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Aus leaders face public outrage
30/05/2005 10:44 - (SA)
Sydney - Prime Minister John Howard reacted angrily on Monday to "impossibly stupid" demands that he intervene with Indonesian leaders to obtain the release of a young Australian woman jailed for 20 years for drug trafficking.
Schapelle Corby, a 27-year-old beautician, was convicted on Friday of trying to smuggle 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into the resort island of Bali. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison
The verdict and long sentence sparked public outrage across Australia, where most people believe Corby is innocent and think her case was mishandled by the Indonesian justice system.
Howard, whose conservative government has been striving to improve the often prickly relations with Australia's Muslim majority neighbour, has expressed sympathy for Corby, but on Monday rubbished demands that he intervene with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over her case.
"Emotional though people feel about this, we are dealing with the judicial system of another country," Howard told Sydney radio 2GB.
"It would be an impossibly stupid, counter-productive thing to ring up the president of Indonesia ... asking him to superimpose his judgement," he said.
"I don't believe, in the light of everything that's transpired, that that will help Schapelle Corby."
Foreign minister Alexander Downer for his part took to the airwaves to warn his fellow Australians against denigrating Indonesia or joining a burgeoning tourism boycott of Bali in retaliation for Corby's conviction.
Denigrate Indonesia
"Continuing to berate and denigrate Indonesia isn't going to help anybody in this case," Downer told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.
Downer said he spoke to Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda on Sunday to explain the Australian public reaction and reaffirm Australia's respect for the independence of Indonesia's judicial system.
"The government in Indonesia doesn't interfere in legal proceedings and we know that and they make that perfectly clear whenever we discuss the matter with them," he said.
But the official efforts to calm public anger appeared to have little impact judging by letters to the editor in Monday's newspapers.
Several readers expressed outrage that the same Bali court that jailed Corby for 20 years sentenced a Muslim cleric accused of leading a group that killed 88 Australians and 114 others in a 2002 suicide bombing to just two years in prison.
"Only in Indonesia could they give a terrorist murderer two years and 20 years for possession of drugs," wrote Brad to Sydney's Daily Telegraph. "All Australians should now show their outrage by boycotting Indonesia."
"I can't believe John Howard is saying we should trust the Indonesian system of law when there is clearly no justice system at all," said Bob in another letter.
- AFP
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