travelers beware!

[penshoppe]

Indonesian court convicts Australian of drug smuggling. Case Timeline.This news caught my eye yesterday. I'm not in a position to say whether the verdict was justified. But what frightens me is that travelers could be unaware of drugs, or other contraband, being put in their luggage. Gosh

Comments

[nousia]

*winces* Ouch. :/ Poor Schapelle.

And yeah, it's rather creepy to think of drugs being smuggled into your luggage when you least suspect it..aren't looking ... or . . it's all the same, isn't it?

No comment for you or does Wikipedia have no comment?

[penshoppe]

No comment for you or does Wikipedia have no comment?

I have no comment about Kevin's case since I am not familiar with the facts in there either. I'm leaning towards being sympathetic to Schapelle. I believe Singapore is another country that imposes the death penalty on drug smuggling.

It's rather creepy to think of drugs being smuggled into your luggage when you least suspect it..aren't looking ...
Yeah. I'm gonna lock my luggage very tightly when traveling!

[szaranea]

She was convicted? *swears* It was Marijuana, for God's sake. I know that it's illegal, but please, everybody smokes Marijuana. Well, at least here. I don't, but I'm a minortiy, as it seems. And even if it was 4 kilos. 20 years in prison? Here you get a fine for that, afik. *rants on* I shall never let my brother go to Indonesia. Or Singapore. Or Malaysia.

[penshoppe]

Hey Ri, good to see you back from your break. :)

Marijuana is a prohibited drug in my country and in others. We frown on it. I accept that foreigners like Schapelle have to obey the laws of their host countries. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" and all that.

While I was on a brief Singapore visit, I took a day tour of a Malaysian town. Our guide cautioned us about bringing back cigarettes and liquor into Singapore. She'd seen tourists pay very stiff fines for those items. The difference is, they intentionally brought those items with them. In Schapelle's case, there are reports that the case against her wasn't airtight; there seems to be reasonable doubt on whether she deliberately put marijuana in her bag.

[penshoppe]

Just to clarify, those Malaysian/Singapore tourists had to pay stiff amounts for those cigarettes and liquor. I'm not sure if they're fines or duties.

[szaranea]

I totally accept that Marijuana is frowned on. I have no problems with keeping to the laws of other countries. But I still think that, while Marijuana is an illegal substance, it is not addictive, and no more harmful than alcohol. I don't smoke Marijuana myself, but I really, really fail to see what the fuss is about when somebody is arrested with it.

And how can someone whose case is not airtight be convicted? Isn't it usually... uh, don't know the exact wording in English. "Im Zweifel für den Angeklagten". Means, when in doubt, (ie there's no factual evidence proving that what the suspect says is wrong) the suspect is to be spoken free of all charges.

[anazecria]

Corby's case has been big news here, to ridiculous proportions. There was even a program where viewers got to vote whether she was guilty or not. Facts are way to muddy to determine guilt or innocence, but naturally Aussies believe her to be innocent.

Unfortunately Australians are so angry they are ringing up charities and asking for their tsunami donations back and refusing to donate to charites if they think their money will go to people in Indonesia. It's showing a really ugly attitude.

As for the verdict itself, I feel it's extreme but my little understanding of Indonesian law suggests that 20 years is actually pretty lenient.

[penshoppe]

It's showing a really ugly attitude.
Understandable attitude, but ugly.

This case struck a chord in me, 'cause I don't usually lock all compartments of my luggages. I'd leave the front compartment zipped but unlocked. I'd better be a lot more careful next time I travel.