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20 years in a Bali prison
28/05/2005 14:00 - (SA)
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| Schapelle Corby cries after hearing the verdict. (AP) |
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Denpasar - A 20-year stretch on the Indonesian paradise island of Bali sounds like heaven for most people, but for convicted Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, it is likely to be a living hell.
For the next two decades, barring a successful appeal or a prisoner exchange deal with her homeland, the 27-year-old will be confined to a disease-infested prison housing some of the world's most notorious Islamic extremists.
And, say experts, unless Corby resigns herself to her fate - something she has so far refused to do - her sentence for smuggling 4.1kg of marijuana onto the island will be much worse.
After her sentencing on Friday, the student beautician was dragged from her tearful family and taken to Kerobokan jail, a sprawling maximum security penitentiary on the fringes of the Balinese capital Denpasar.
Grim picture
While Australia's prisons may not exactly be the world's most comfortable - Kerobokan will make most facilities look like a five-star hotel.
Corby's nightmare has stirred massive sympathy in Australia, which has an enduring love affair with Bali. Analysts say the support for Corby reflects the fear many of her countrymen have of finding themselves in the same predicament.
Those familiar with the Kerobokan paint a grim picture of the cramped and dirty cells, where poor sanitation and a lack of air conditioning against the tropical climate create a breeding ground for disease.
Kerobokan's prisoners are locked up for 20 hours a day in dark rooms which measure a mere three square metres. Larger 30-metre cells are usually crammed with up to 20 prisoners, according to prison doctor, Anak Agung Gede Hartawan.
He said that most inmates sleep on a piece of carpet laid out on the concrete floor, although wealthier prisoners are allowed to purchase mattresses and beds. Ablutions are done using a bucket and ladle - there are no showers.
Common diseases include respiratory ailments and skin conditions, while many prisoners complain of headaches. Hartawan said 11 prisoners are confirmed carriers of HIV/AIDS but 30 are estimated to have the virus.
Food is adequate
He said food was adequate in the prison, with inmates allowed to receive meals brought from outside by visitors. Many prisoners arrive skinny and leave plump.
A warder at the prison said that Corby's cell was "ordinary" and that she received no special treatment compared to other female occupants, who are usually required to wear a prison uniform.
Her lawyer Erwin Siregar said Corby had "never complained to me about her cell condition or its sanitary facilities", adding that it was "quite ordinary".
"It is not in a bad condition but surely it's a subjective matter to say whether it's comfortable," Siregar said.
Although men and women are segregated, Corby's fellow inmates include several of the Islamic militants convicted for masterminding the October 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Among their ranks are Imam Samudra, a fiery militant who trained in Afghanistan before joining the ranks of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah Southeast Asian terror network. Samudra was last year sentenced to death.
She is still 'in denial'
Nine other Australians arrested in Bali earlier this year and accused of trying to smuggle heroin back to their country are also incarcerated in the prison. All are expected to be convicted.
Denny Thong, a psychologist who works to help prisoners at Kerobokan cope with the prospect of long stretches behind bars, said he was currently working with the nine recent arrivals to help them "get ready for the road ahead".
He said by learning the Indonesian language, abandoning McDonald's burgers in favour of local dishes and most of all resigning themselves to their sentence, they would be better able to handle their incarceration in Bali.
"Schapelle Corby is no different from other prisoners, she's always in denial," he said. "Usually prisoners will be more realistic about their situation after a year."
The plight of another Kerobokan inmate, Frenchman Michael Blanc, may offer some comfort to Corby. He too denied responsibility for the drugs that were found in his luggage in 2000, but received a life sentence for his crime.
- AFP
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