I respect your opinions Di and thank you for not attacking me about my comments. I know that sometimes I can get very passionate about this issue, and also about others peoples views, because most people dont have an opinion about it they just like casting stones at people that are not in the same class as they are. Most of the Australian public are more concerned with what other people will think of them because of these younge peoples actions. I must say that my friend matthew was not one of the people caught at the airport, he was sharing a hotel room with people from work and he was arrested because more heroin was found in the hotel room that all of them were in. I know that it would be naieve to think that he did not know a thing about it, but i still belive that he was thinking of his families lives above his own. He has told his father that people threatened his family if he did not cooperate, his family has already received death threats since he was arrested. i fear for his family as much as his safety. I understand that it is not understandable for most people why someone would do this but if you knew matthew as I did you would know that his family was the first thing on his mind at all times. And i Will swear that if i was in his shoes And drug lords or any one for that matter threatened my family i would do exactly as they said. Stupidity can be factored into this, but only if that stupidity was aimed at the AFP for not foreseeing the avoidable deaths of nine Australians. As well as aiming the stupidity calls at the people calling the shots and making the AFP look stupid. The people who got these young Australians into this mess in the first place.

Green eyes, thanks for the last post, it would be a ghastly position to be in and who can say or judge what they would do in a similar position? Especially at that age with that amount of pressure. I will watch the development of that trial with an added insight because of you. You are right about casting the stones, it is an easy position to be in, except when you are the one on the receiving end. Let's hope that some precedent has been set with Corby, though with the latest developments, I do suspect a deal has been done behind the scenes and that the "mules" of the Bali 9 may well end up being the sacrificial lambs. I will certainly stay interested and concerned. Maintain the rage.
Di

Hey there people out there who seemed to have an opinion about everything about 2 weeks ago. Then I came on here and gave you a dose of reality. seems to have done the trick. People out there need to keep their mouths shut about things they clearly don't understand. The truth hurts people I understand this a little clearer now i hope all you foul mouths out there do now as well.

I've posted this in another forum under another name. This is my view on how we should deal with importers here:

During the twentieth century people have been hanged in NSW and elsewhere. There technically and practically are no constitutional barriers to depriving a person of life if convicted of certain indictable offences. Alternatively, for these offenders, life should mean life in the literal construction of the word if death penalty is not applied.

Useful comparative law includes the Philippine:

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9165 (2002)
COMPREHENSIVE DANGEROUS DRUGS ACT OF 2002

This is a key extract selected by me of the CDDA2002:

"Section 4. Importation of Dangerous Drugs and/or Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals.- .The penalty of life imprisonment to death and a ranging from Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00) to Ten million pesos (P10,000,000.00) shall be imposed upon any person, who, unless authorized by law, shall import or bring into the Philippines any dangerous drug, regardless of the quantity and purity involved..."