,” Mr Winata said. “I asked: ‘Why?’, and she said: ‘I have some,’ and looked confused.” Mr Winata added that she blocked his hand to stop him opening the main zip.
3. Corby disputed Mr Winata’s version, but there was no CCTV system in operation to support her denial.
4. A second customs official said Corby admitted owning the drugs.
5. Corby failed to notice the bag’s extra weight. Her excuse was that the bag’s handle had been broken on the way to Bali, meaning she had to drag it.
6. While Australian baggage handlers have since been linked to an airport cocaine-smuggling ring, which was in operation on the date Corby flew to Bali, there has never been any suggestion or evidence of them trafficking marijuana.
7. A drug dealer employing baggage handlers would be highly unlikely to smuggle four kilograms of marijuana into Brisbane airport and then into a stranger’s bag, just to send it on to Sydney. Such a task would further require another handler at Sydney to sneak it out of the bag and hide it while attempting to get it out of the airport. As road haulage experts have confirmed, smug-glers could avoid this by sending it by road.
8. Prosecutors claim the plastic bag was the same size and shape as the boogie board bag, suggesting it had been organised to fit, as opposed to being stuffed in by someone else, such as baggage handlers.
9. Hydroponic marijuana is highly sought after among cashed-up expatriates and tourists in Bali.
10. Had Corby been aware of the drugs and had her bag been properly secured with a padlock, there would have been no chance of her claiming that the marijuana had been planted in her bag.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 8:55 am
Schapelle Corby is innocent.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 9:49 am
Jean Marais says Corby’s brother “couldn’t meet” her until after she cleared customs. Had Ms./Mr Marais paid attention to the post he/she would have seen that the brother wasn’t meeting her but travelling with her. They were together already coming into the country together. I’ve travelled into Indonesia with a friend and we both went through customs together. Pay more attention.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
>> 3. Corby disputed Mr Winata’s version, **but there was no CCTV system in operation to support her denial.**
Or, to put it another way, there was no CCTV system in operation to support Mr Winata’s assertion! Works both ways.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 2:32 pm
I do feel sorry for her, but if it was her brother that was caught would everybody have made such a big thing about it. It is only because she is young and atractive. Also, did she not feel her bag was a bit heavier than when she handed it in at the airport?
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 2:35 pm
I do feel sorry for her, but if it was her brother that was caught would everybody have made such a big thing about it. It is only because she is young and atractive. Also, did she not feel her bag was a bit heavier than when she handed it in at the airport?
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 3:52 pm
Jean Marais:
“I surely can tell that in France we wouldn’t give you a damn thing whether you’re a white pretty Australian or not.”
Hey – how are the Rainbow Warrior bombers again?
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 5:19 pm
Hmmm, very interesting comments here. One thing I must point out though – for a group of people who so obviously think Australians are a racist lot who don’t give a crap about anyone who is not white and caucasian I urge you to consider the fact that we are also the country whose people put their hands in pockets to come up with the most amount of relief aid after the Tsunami and Bali Bombings. I also urge you to relook at some of your previous comments about other countries/races … and concede that people in glass houses should not throw stones.
This case is causing as much furore in Australia as the Lindy Chamberlain case back in the 80′s – and back then most Australian’s believed that Lindy, a white, caucasian, pretty female……was guilty. All that can be shown from the Schapelle case is that when the people believe something, they believe it passionately. You can also note that the while the recent case of the Bali 9 has drawn sympathy from the public…most people also consider them foolish and yes…guilty.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 5:21 pm
Hmmm, very interesting comments here. One thing I must point out though – for a group of people who so obviously think Australians are a racist lot who don’t give a crap about anyone who is not white and caucasian I urge you to consider the fact that we are also the country whose people put their hands in pockets to come up with the most amount of relief aid after the Tsunami and Bali Bombings. I also urge you to relook at some of your previous comments about other countries/races … and concede that people in glass houses should not throw stones.
