The Federal Police cannot run operations in a foreign country without the knowledge of the local authorities. Once local authorities are informed they obviously have control of the matter as the offence is taking place in their jurisdiction. The police in Bali arrested these offenders, not the Australian Federal Police.

The good professor throws the old chestnut of police corruption into the mix, is he suggesting that these 9 have been somehow “set up” by Australian Police? What rubbish. And the suggestion that the offenders should have been sat down and given a good old fashioned talking to by the police and then let go on their merry way is an absolute joke. These are serious crimes involving organized crime syndicates and millions of dollars, not to mention the absolute misery visited upon thousands of Australian lives touched by the scourge of drugs.

Professor Rees says that allowing the Bali 9 to be arrested in Bali does not contribute to the values of tolerance or public education. I would argue that it does both. It shows that Australia will not tolerate criminals who wish to poison our people with drugs, and it sure educates those idiots who are considering a career in drug smuggling that their career could be somewhat short.

Professor Rees displays an astounding lack of understanding of the views of the Australian public. Or maybe he just holds these views in contempt? Australians are sick and tired of pathetic sentences handed out to violent and serious criminals. The professors’ views of tolerance and leniency are just another way for these people to duck responsibility for their actions.

I do however, agree that the death penalty is totally inappropriate. Life imprisonment for them is also a tragic waste of young lives. But as any criminal will tell you - Don't Do the Crime If You Can't Do the Time.

Agree on some of your stances, Bozzie but not all. The Bali 9 is a bit of an expose into what is going on between more higher powers than the stupid morons that moved the stuff. My stance is that as they are not the Mr Bigs and only the mules, they do not deserve a bullet nor life in a Bali jail, but not a slap on the wrist either. Say, unpaid service with the ambos on a Saturday night plus time.

If the higher police powers in Aust were aware that these idiots were haplessly going to move the stuff, and then watch them step into the coalface so to lead them to Mr Big, whilst leting these stupid kids (and let's face it most of them are not hardened criminals) fall into the net of international drug syndicate... don't you suppose that the powers that be should not be throwing these kids to the wolves? And we'll separate the mules from the thoroughbreds. reading between the lines, certain Aust. powers knew how it was going to play out and let it happen. No one stopped these idiots at the airport and told them to go home and their visa wasn't valid. I'll bet the farm that these kids get the firing squad and Aust/Indonesian police still don't nail Mr Big. Stupidity at that age deserves a lot of things, but not a bullet. Meanwhile, what's happening at the top?

How many people may have died of drug related problems if those drugs got through. Sure go after the big fish but the mules have to be stopped to. Just think how we would react if another country did what the writer suggests, just because they don't like our brand of justice.

Just Mules? Caught before their deadly cargo was delivered, so go easy on them because they are not the Mr Bigs of the drug world?

That mentality would require that any suicide bomber, caught before they exploded their deadly cargo, should also be let go because they are not the top terrorists.

Drugs or Bombs: those mules all spread death. Catch them in the act: shoot them and be done with it!

This whole sorry saga of Schapel Corby and the Bali nine has a nasty stench about it.I don't think it was pure co-incidence that the Bali nine were sprung so soon after Schapel's court case.

You will probably find the real Mr Bigs of drugs both in Indonesia and Australia totally insulated.Rest assured,they won't be caught.

So why were these young boys sacrificed?Were they to be the counter balance that would grant Schapel a lesser sentence?Why did Mick Kelty almost white ant any suggestions of the Corby's defence that baggage handlers were involved in drug trafficing when he knew the exact opposite?Why did Mick Kelty discredit the statements of a South Australian prisoner to the effect that Schapel's body board bag was used as a vehicle for drugs from Brisbane to Sydney.On that very same day in which Schapel arrived in Sydney, we find that a shipment of cocaine passes through Sydney airport.

We will never stop people taking drugs.I'm told it only takes 3 hits of heroine to hook an addict and they will deny themselves food for a hit.

So long as there is a market, there will always be suppliers,and it is up to us, to educate potential users of their impending death.

I know I'm asking for it here, but I have to say that all the recent dope dramas just reinforce in me my belief that we would be much better off if recreational drug use was legalised and regulated. The genie's out of the bottle, folks - there is no way that prohibition stops the production, distribution or consumption of drugs anywhere.

IMHO, all that the current situation creates is grief for the weakest members of the chain (users and mules), corruption of our police, customs and international transport systems (not to mention the obscene waste of resources), and enormous profits for the kingpins of the drug world.

If recreational drugs were legal, we wouldn't have 9 young dumb Australians facing a firing squad in Bali, we wouldn't have baggage handlers being involved in cocaine importation (amazing that bust occurred on the very same day that Schapelle Corby's baggage went through Sydney Airport, huh?), we wouldn't have most of the Melbourne gangland murders etc etc etc, and we wouldn't be faced with the utter tragedy of the Corby farce.

Perhaps more profoundly, if we treated drugs rationally rather than moralistically, we could remove the profit and mystique that enslave equally their producers, importers, dealers, users and all those who seek to prevent their use.