Hot Issues: ‘RI will be ‘fair’ in handling Bali Nine case’

The Indonesian government said Monday its court would be transparent and fair in deciding the fate of three of nine Australian drug traffickers, known as the Bali Nine, who are appealing their death sentence with the Supreme Court. “We are very serious about handling this case as drug smuggling is a serious issue,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said.

He said that the international community was closely monitoring the case and the court’s rulings would be as fair as possible. “If the Bali Nine can provide new evidence, we will consider it,” he said.

The Bali Nine is the name that has been given to a group of nine people arrested on April 17, 2005, in Denpasar, Bali, regarding a plan to smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin from Indonesia to Australia.

After first trials at the District Court and subsequent appeals at the High Court and the Supreme Court, ringleaders Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran and the youngest member, Scott Rush, have been handed the death penalty. The remaining six were given 20 years to life sentences in jail.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday that member Renae Lawrence was preparing to testify to prevent the execution of Scott Rush.

Your comments:

I have been keeping a watch on the Bali Nine case. I believe they should get a few years in prison, but not the death sentence. I think the law is designed with the intention to preserve life and for rehabilitation, and that the person who commits the crime needs to be brought into rehabilitation, and that that is the function of the law.

Killing someone shows the law has failed, not that it has succeeded. Because the law was built for good, to do good, no matter what crime they did, it was meant to correct. But the problem with us is that we have turned the law into a killer, which it is not meant to be, although there does still need to be strong punishment, as a deterrent.

Jesse
New Zealand


As an American I find Indonesia to be a beautiful country with a beautiful people. When we ask
Indonesia to deal with the criminals who smuggle drugs into or out of country we should expect that even Americans or Australians and other foreigners will be sentenced to death if they choose to smuggle drugs.

Indonesia does this to their own nationals when they are caught so we should expect no better treatment when Americans and Australians are caught.

I support Indonesia in prosecuting such individuals to the fullest extent of the law, even if this means death for those who are caught.

How else will Americans, Australians and other foreigners learn not to smuggle narcotics to or from Indonesia, the country that I love?

Vernon Thiede
California


One of the first things that travelers see at many international airports are signs indicating the penalties for drug trafficking.

Death means death, if you are prepared to attempt to smuggle drugs into Indonesia and are caught, you face dire consequences.

If a court has given you a 20-year sentence instead of the death penalty, why would you appeal that sentence, you were lucky not to get the death penalty.

The end of this saga will most likely be the death of this individual, such a waste of a young life. But if his hidden drugs had escaped detection and made it into the local Indonesian drug users’ bodies, how many of them would have died. Drug dealers get what they deserve!

Ivan P
Australia

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