WHEN convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby was sentenced a year ago to 20 years in a Bali prison, the televised images of her anguish as she was hauled from the courtroom were almost too distressing to watch.
In the immediate aftermath, there was a powerful sense in this country Corby had been harshly dealt with, particularly against the background of the Indonesian authorities' reluctance to hand down tough sentences on some of those convicted of offences relating to the Bali terrorist attacks.
Corby, convicted on what – to some eyes – looked like a weak set of facts would be in jail for 20 years while the evil cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, for example, would be out in two. Where was the equity in that? Coupled with a raft of damaging allegations about slack baggage handling arrangements at Sydney airport, it all looked to add up – again, to some eyes – to rough justice for Corby.
Now from her prison cell, Corby is trying to keep her situation in the public consciousness, sending letters asking her supporters to continue their lobbying efforts, and who could blame her for that?
But the problem for Corby is that the decisive piece of evidence – the identity of the person she alleges planted the marijuana in her luggage – has never been provided. Failing that, her situation remains dire.
A situation Australian tourists should heed as a warning – don't smuggle drugs, don't allow even a suspicion you might do so. Once you're locked in an Asian jail, help is a long way away.
Schapelle Corby Case Information