This case is causing as much furore in Australia as the Lindy Chamberlain case back in the 80′s – and back then most Australian’s believed that Lindy, a white, caucasian, pretty female……was guilty. All that can be shown from the Schapelle case is that when the people believe something, they believe it passionately. You can also note that the while the recent case of the Bali 9 has drawn sympathy from the public…most people also consider them foolish and yes…guilty.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Hmmm, very interesting comments here. One thing I must point out though – for a group of people who so obviously think Australians are a racist lot who don’t give a crap about anyone who is not white and caucasian I urge you to consider the fact that we are also the country whose people put their hands in pockets to come up with the most amount of relief aid after the Tsunami and Bali Bombings. I also urge you to relook at some of your previous comments about other countries/races … and concede that people in glass houses should not throw stones.
This case is causing as much furore in Australia as the Lindy Chamberlain case back in the 80′s – and back then most Australian’s believed that Lindy, a white, caucasian, pretty female……was guilty. All that can be shown from the Schapelle case is that when the people believe something, they believe it passionately. You can also note that the while the recent case of the Bali 9 has drawn sympathy from the public…most people also consider them foolish and yes…guilty.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 5:23 pm
Hmmm, very interesting comments here. One thing I must point out though – for a group of people who so obviously think Australians are a racist lot who don’t give a crap about anyone who is not white and caucasian I urge you to consider the fact that we are also the country whose people put their hands in pockets to come up with the most amount of relief aid after the Tsunami and Bali Bombings. I also urge you to relook at some of your previous comments about other countries/races … and concede that people in glass houses should not throw stones.
This case is causing as much furore in Australia as the Lindy Chamberlain case back in the 80′s – and back then most Australian’s believed that Lindy, a white, caucasian, pretty female……was guilty. All that can be shown from the Schapelle case is that when the people believe something, they believe it passionately. You can also note that the while the recent case of the Bali 9 has drawn sympathy from the public…most people also consider them foolish and yes…guilty.
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 5:40 pm
oops – sorry for the copies
Vote:May 29th, 2005 at 6:34 pm
Jonathan Barrett wrote: ‘>> 3. Corby disputed Mr Winata’s version, **but there was no CCTV system in operation to support her denial.**
Or, to put it another way, there was no CCTV system in operation to support Mr Winata’s assertion! Works both ways.’
When you’re caught red-handed bringing 4 kgs of drugs into the country the court will tend to believe the word of their nations customs officers – who presumably have no motive to lie – over the defendent – who clearly has a pretty massive incentive to lie.
I think people have confused the issues here. Corby is clearly guilty, and the sentence handed down by the Indonesian legal system is clearly unjust – by our standards. Unfortunately for Ms Corby our standards don’t count for squat in Indonesia.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 11:01 am
Well put, Dim.
I dont buy for a second that she didnt know what was in the bag. You notice 4kg extra.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 1:19 pm
kimble and dim..a marriage made in heaven..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 2:41 pm
There is more to drugs in this case, it is about revenge and tactical advantage for one or two countries. It is very well for us armchair experts to make all kinds of pronouncements when most of us do not know what a gaol/jail looks like in NZ and jails will many times worse in Indonesia especially if you are white and female. This situation is a setup.
Schapelle Corby is innocent.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
I think the subject is quite emotive. Everyone has an opinion. I don’t think she did it but then I would love there to have been a decent trial with actual evidence submitted and a proper police investigation and procedure. From a lawyers perspective that is what pisses me off first about the case.
There are of course a great deal of rumours, hearsay and absolute crap coming out of Australia at the moment from both sides. Most of it should be ignored as the only people who matter now is Alexander Downer and John Howard to negotiate a prisoner exchange. Otherwise she is basically going to die in jail – lets face it.
The worst thing is that if she is telling the truth then it pretty much could happen to any one of us, even the people who proclaim she is guilty. That is the second thing that pisses me off about what happened.
The third is that somehow we seem to have got a French person involved in the discussion. How I would love to start on their rule of law and legal system.
Bombs away!!
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 4:16 pm
Based on what Tonto? Your imaginings of nefarious machinations?
Indonesia wanted to get back at Australia? You want Corby to be innocent, you have no evidence to suggest she is. Because NZ jails are nicer than Indonesias (to the criminals at least) Corby MUST be innocent?
If she did it, she did it. She MUST have noticed the extra weight. She MUST have noticed the bag moving around when she tilted the bag. Regardless of the Indonesians suss’ as legal system it does seem likely she knew it was there and is therefore guilty.
