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so thats what those yellow ribbons mean...

Great shot BTW... good PJ work

Tie a yellow ribbon
Round the old oak tree

Good shot Below

Good shot and nice colour.

When the media decide someone is guilty...then they will hang. And when the media decide someone is not guilty...then National anger is harnessed. The Indonesian legal system deserves the benefit of our doubt unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary. That evidence has not been forthcoming. The suggestion that she is not guilty because Australian baggage handlers planted the drugs in her boogie bag...in a package deisigned to fit unobtrusively into said bag...therefore all tourists should boycott travelling to Bali!!!! How the hell does that make sense? If the Indonesian legal system had serious doubts as to her guilt then they would aquit her post haste...because the world is watching. They do not have those doubts. Corby will not serve 20 years. I'll take any bet on that. Her sentence will be reduced when the furore dies down.

20 years for a bag of grass is pretty harsh...but they are not our laws and it is not in our country.

Matt. K wrote:
20 years for a bag of grass is pretty harsh...but they are not our laws and it is not in our country.

I agree with everything you have said, Matt.

But, the Muslim cleric that the same justice system found guilty of masterminding the Bali bombing, in which 200+ died, was sentenced to less than 3 years.

How does that work?

I don't think it is unreasonable for Australians to point out the apparent incongruity in the two sentences.

cricketfan
Damn good point. I'll be interested to see how this ultimately ends. I'm not sure what the charge was against the Bali bomber...but you gotta look at it and wonder. Clearly, there is a lot more shoving, yelling and lying to be done on both sides before this matter ends. Clearly, if MS Corby was short, fat, shifty eyed some other nationality then the interest would be far more subdued. Page 32. By the way...what's happening to those 9 young people caught with heroin in their posession? They might well be executed if found guilty.

There were many Decisive Moments inside and outside the Bali courtroom today - a photographer's dream...just such a shame the about the circumstances. I don't know whether she's innocent or guilty, but the thought that if she really IS innocent and having to spend any time behind bars sends shudders up my spine - how many of us have seen our bags disappear at the airport, expecting to collect them at the other end and start a wonderful holiday? It just makes you think.


Frank

Matt I agree with you. I see no way a person can watch the news or read a paper and judge if Corby is guilty or innocent.

It reminds me of the quote that was on this very forum about Kylie, John Howard and Betty Boop.

Also correct me if I am wrong but the cleric was originally sentenced for life but the sentence was reduced because the "New Terrorist Law" was argued that it cannot be used retrospectively?

Also I was talking to a colleague who said that as far as this case is concerned in Indonesia – everyone thinks that the Australian Lawyer lead Indonesian team has a lot to answer for! Not really sure as I cannot read or understand Indonesian.

But seriously I hope she is found innocent and acquitted by fact and law.

Not because she is pretty or because the popular press portray her as an innocent bystander. PS:
Though I think to myself and agree with the media at least on this fact...

1. Dope is cheaper in Bali than Sydney.

BUT this sticks on my mind, that I own a boogie board and bag similar to what I saw in the news and if someone but in a 4.1Kg bag of dope in it I would have noticed it when I picked it up?

Put 5kg of gear in a camera bag and lift it up with one hand. Than drop in 5kg more of gear and tell me if you can’t tell the difference!

ipv6ready wrote:Than drop in 5kg more of gear

No pun intended!

Also I read an interesting article in The Age this week about Australian Gold. Basically dope from I think they said southeast asia that is sold in Bali by Balinese people has been hit hard by the law. As a result people have been bringing in drugs from Australia, the buds are bigger and more potent. It's been title Aussie Gold. Aussies in Bali buy the stuff from only other Aussies because they don't want to be entrapped by law enforcements.

Wonder what the Australian Press covering would be if an Indonesian woman brought in 4.1Kg to Sydney.

1. Claims it is not hers.
2. The defence claims it is the baggage handlers in Indonesia that placed the drugs in the bag.
3. Then brought a convicted RAPIST to Australia to say he heard another convict did it.

The joke in Canada is that Vancouver is Marijuana town. Do we have that reputation overseas as well? Most people I know smoke it casually. I on the other hand have puffed but not inhaled (quote from Bill Clinton if any don't know)
I find the media's involvement in these cases despicable. They choose a side that is based on hedonistic superficiality and run with it. They hung Scott Peterson without ever publishing any of the questionable facts.
Further, people ask me all the time about Michael Jackson and what do I think. Every time I wonder how in the world I could have an opinion about a bunch of people I truly don't know. People tell me they think he's guilty. You may as well say "I trust the media implicitly". Same with Kobe Bryant. Who can have an opinion on someone they know nothing about?

