Drugs and Asian nations.

[Arkacia]

Click Me for News Story (http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,16991587%255E954,00.html).

We have had a number of Australians arrested in Asian nations recently for drug possesion/trafficking. If you believe the media they are all innocents who would never do something like that and are just victims of the nasty Asian nations justice systems.

Am I the only one who believe that if you are dumb enough to try to smuggle drugs in/out of a nation that has the death penalty for it, and get caught, then tough cookies?

The woman featured in that story isn't innocent in the slightest, as she was arrested with packs of heroin strapped to her body. The Indonesian police filmed it, so there is no way she can claim it didn't happen or she was set up.

Now she's trying the old "I was forced into it by threats of violence". That might wash if she hadn't already done numerous trips trafficking death into this country and wasn't being paid $A5,000 each time.

Personally I don't care if she, and the rest of the group caught with her who are being ignored by the press because they are male and she makes for the more pathetic news story, are executed. That will mean 9 less deadheads bringing crap into Australia that kills our kids.

[ShadowHeart]

If that's what the law says in those countries, and they are guilty, serves them right. That's all I have to say :) The world would be a much better place without all them drugs.. but they'll always be there :(

[Zerlina]

They're going to execute them?

I can't justify what they did as it's a question of macro/micro evil, but I have to say that the death penalty is most definitley wrong. I personally don't believe in the death penalty, though many people find that serial killers etc should receive it (What's worse, to die or to have to spend the rest of your life with no hope, knowing you're never going to be free again? And also, why would the government want to turn into a murderer too? Isn't that hypocrytical whether it's done in the law or not? All that says is it's alright for the government to kill.)

[ShadowHeart]

Whether the death penalty is right or wrong to have at all, is an entirely different topic IMO. This is more about following the laws where you are, and not be portrayed as a victim when you break another county's laws and that country's punishment for that is more harsh than your own. You can't go to a different country, break their law and say "hey, it's legal in my country!" or "hey, we have a much weaker sentence for that in my country!".

Of course, if they are not guilty but found guilty, that's a different story. You can't take back a death penalty. But that's why I said in my last post that if they are guilty, then serves them right.

And no, I'm not in favour of the death penalty :/

[Arkacia]

These countries have big problems with drugs and the death penalty is one of the ways they are trying to combat that. The simple way to avoid it is to not posess or traffic drugs in any of these nations.

The point I'm trying to make is these people go into these nation knowing what the penalty is, commit the crime, then expect to be treated differently and receive light sentences because they are Australian. When you are in another nation, you are a guest in that nation and are fully expected to follow its laws. The simple fact is that these nations have the death penalty for drugs and every Australian knows that. If they are stupid enough to take the risk and get caught, why should they be treated any differently to a native citizen of that country who commits the same crime?

I remember years ago an American teenager who, with a group of native teens, went on a vandalisim spree in Singapore. They were caught and part of the punishment for the whole group, normal for that crime in that nation, was 10 hits (I think, it may have been 20) with a cane.

The furore over this by the American government and its citizens was amazing. They didn't care less what happened to the others, but the condemnation against Singapore for daring to impose its laws on an equal basis on one of their teens was loud and disgusting. The main whinge was "he is American, we don't do that here, how dare you do it to him". Personally I think it was fair enough, he deserved what he got, and the Americans had no right to poke their noses into another nations business.

How does that old saying go again, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

[Totorosama]

They're going to execute them?

I can't justify what they did as it's a question of macro/micro evil, but I have to say that the death penalty is most definitley wrong. I personally don't believe in the death penalty, though many people find that serial killers etc should receive it (What's worse, to die or to have to spend the rest of your life with no hope, knowing you're never going to be free again? And also, why would the government want to turn into a murderer too? Isn't that hypocrytical whether it's done in the law or not? All that says is it's alright for the government to kill.)
You know that sales of drugs fund many gangs around the world? Would you rather have the people that help them die or the people that are killed by the gangs die? It's one choice or the other.
They were caught and part of the punishment for the whole group, normal for that crime in that nation, was 10 hits (I think, it may have been 20) with a cane.
That's getting off easy, even in America. I think that they should have been punished to a more serious extent.

[Spiff]

That's getting off easy, even in America. I think that they should have been punished to a more serious extent.

That is getting off easy, but I feel it's a fair punishment and a good deterent. Back to the topic, it's a crime there and they have their own rules. Be good, don't break them and you'll have nothing to worry about.