Those who stil proclaim her innocence (even Tim Blair for fucks sake) seem to base their arguments around the indonesian judicial system and who and what they want Corby to be.
She is just as likely a silly bitch looking to make a quick easy buck, knew the risks, knew the punishment then done got her dumbass caught.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 4:57 pm
Corby was a bar girl in tokyo once. could the marijuana have actually been destined for Japan?
Vote:A lot of the press that has been spinning the Corby case to get sympathy for her is owned by a media baron who owns casinos where a lot of drug money is laundered and the mafia bosses gather.
May 30th, 2005 at 5:14 pm
As an exercise in plausibilty, try adding 4 kg of flour to your backpack and see if you notice the extra weight. Still think she’s innocent?
There’s an editorial in the Dom today pointing out that the evidence in the Corby case would have been prima facie proof of guilt in any court in the world – including Australia and New Zealand. When you’re arrested in possession of 4.1 kgs of drugs you need to have a better defense than the highly questionable testimony of a remand prison inmate.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
I think that Corby is guilty. Both her father and brother are involved with drug dealing from what I have heard. What I am saying is that Corby is exporting marijuana for possible transhipment on to Japan etc.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 6:25 pm
“You want Corby to be innocent, you have no evidence to suggest she is.” Equally there is not sufficient evidence that she is guilty. Arthur Allan Thomas had evidence planted which led to a conviction and he spent a long time in jail. There are now Indonesian pricks in New Zealand walking around committing crimes and being a public nuisance and the government ie the law does not do anything about it and I can only deduct there is something political going on allowing them to do this. We sit thousands of kilometres from where all the alleged incidents took place get our information second hand and we know everything. The law is never that simple.
Vote:Customs officers lie. Doing business in Indonesia means bribing people which means corruption which indicates the culture. Why wasn’t she arrested for possession in Australia? Governments deny the truth. Why the sentence and the fine, isn’t that strange? Other travellers have claimed that in past years they found drugs in their baggage when arriving in Bali. This case is full of holes.
May 30th, 2005 at 7:00 pm
I am sick to death of all this Schapelle Corby hysteria.None of you could possibly know whether or not she is guilty.I don’t know and you don’t know either.I maintain that if we were talking about a balding builder from Brisbane,there would be no outrage at all.Aussies,don’t let yourselves down.Please go foreward looking a bit intelligent.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 7:30 pm
This case has highlighted predicaments and everybody in foriegn jails should now be given more attention.
Vote:Legislation maybe should be put in place to catch citizens here rather than be caught later overseas.
The authorities know what is going on a lot of the time but they deliberately delay the inevitable.
May 30th, 2005 at 7:48 pm
If the Indonesian jails are that bad perhaps she would be better off with the death penalty, perhaps that is why they have it. This case looks likes the Aussies throwing their weight around and they need another Lindy Chamberlain case to argue over. The justice system is soooooo entertaining. She knew, 4 kgs is too much and her family are really not that flash. I would short Bali futures hard but I would buy buy buy plastic suitcase wrap shares.
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 11:05 pm
Some of the questions raised in the comments section are explored in this blog that has been covering the case of Schapelle since late March this year http://headhunter.typepad.com
Another site with MANY links is http://www.schapelle.com
Vote:May 30th, 2005 at 11:07 pm
Some of the questions raised in the comments section are explored in this blog that has been covering the case of Schapelle since late March this year http://headhunter.typepad.com
Another site with MANY links is http://www.schapelle.com
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 7:12 am
You people are amazingly arrogant in the reaction to this verdict – would there be such an outcry for say a 40 year old Aboriginal australian male? I dont think so.
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 11:50 am
Ahmed Zaoui broke the law and the knives are not out for him. When it comes to Europeans, people sudddenly get all moral about it.
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 2:22 pm
Wasn’t her sister the reason of her 19 trips to Bali??? Her sister lives there, doesn’t she??? Jee….I live in the States and I go to Italy every two or three months to spend time with my sister. And it’s far!!!! Christ if it’s FAR!!!!!
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 2:31 pm
Valeria, another fact that people might get confused by.