I looked into living in Indonesia once upon a time, and much of what I read was that the government is fairly corrupt, which would explain the discrepancy in the Muslim case and the Pot case. We can only hope that justice will ultimately be decided accurately.

My thoughts about this case, no offence to anyone:

I'm still wondering what's the difference size, look, weight in difference between two bags:
1/ Bag with boggie board only.
2/ Bag with boggie board and 5 kilos of extra stuff.

If you own the bag will you notice it when you checked-in and feel the difference when pick it up at the caroussel?

If this case is happened in Vietnam, I don't think she got 20 years, and sure it's the firing squad on stand by.

In comparision this court case in Indonesia with Vietnam, again you may not know or hear or discussing about the case.

She's a lucky champ in Indonesia with the support from Australia to escape the death penalty.

Many drug traffickers, couriers, are waiting to board the "Airline to Hell" in Vietnam and among them are number of Aussie-Viet, we never heard any "big noisy" court case against them.

Many of our Viet's Vet never heard any judgement or verdict against us, but most of us got minimum 5 years to 20 years in the harsh concentration camp, forced labour, brain washing, tortured, suffering in lacking of nourishment + medication etc...and few of us never come back home, nor their relatives knowing where're about them.

The jail system here is luxury in comparison in other country of SEA.

I felt sorry for her, but each country has their own justice system and they know how to do their job. Time will rest and she'll coming home.

I'm not so sure about that, Birdy.

I'd probably take the death penalty over a 20 year sentence in a system as unhygenic as the one they have there.

It's the same sort of sentence, regardless.

Nnnnsic wrote:I'd probably take the death penalty over a 20 year sentence in a system as unhygenic as the one they have there.

Indonesian jails are still better than other countries as Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, Thai etc..

Will she get to stay in for full 20 years? NO!
Once she get out she will be a billionaire by selling her books or her biography.

IMHO she was not guilty.

IMO she will serve 3-5 years in goal in Indonesia (Completed 8 months already). Balance of time in an Australian goal of her choice.

Cheers,

Interesting discussion here, and I'm glad to see several members have a critical point of view on this media frenzy. Personnally, I was stunned by comments mentioning Australia's aid to Indonesia ("we were so generous after the Tsunami and we don't want one more innocent life to be wasted"), it's just so wrong to put it this way.

Several Asian Australians languish in SE Asian jails (48 according to SMH), facing much harsher punishments and we don't hear much of them - I guess most also said they were innocents. The fact she's white, young, good-looking turned her into a sort of media icon... People should be judged on what they do, not who they are.

Link.

Link wrote:The fact she's white, young, good-looking turned her into a sort of media icon... People should be judged on what they do, not who they are.

Exactly.

How much publicity would this engender were I the subject of this mess?

Was she guilty? Given the charges that were actually laid, yes, very much so.

Were the charges laid reasonable? That is a whole different ball of wax.

And was the investigation thorough? Perhaps not by our standards, but this didn't happen in our country, and so that sort of coomment and observation becomes moot.

My view is we'll never know if she's guilty or not. As has already been said, our judgment is tainted by the information the media gives us and the amount of sympathy or contempt they attempt to engender in us.

While I'm certainly not a fan of our current prime minister I for once have to agree with what he said - to paraphrase - accept the fact that the Indonesian judicial process has done its course and rendered judgment by their rules. As we'd expect our rules to apply for crimes here, accept their rules for crimes there. Have sympathy for the family and move on.

cricketfan wrote:

Matt. K wrote:
20 years for a bag of grass is pretty harsh...but they are not our laws and it is not in our country.

I agree with everything you have said, Matt.

But, the Muslim cleric that the same justice system found guilty of masterminding the Bali bombing, in which 200+ died, was sentenced to less than 3 years.

How does that work?

He was given 3 years for his part in conspiracy of the bombings. If i'm not mistaken three of the convicted bombers were sentenced to death and four were given life. Most ppl were overjoyed when the death penalty was handed down but what if the bali 9 are faced with the same outcome - can we condone the death penalty then change our minds when it doesn't suit us ?

I am extremely empathetic to what Shapelle is going though but the pro Corby stance is extremely uncompromising. What if she really is guilty, should she be set free ?

Lets not forget that David Hicks is still in Guantanamo Bay, poor guy has been held without charge for over 3 years now.

So many injustices in this world.....i really do feel for all who have been wrongly dealt a cruel and unfair hand.

I agree completely Samester!