Don W wrote:
See http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...2/s1306875.htm

Ok, I'm not sure of your point though?

They let him off with a 3 month sentence, although he could have
gotten the death penalty.

The death penalty related to the accusation of gun-running and terrorism
arising out of the allegations of the disgruntled former employee. They
weren't realistic options after the circumstances became known. Reporting on
these issues in the Australian media is somewhat hysterical owing to the
spate of Australians arrested in Indonesia and elsewher in Asiaon drug
related crime in recent years.

One Australian Citizen was executed at the end of last year in Singapore, 9
Australian Mules are being held are tried in Bali at the present, and quite
a few others have been under the auspices of the Asian judicial system for
lesser crimes. If you'r interested at all, a quick search of "the bali
nine", "Nguyen Tuong Van", "Schapelle Corby", "Michelle Leslie" will turn up
enough links provide a backgrund.

The result of this has been to incite a degree of hysteria, as well as
speculation over the 'fairness and impartiality' of the judicial process in
certain Asian countries, in any case concerning an Australian where the
death penalty might be applied, however remote the posssibility. Groups are
trying to pressure the Australian Government to bring these people home to
face the more lenient and supposedly more impartial judicial processes here.

In Leslie's case, she was busted for posession of two ecstacy tabs, for
example, the maximim penalty for which is a rather extreme 15 years.
Headlines will scream "Model Facing 15 Years".

Leslie was convicted and released for time served (guess what, 3months) late
last year.

Within 4 days of arriving home after her release, Leslie had engaged a
celebrity publicity agent, such is the febrile media scummage over these
issues.

You have to read all news in its context Don. I'm also unimpressed with the
articles inference that as Packer didn't deny paying to secure his release,
this obviously means he did pay.

In Packers case, within a week of his arrest, the maximum penalty he faced
for the firearms offences was 20 years.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2004/s1249223.htm

Ian

"Former champion yachtsman Chris Packer has spoken about his three
months in an Indonesian prison.
The 52-year-old was released from jail on Saturday after a court in
Denpasar convicted him of firearms offences on Friday.
Mr Packer was found guilty of violating a law relating to not having
declared firearms kept on his vessel, the Lissa."
Mr Packer says he tried not to think of the possibility of receiving
the death penalty while in prison because it was too depressing.
He says he has had bad luck.
"Unlucky to have got in trouble in the first place I think," he said.
"We had no bad intentions or anything like that, so unlucky.
"If I'd declared my guns perhaps I would have had a much better time
in Bali."

A similar news item says that he refused to talk about whether
money was paid to the authorities to secure his release until
he was out of Indonesia.

Don W.



He was convicted and set free, must have been a year ago. Got three
months or something, less time than he'd been in gaol awaiting trial
in any case.

From memory he'd fired some Scottish backpacker who was crewing as a
cook, who retaliated by dobbing him in for alleged gun-running,
terrorism and drug-smuggling. It was all bull****, but the Indonesian
Military turned up in force to investigate and found a couple of
undeclared shotguns and a rifle.

The weapons weer all found to have been documented, God only knows
why he didn't declare them - I'm sure he wishes he had.

His 'yacht' was a 60m freighter, btw.

Ian