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 2:45 pm
Valeria, another fact that people might get confused by.
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 3:05 pm
Dim since when did the editorial in the Dom mean anything. For all we know it may have been written by Jordan Carter/
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 3:15 pm
she went to bali five times
australian tv has just reported on an investigation into baggage handlers etc..
conclusions: handlers, security guards and cleaners are bent..sydney airport staff a huge drug smuggling outfit..many employess ex-cons or criminal records..
bags containing drugs from international flights diverted to domestic to avoid customs..
they are going to station police in sydney airport to watch the employees..(ha, ha, maybe the ones from waverly or some other notoriously bent station..they’ll just take a cut, and business will continue as usual..with the added security of the benevolent gaze of the law..)
nb. maijuana in bali is 10% of the value in australia..
high quality weed in aussie gets top dolar, in aussie..
btw. loved the way the haughty frenchperson was sent off..i’ve blogged it under ‘the french can just fuck off, eh?’..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 9:08 pm
“You people are amazingly arrogant in the reaction to this verdict – would there be such an outcry for say a 40 year old Aboriginal australian male? I dont think so.”
How do you know?
An interesting read in today’s Melbourne newspaper – and an opinion shared by more people than you know.
Corby’s key questions
Neil Mitchell
31may05
FORGET the polls and the worm and the tea leaves at the local shop: it is impossible to know whether Schapelle Corby is guilty of smuggling marijuana into Bali.
Forget too the threat of boycotts and black bans and marching in the streets because that will simply dig a deeper hole out of which she will have to climb.
But, please, don’t forget the anger.
Schapelle Corby is a young Australian in trouble and she deserves all the help she can get from this country and all the anger we can muster, provided it is sensibly directed.
Rather than making emotional assessments on her guilt that are based on rumours or the way she does her hair, the sensible thing is to ask some basic questions and then decide what type of action the answers demand.
The questions must be judged against what Australia considers fair and what we believe is proper.
We cannot apply different standards for different countries because these are principles on which we base our lives and they are not negotiable.
So let’s consider questions such as: was her alleged crime properly investigated?
The answer must be no.
As often happens with Indonesian law enforcement, the arresting officers were so pleased with themselves they knocked each other down in the enthusiasm to present the “evidence” to the media.
That means no fingerprints were taken, no real forensic tests carried out, and no allowance made for the possibility that this was an innocent victim.
More, when suspicion began to emerge about the possibility of corrupt baggage handlers slipping the drugs into her bag, nobody was prepared to investigate it properly or allow the claims any credibility.
Was the court case conducted properly?
Again, by our standards, the answer is no.
The prosecution was required to prove only that the bodyboard bag carrying the marijuana was hers, not that she packed the drugs and knowingly brought them into Bali.
THERE was no presumption of innocence, and that required her to prove the negative, something which is almost impossible.
Legal experts say her best chance now is to prove that a specific baggage handler actually placed the drugs in her bag.
That means Schapelle Corby, to be cleared, needs to do the job of the Indonesian and Australian Federal Police combined.
Was the judge fair and open minded?
How could he be? In the lead-up to the decision he sounded like the law’s version of a football special comments man.
He boasted that in 500 cases he had never found a person to be not guilty.
He seemed to take the possibility of an acquittal as a threat to his personal record.
Is it not amazing that in 500 cases he has seen not one innocent person, and not one case so sloppy that it fails to stand up in law?
Is 20 years too long in jail? Yes. By our terms, this crime does not warrant anything like 20 years in jail.
Murder rarely brings such a sentence. You can argue penalties endlessly, but when you plan to lock up a young woman for 20 years you are taking away the most productive part of her life and you must be certain she is guilty.
That principle applies even more strongly to execution, which remains a possibility if her appeal fails.
So can anybody be sure she is guilty? No.
If the investigation was shoddy, the court not bothered by truth, and the judge more concerned with his personal scoreboard than justice, there is no way that she can be considered guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
But as public anger boils in Australia and our leaders thrash around for a form of words to pacify it, what happens next?
The strong public demand for organised boycotts of Bali and to withdraw aid from Indonesia is understandable but counterproductive.
