NEWS: SMH 21 April. Sad Victims of a vital war.

[dimmo]

Originally posted by phase_dancer
If local authorities knew of their plans that far ahead, why not wait until these people have been arrested in Australia before sharing details with Indonesian police?

Firstly, what exactly did the authorities here know? I mean police work often isn't a sure thing. It's not like they had their itinerary '10am fly out, next day meet Mr Wok at the Red Eagle Inn to pick up 8.xkg of heroin'. They might have informers telling them bits and pieces, who knows. They obviously needed them monitored in Asia. IFF the AFP were to actively monitor them in Indonesia, they would have to notify the Indonesians of that anyway. I would suggest that the AFPs ability to carry out such operations (despite what any of you think) is much more limited than we imagine. I think the AFPs presence in Indonesia in an operational capacity is next to nothing.

As it stands, with Indonesia monitoring the group for the two weeks that they were in Indonesia, even then they didn't figure out how or when they got the heroin. I think making arrests up the chain is important here, also. How would you expect the AFP to go, acting in a foreign country, full of foreigners (to us)? If we were to do it, the Indonesians would be invited to help.

Merely my opinion, but I believe we should be putting pressure on these countries to change this inhumane practice of barbaric punishment.

Easier said than done. You'll find one of the main reasons these penalties for drug crimes is the temptation is so high, the drugs are so cheap and easily available BUT the countries are so poor (and badly managed) that they do not have the resources to pour into anti-drug departments that match other countries. They make the penalties as harsh as possible as a deterrent, to cut down their leg work. Even as it is now (with the risks the way they are) a lot of drugs would be going through Indonesia.

We certainly shouldn't feed them victims.

That's an extremely simplistic view, and one that cannot be brought into issues involving world policing.

 

[dimmo]

The desperate world of the drug mule

 

[speedygonzales]

I can't wait to here the veidicts especialy the ring leader Andrew Chan. He could get away scott free due to lack of evidence

 

[Derek and Clive]

I don't think anyone should be feeling sorry for these guys. You've got to be pretty shithouse to get caught. They took the risk, it didn't work out but they knew the penalties. Doesn't stop the fact that heaps of people do this and get away with it.

 

[sourlemone]

Miranda Devine is just such an awful fucking writer. I could handle all her neocon fascist bullshit if she didn't write such woeful pieces...where do they get these damn people? WHERE'S THE FLAIR? THE STYLE?! Where did all the real writers go?

Apart from the fact that she is NEVER right about ANYTHING.

 

[chugs]

I don't think anyone should be feeling sorry for these guys

Sure a stupid choice with terrible consequence however its not right that we contiune to enrich and empower drug dealers, who know no bounds, when it could be tightly regulated and controlled by the government.

Hope you don't think these children should be imprisoned for importing heroin. Herion is not bad for you. If people can't control themselves then if its not heroin its just going to be another drug or behaviour. We contiune to fight the symptoms when the illness is left untreated.

Agreeing to let people rot in jail for no good reason is just casting aside all logic and sanity.

 

[dimmo]

Saw an interview with Michael Czugaj (19 year old from Brisbane with drugs strapped to his body) last night on ACA.

He was sobbing like a little boy. I feel really sorry for these guys, although they ARE stupid for accepting these trips overseas etc without thinking of the consequences.

If they don't get death, they'll probably get life (which probably means about 10-12 years in real terms).

What a waste.