Schapelle Corby Update

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Mon Jan 01, 2007 at 09:17:38 PM EST
Tags: Schapelle Corby (all tags)

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This being the new year, it's time to check in on Schapelle Corby who is serving 20 years in a hellhole of a Bali prison following her conviction for smuggling four kilos of pot into Bali. (Full coverage here.)

The news isn't good. Despite the fact that conditions at Kerobokan prison are disgusting, she has made friends there, is able to visit with her sister who resides in Bali and receive visits from her parents.

That is about to end. She is expecting to be moved to a prison on the remote side of the island:

Indonesian authorities are set to transfer the 29-year-old Brisbane woman to a prison in the East Java city of Malang, hundreds of kilometres from Kerobokan.....Papers authorising the transfer were sent weeks ago from Jakarta authorities to the warden of Kerobokan, Ilham Djaya, who says the transfer must go ahead because the prison is overcrowded.

Schapelle has written a book from prison, in which she says,

Guards "relish threatening me with being moved from here, as part of their ongoing campaign of mental abuse".

"They'll often say: 'White monkey, we move you tonight.' "

Nor do plans for a prisoner transfer treaty sound promising. Indonesia has rejected the latest draft which would allow Australia to reduce sentences imposed in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Bali has released the wife of a terrorist mastermind who hid him after serving nine months.

Free Schapelle, Boycott Bali.

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Schapelle Corby Update | 13 comments (13 topical)

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Wouldn't a simpler solution be possible... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by Bill Arnett on Tue Jan 02, 2007 at 01:06:45 PM EST

...if, for example, EVERYONE traveling to Bali INSISTED that their bags be searched thoroughly and CERTIFIED to be drug-free, and then sealed with a tamperproof seal that, if broken upon arrival in Bali, would legally entitle the bag's bearer to refuse to pick up the bags and insist that the Bali authorities embargo the bag until it is determined if there are drugs in the bag, and if so, the passenger carrying the bag would be immune from prosecution?

Whew! That was a long sentence, but I think you get my point that this is something that even the Bali authorities might accept, as their main objective is to stop drug smuggling (after all, they really gain nothing by putting foreigners in jail forever).

Seems to me that this could be written into a treaty with just a few lines, would not inconvenience anyone, and might stop horrific situation such as this.

Who would certify the bags (1.00 / 1) (#5)
by Pancho on Wed Jan 03, 2007 at 12:39:21 AM EST

and where?

Why not boycott? If the U.S. drug laws are so draconian, aren't the Indonesian laws absolutely inhumane?

[ Parent ]

I would have thought it self-evident that... (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by Bill Arnett on Wed Jan 03, 2007 at 02:09:04 PM EST

...any such searches/certifications would be done by the customs authorities every country has on duty at points of entry, and nothing I said had anything whatever to do with U.S. drug laws, so you troll comment is way off base.

I can see from your comments that "commonsense" isn't necessarily your strong suite and your attempt to pass off inappropriate sarcasm as commentary serves you ill and insults the intelligence of the thoughtful posters here.

(See above comments for proof.)

[ Parent ]

: Why was my earlier reply deleted? (none / 0) (#12)
by Pancho on Thu Jan 04, 2007 at 11:46:28 PM EST

All I said was that it does not make sense to "certify" bags as drug free at the port of entry. Corby's bag, by all accounts, did have drugs in it when it arrived at the "port of entry". How could they have certified it to be drug free?
It is quite troubling that you would remove my earlier post. Can you please explain why? There was no profanity or name calling, only a polite defense of the post that Bill Arnett criticized.

[ Parent ]

Pancho (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by Che's Lounge on Wed Jan 03, 2007 at 02:57:53 PM EST

Are you one of those that condemns the U.S. while defending Cuba?

All the time.

I think that Andreas was trying to make a point about boycotts and hypocrisy, which you apparently missed, or are diliberately using to obfuscate the discussion.

: W-h-o-o-o-s-s-h, Che's, W-h-o-o-o-s-s-h! (none / 0) (#9)
by Bill Arnett on Wed Jan 03, 2007 at 03:13:59 PM EST

[ Parent ]
: The whole leftist idea (none / 0) (#10)
by Pancho on Thu Jan 04, 2007 at 12:23:49 AM EST

that the U.S. is in any way on a par with Indonesia or Cuba or any of dozens of other totalitarian countries is just a ridiculous fantasy.
If you really believe this, do you believe that tis began with GW? Does it clear up when a Democrat is in office?

[ Parent ]

And it gets better (none / 0) (#1)
by Nowonmai on Tue Jan 02, 2007 at 02:01:36 AM EST

Shapelle as maintained her innocence. She was told she might get release if she asked for presidential pardon, but she said no, because part of that means she would have to admit something she isn't... guilty.

Her luggage cleared inspection at the Sydney airport, and was out of her control and possession. The next time she saw it was when she was being told she was under arrest for smuggling drugs.

The 'cleric' that counseled the "Bali Bombers" and encouraged them to kill got out of prison in less than 2 years.

Yeah... Indonesian Justice... an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

Boycott (none / 0) (#2)
by Andreas on Tue Jan 02, 2007 at 10:29:56 AM EST

I note that Talkleft is again calling for a boycott of Bali.

Concentration and torture camps are operated by the United States of America. That country is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq.

Why is Talkleft not calling for a boycott of the United States of America?

: OK Andreas, (1.00 / 2) (#4)
by Pancho on Wed Jan 03, 2007 at 12:35:12 AM EST

let's boycott the U.S.
Where do we start? Do I have to move?
Are you one of those that condemns the U.S. while defending Cuba? Do you have a Che Guevara T-shirt?

[ Parent ]

Her (none / 0) (#6)
by Wile ECoyote on Wed Jan 03, 2007 at 08:03:26 AM EST

Sister does not even boycott Bali? That is like raggin on Walmart while shopping there or owning their stock. (apologies to several politicians)

I'll (none / 0) (#11)
by Wile ECoyote on Thu Jan 04, 2007 at 11:17:25 AM EST

be the first to point out the racism from the ethnic majority guards. If this would have been stated in the US by a majority guard here, the commenters here would have been outraged.

Guards "relish threatening me with being moved from here, as part of their ongoing campaign of mental abuse".

"They'll often say: 'White monkey, we move you tonight.' "

Schapelle Corby is innocent of all charges (none / 0) (#13)
by The Sheriff on Wed Jan 10, 2007 at 11:08:33 PM EST

Anyone interested in following the Corby saga in more detail is invited to join our premier support forum. http://spiritofschapelle.com/forum/ You can also download our Support Toolbar with links to other support sites, forums and news feeds from Washington, Toronto, Iraq, London, NPR, Australian TV stations, Jakarta. It also has a built in radio station to which you can add your own stations, plus access to the entire MS Office Suite. Get it at http://bringherhome.myforumtoolbar.com The Sheriff