This is already a political issue in Australia and that has led to some silly statements on all sides of politics.
A groundswell against Indonesia will guarantee it becomes a political issue in that country and because politics is local that will guarantee a hard line from the president and others.
A boycott will only force the politicians to dig in because popular opinion will demand it.
And these arguments to withdraw aid are immoral.
Aid is based on what is the right thing to do. It cannot be linked to favours.
If it is decent to help, then Australia helps and that must not change.
There is no chance public anger in Australia will influence positively the appeals system in Indonesia, but if it is sensibly directed it should focus the minds of our political leaders, who only began to pay attention to this issue as support for Corby grew.
It is them we must now turn to. The Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer yesterday warned the boycott would be counter-productive and Prime Minister John Howard said it would be “impossibly stupid” to intervene before the appeal process was exhausted.
Both are right.
BUT it is also appropriate that Corby be helped to organise top-class legal advice and that behind the scenes the Australian Government works hard to ensure she gets a fair deal.
If that means producing evidence of corrupt baggage systems or trying to establish how her bags were handled in Australia then that must be done.
The Indonesian judicial system was once considered corrupt.
Now it deserves to be considered unjust and sloppy and must surely fail any test of fairness applied by our standards of what is fair.
Australians hate injustice and unfairness, which is why this country is right to be angry.
That anger must not be allowed to destroy Schapelle Corby.
Vote:May 31st, 2005 at 9:44 pm
1. additional 4,1 kg is something, you couldn’t just say you didn’t notice. If her brother who brought it to the customs check, so I wonder if she covering up her brother, it makes sense consider her anger to her familiy just after the verdict.
2. Indonesian judicial system is truly corrupt, but hey it has nothing to do with Corby’s case as far as I’m concerned. Did they ask her money? Nop. They will do that to foreigners and locals as well if you have a dispute to be settled in the court. But what’s their advantage with our Corby? Nop, they dont have any advantage.
3. Indonesian justice system is not fair consider to our standard. Hey, so dont smuggle pot to Indonesia. Transport it among our cities, make our kids use it, it’s nice I can tell you.
Vote:June 1st, 2005 at 4:59 am
Lets put it this way…4 Kgs is a big bundle of marijuana…soo if she didn’t realize that weight in her bodyboard bag that means Corby is very stupid. If Corby wants freedom, just pay the judge hahaha…anything comes with a price in Indonesia.
Vote:June 1st, 2005 at 6:44 am
crikey, the internet based news service in australia is saying current affairs host derryn hinch is claiming to know who put the drugs in corbys’ bag..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 1st, 2005 at 8:34 am
20 years jail = the death penalty
Vote:4 kilogram of marijuana versus 202 killed by Bali bombers.
June 1st, 2005 at 9:03 pm
Laws were made for a reason, how they are applied is another thing. I
Vote:June 1st, 2005 at 9:46 pm
Darryn Hinch would would’nt he. What a cynical way of manipulating his ratings. How can he “know”, what is his evidence? A confession? Yeah right, but there appears to be corruption in the baggage handlers and perhaps public concern about that has caused her plight to grow legs.
Vote:June 1st, 2005 at 10:16 pm
I don’t think you can prove whether she is definitely guilty or not. so this isn’t a post saying i agree or disagree with the sentence (just to be clear). But I think what a lot of people are saying is 20 years is too long a sentence for smuggling 4kg of hash?
If that’s the case it’d be interesting to know what your opinion’s are on people who have received the death penalty for smuggling drugs(two Aussie’s OF SE ASIAN BACKGROUND currently on death row i think?) and where the public outcry for them is.
I understand these two Aussies confessed to carrying the drugs, but i can pretty much guarantee that had Corby confessed out and out, there’d still be this public outcry over the 20years, and had she received the death penalty the country would’ve gone mad.
I don’t blame the people (hell, i had no idea about the two Aussies in Singapore and Vietnam until now), but I definitely lay the blame down on the media who should either fight to save all Aussie’s regardless of race (especially the ones facing death!) and not just focus on the one pretty young white girl.
