Good point Kalweb but one thing: These people have taken so many drugs that I doubt they could read, or undestand any word longer than 5 letters. They probably don't know what "narcotics" mean. What we need is some sort of Pictogram, showing a smiling Australian taking drugs into Bali, and then ending up being in Jail or being shot. Then I'd agree they "might", just "might" understand. You've got to realize, you're dealing with true idiocy when you're dealing with drug users.

Of course, for the drug transportes and drug sellers (who sometimes possess a spark of intelligence) there is no excuse. They can read, and they can also take a bullet for what they have done.

There mustn't be too many dumb Australians here on the mainland because it looks like they have moved to Indonesia. I must, at all costs, avoid that flight from Australia to Indonesia because each passenger seems to be subject to some form of brain bypass operation. The passengers get out at their destination and they can't read, they can't make intelligent decisions, they don't notice the absence of kangaroos and koalas etc.

Just what do they do with their brains?

Your article is a helpful reminder to the 85% of Australians (who do not read daily news sevices)and need to be told the obvious. I wonder how many Aussies get into serious trouble due to their ignorance, or the fact that we do leave our law behind when we travel off shore. I estimate about 200 people anually are in this group.
Note: Civil and criminal law in the Australian justice system is also imperfect. About 20,000 Austalians are seriously effected annually because of deficiencies in our justice system at home. Do not count on any improvenemnts though because there is too much money involved for the few thousand professionals in the industry.A gravey train approaching $2b pa will not change from within.

Lets first quote some parts of Michael Bosscher statement;

The Australian Government will not intervene in the judicial process of other countries, and nor should it.

And

Lesson one is that Australians abroad have no special privileges

And

We cannot try to subvert another country's criminal justice system. And we cannot demand that the person be tried under our justice system.

Well, while I would not particular like any Australian national to commit crimes overseas, we can however end up being charged of any crime regardless how innocent a person might be.

Unlike Michael Bosscher, as I have set out in my 30 September 2003 published book;

INSPECTOR-RIKATI® on CITIZENSHIP
A book on CD about Australians unduly harmed.
ISBN 0-9580569-6-X

The government, once it has a treaty with another country has the obligation and duty to ensure that an Australian receives the same DUE PROCESS OF LAW as any of that countries nationals would have.
In the Hicks case, regardless that I deplore what I understand to be his conduct overseas, he is an Australian national and so far has been denied the same DUE PROCESS OF LAW as was provided to the American who was charged as an combats-man.

The issue is not that we seek to interfere with the judicial system of another country but as is clear with the David Hicks case, the Australian government neglect to pursue that an Australian national, by the treaties with the US is entitled to receive the same treatment as if he was an US citizen in regard of accountability before the law.

Months prior to the US Supreme Court ruling that the Magna Charta was still applicable I wrote to John Howard the same and he should pursue this. He obviously never did. Perhaps, a conviction would suit him better as if the US were to let David Hicks go then what will the position of the Australian government? Egg on their face, and having ignored Hicks legal rights?

It is not wanting to interfere with another countries judicial system, just to ensure Australians are not wrongly denied JUSTICE!

Ignorance is no justification in the eyes of any law, and admittedly the eyes of some laws suck, while Justice is blind. Whilst I do not agree that the Bali 9 deserve death (rather, an Ivan Milat), one cannot argue that it is found in a boogie board rather than strapped on one's body. Indonesian law in Australia is not a new thing, I am 43 and when I went to Bali at the ripe old age of 21 I was told, along the lines of "if you smoke it's like having sex without protection, you may get pregnant/busted" So we didn't smoke! I feel for the Bali 9, I don't think you deserve a death penalty for that. But what part of "don't strap drugs to your body coming in/out of Indonesia" didn't they understand?

20 years ago it was clear enough? Still worried somewhat about the baggage handlers and rightly so. But strapped to your body kinda sets the scene. I would hope with all the hoopla re schappelle etd that the Indonesian govt might take an amnesty on us dumb aussies and let us commute to a lesser sentence than a bullet. But they have been known to be hard barstards in the past. But no one deserves a bullett unless the're a serial killer with no remorse. And i don't think idiot kids strapping themselves to a (what they think is a future) deserve a bullet. Rather I would like to see in this country we could scare the hell out of them with our justice.

Drugs can be having serious consequences, and Indonesia is entitled to punish offenders as a way seeking to protect its citizens. Having stated this, I view that using the death penalty is barbaric. Our Australian government should have a treaty in place with Indonesia that Australians will not face the death penalty, if convicted.
After all, the Delegates of the Constitution Convention Debates specifically provided constitutional powers for the commonwealth of Australia with “external affairs” so it could look after the interest of Australians abroad.
Indonesia has a right to reject our government’s request not to apply the death penalty to Australians, and then we have the right to stop trading all together with Indonesia! Sure, that may cause some hardship, but we must never place economical benefits above that of a human life, even if it is some stupid kid/adult trying to make a fast buck to smuggle drugs.
Then again, where we have a Federal government that supports the death penalty for people like Osama bin Laden, who must have disappeared with the WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, (Perhaps find one and you may find the other also?), and as such cannot take the moral high ground to argue against the using of the death penalty by other countries, where in fact coward & co even went on a killing spree to bomb out a restaurant, and so killing the people working there, merely as to want to kill the head of State of Iraq.

QUOTE 15-9-2005
JOHN HOWARD: … my responsibility and my authority extends to the appointment of ministers. I believe that the Minister for Health and Ageing has been an outstanding minister and I have no intention of terminating his commission.
END QUOTE

For so far I am aware of the Constitution provides that the Governor-General appoints and decommission Ministers, not John Howard!
Seems to me Howard is too busy in being a dictator to care about the life’s of Australians