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 6:30 am
If anyone should spend time in a foreign country is those people who planted the drugs in Schapelle Corby’s boggie board bag. As for what the courts there in Indonesia gaved Ms. Corby, I think it’s wrong & unjust since Schapelle didn’t not have anyway to make a plea on her behalf. So, I’m here in America to let people know that I’m behind Schapelle Corby 100 percent & will do whatever it takes here in the US to see that Schapelle is sent home.
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 7:53 am
Mass hysteria like this Corby situation and the Dianna death convince me that there are many people in the community that have very boring lives.
Vote:Dianne was a crazy as a headless chook on P, but the reaction to her death was just so stupid.
Same here. Corby – a prostitute from a family with several drug convictions is probably not stupid enough to take the grass on the plane – but she sure as hell has been associated with some people from the darker side.
She has crossed somebody and they have decided to give teach her a lesson. Its been known for years that almost all ausy authroities (police, customs, etc) are corrupt and it has been no surprise to see whats happening at sydney airport. So the ‘someone’ got to her.
And the most likely ‘someone’ is her husband – a jap (I think) who claimed not to know where she was.
June 3rd, 2005 at 3:07 pm
There are differences between Diana and Schapelle.
Vote:Hinch is probably grossly inconsistent and in a poll whether he should be sacked or not 66% voted for his sacking. He has already been sacked 15 times, been in jail once and married three times. New Zealanders of which Hinch is one are not known for their loyalty.
June 3rd, 2005 at 3:21 pm
Considerably more valuable in Oz, 100%! How people sit back and call her stupid! How heartless and how stupid are they? Do some reasearch, find out the street value! Marijuana is sold on every second street of Bali for next to nothing! The only stupid ones are those who believe she is guilty!
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 3:34 pm
In Indonesia, Bali is known as not too hard with a drug dealer or handling a drug case. 20 years for 4.1 kg is lenient. If the trial were in Tangerang, definately will be a death penalty. The judges have been very very fair and to be honest very generous of giving 20 years and not life sentence or death penatlty.
The Indonesian law is based on the evidence and witness and very unfortunate that Corby’s defence lawyers could not present something to prove that the evidence or the witness is not right. Corby’s defence lawyers should ask for FINGER PRINT again and gain until the judges approve it. Don’t give up to ask, and the lawyers say that Corby will be free without being able to forward an evidence is very silly !! It is law not a theatre so can not only be “talking” but evidence.
The only way to help Corby is find the person who planted the drug to her bag in Australia, and only Australian government con do that. Then whene there is a proper investigation, we all will be res in peace because no matter what will be found, that is the fact. And if Corby is innocent the evidence will help her to be home again.
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 3:48 pm
Okay – here’s a question for all the ‘Corby is innocent’ brigade. What do you think should be sufficient grounds for a drug smuggling conviction? If Corby is innocent – because she claims the drugs weren’t hers – then EVERY drug smuggler in the WORLD is innocent, because that’s what they ALL say.
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 5:02 pm
There is a big difference in the English speaking world system of justice and Indonesian justice. Just because EVERY drug smuggler in the WORLD say they are innocent, does not mean that Schapelle is guilty. Not a very good question, you can do better than that Dim.
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 5:29 pm
dim, dim, dim..how many times does it have to be said..weed is as cheap as in bali..
top weed gets top dollar in australia…
why the fuck would someone smuggle heroin to afghanistan..cocaine to ecquador..or weed to bali..?
i will also guarantee this is the first bust ever of someone smuggling weed from australia to bali..
factor in totally bent airport staff..and you still argue vehemently she must be guilty..? with some basing that judgment on the fact she looks like a glenfield gal/ex-hooker..?
how tacky..and getting so close to a lynch mob mentality..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 5:54 pm
jojo..”..So, I’m here in America to let people know that I’m behind Schapelle Corby 100 percent & will do whatever it takes here in the US to see that Schapelle is sent home…”
good one; the good old usa is a go-getter sort of a country eh?
half a dozen armed up choppers and some marines should do it thanks…
failing that, do you have any idea of “.whatever it takes..” actually means to you..jojo ?
what are you actually offering here..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 8:24 pm
20 years drugs sentence for such a developing country that doesn’t want to lose the opportunity to move forward because of the drugs problem that may decrease the productivity of the society leading to a more lazy and poorer condition is accomodative and reasonable.
Terrorism threat by the hard-feeling people of the civilised country to such an emerging government is odd and may be the first time in century. Can we say here such a hard-feeling or heart-broken terrorism ?
Vote:June 3rd, 2005 at 8:26 pm
20 years drugs sentence for such a developing country that doesn’t want to lose the opportunity to move forward because of the drugs problem that may decrease the productivity of the society leading to a more lazy and poorer condition is accomodative and reasonable.
Terrorism threat by the hard-feeling people of the civilised country to such an emerging government is odd and may be the first time in century. Can we say here such a hard-feeling or heart-broken terrorism ?
Vote:June 4th, 2005 at 11:33 pm
Corby’s sister is a well known drug dealer in bali… hmmmm… Corby’s brother owns a surf store in bali…(why would she then bring a body board across??) Plantations in bali has been very recently cleaned up by its government who are taking a much harder stance at the moment, pot prices have recently gone up quite substantially…
Vote:June 5th, 2005 at 12:31 am
Phil…If weed is so cheap in Bali why did the baggage handlers want to get it there?
Vote:June 5th, 2005 at 8:16 am
you’re just not keeping up with the play are you 7g..
the baggage handler scenario entails inter-state movement of drugs utilising bent airport staff..
that the pot wasn’t pulled in sydney and went on to bali is the nub of this option of what to believe…ok?
byron..”..Corby’s sister is a well known drug dealer in bali… hmmmm… Corby’s brother owns a surf store in bali..”
could you please supply us with the links to substantiate these claims?..or is this just another example of the fevered imagination component of this saga…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 6th, 2005 at 2:58 am
Phil…Do you really believe that these dealers would go through an international airport to get their drugs to different states? Why not just get them there by other means? What would be safer do you think ,drive them there by car or…..send them through an international airport/ international travellers bag?
Vote:June 6th, 2005 at 12:05 pm
no 7g..the scenario is
1) she flew domestic bris/syd..then to international..so therefor the weed should have been pulled by whoever at the domestic terminal..
re your other contention of car travel being better..have you had a look at a map of australia lately..?
also if you had followed the inquiry in aust you would know they identified bent baggage staff, cleaners and security..all these bent ones would arrange to work on shifts together..it all sounds very well organised..
and if this scenario is to be believed it was a cock-up that the weed wasn’t pulled..
hope that clarifies things for you..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:June 6th, 2005 at 7:38 pm
Perhaps she just stuffed up. It is stretching things to put up a rational scenario and then say she must be innocent because she is rational. I find it difficult to accept her sentence for this than the thug that was behind the Bali bombings. That grates.
Vote:June 7th, 2005 at 7:32 am
Baggage handlers at airport are the must obvious suspects, what better place for international drug dealers. Interview on TV with Schapelle last night is a further persuasion of innocence but it is hard to convince the hard hearted and cynics.
Vote:June 7th, 2005 at 12:53 pm
Schapelle may be innocent, and I would like to think that she is, but her ability to prove this is beyond that of an individuals resources. Arthur Alan Thomas, Lindi Chamberlin, Nelson Mandela are all examples of persistance being the key and getting enough people to belive your side of the story. Don’t blag Indonesia or thier “Justice” system it won’t do any good, we need the average Indonesian to realsise that we do think differently and we do have choices of where we travel and what we buy. 1.7 million tourists are expected to visit Bali next year. Do they realise that imprisoning a pretty white tourist is just as effective as the Bali bombing in influencing travel decisions.
If we(being white average middle class) don’t feel safe travelling there, then they will be pushing shit uphill to make those figures and that means locals will suffer.
No good can come of keeping her. Deport her to Australia on a big bond
Vote:June 8th, 2005 at 12:08 pm
I dont believe that schaplle corby is guilty she would be crazy to lose 15 grand of value by taking it there i would transport it here.
Vote:June 8th, 2005 at 1:21 pm
Why is this so hard to understand?
Getting caught with the drugs at customs is prima facie evidence of guilt.
It’s up to her defense lawyers to prove their baggage-handlers/corrupt airport officials theory. They utterly failed to do so.
If she had been arrested in Australia or New Zealand she still would have been found guilty.
Personally I feel that any system in which baggage-handlers are racing to intercept in-transit luggage (with the overseas destination clearly labelled) before it leaves the country with a fortune in drugs inside it is unlikely in the extreme.
Vote:June 8th, 2005 at 5:55 pm
Some SC support web sites have belatedly realised that they unintentionally encouraged the lunatic fringe to make BIG trouble for her.My guess is that the Indo.govt will view this Australian “cultural arrogance” with a very rheumy eye,and may well,on appeal,give her LIFE.
Vote:After all,if you want someone on your side,do you insult them?Racial sensitivities predominate right now…..John Howard must be nervous and if I were a gambler I’d say that her most ardent supporters have damaged her position the most
June 8th, 2005 at 6:22 pm
There is a lunatic fringe in Indonesia which the Australian government will take it into consideration when dealing with that nation, likewise the Indonesian government should do the same. If they do not it does not say much for them and will spell that they are heartless and have little discretion.
Vote:June 8th, 2005 at 11:31 pm
The Corby case must be considered in the light of the geopolitical implications. The Indonesian state was somehow patched together out of a vast, dysfunctional colonial empire which had never known anything but authoritarian rule. It has only survived to this day because it
Vote:June 11th, 2005 at 7:57 pm
C’mon..plz cut this crab..respect us like a country..I’m really sorry guys we have rules here.Plz, don`t blame us for this case.
Vote:June 11th, 2005 at 8:01 pm
C’mon, cut this crab…I am sorry guys,we have rules here,pls respect us like a country…and plz watch ur words or ur words might drown u.
Vote:June 17th, 2005 at 12:12 am
Are you searching for the TRUTH?
Corby & Bali Judge Surait
Is Judge Linton Surait going to HELL?
Did he truly hear ‘Allah’s’ Holy “Only love” Bell ring?
He seems to believe that his verdict does happily ‘sing’ in the ears of his Creator – do you?
Did you know that Schapelle was in fact ‘kidnapped’ from the International section of the airport? Yes she was, because due to the fact that ‘something’ was found in her ‘bag’ prior to clearing Customs and Immigration, she had in fact not been formerly or officially granted entry into Indonesia – thus she in fact had not smuggled anything therein.
Whether she had intended to, or was ignorant of the fact that her bag had been tampered with is not the question. The question is, why do countries (Including Australia) ‘brutally’ engage in punitive aggression against visitors that are seen to arrive with ‘dirty shoes’?
Surely we the public would be quite happy that the visitor is simply told that their ‘goods’ are not welcome here, and thus they can either take then back home PRIOR to being allowed formal entry or, the unwanted goods can be destroyed and they are then welcome.
Why has it become in ‘vogue’ to forget all about airport protocol? If one has not yet been ‘admitted’ into a country then one is still within the precints of the ‘International’ zone, and thus still within the jurisdiction of ones passport ‘master.’ Be it ‘Queenie’ or President of whomever.
In my considered opinion it has become a ‘precedent’ in many countries to ‘attack’ a visitor in the manner seen in the Corby case, and in fact it is all simply ‘power brokers’ plying their ‘deadly’ games according to rules or ‘whims’ that have wiggled their way into the game, and for some reason we all just assume that it is right.
It is very wrong, and soon is to be heard a very ‘violent’ dark song as retributive forces gather pace and wield a very punitive mace against all ‘infidels’ like Surait and his ‘merry men’ of every race and creed that assume ‘godship,’ as they ‘laughingly’ make others suffer and bleed in the name of ‘justice’ or vengeance, or rules, or State and, in your name. (taxpayer)
And, whether you are Indonesian or Australian or other, what you need to try and see is that within the REAL LAW, being the Law of Allah/God you are spiritually responsible for the deeds of your servants and, you thus will suffer an equal karmic ‘eye for an eye’ return for their heinous deeds.
I asked of you if Linton Surait is going to Hell. Yes he is, and if you wish to see ‘how’ and why then read all about it on my ‘sacred’ web site that is backed by Allah’s MIGHT.
Go to
I AM the Messiah, the Imam Al-Mahdi
Terence Malaher
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