Mr Tanner, you talk about interfering in the Indonesian justice system but the Australian government wasn’t shy during the Abu Bakr Bashir case. Would you like to explain that?

It is not the Indonesian justice system we object to, it is the Australian government. According to the Indonesian court, Corby or an associate grew $80,000 worth of marijuana and when asked why the Corby’s weren’t under Australian investigation, Mr Keelty said, “It is not the AFP’s job to clear people”, implying that any investigation would clear her.

What we have here is a young uneducated woman being thrown to the wolves. Prior to her departure, she worked in a fish and chip shop where she saved $1300 for her holiday. She posed in Brisbane airport with her family and friends for holiday photos where she is laughing and fooling around.

But you would believe that she miraculously came by $80,000 worth of marijuana without leaving a trace or a rumour. Then she took it to Bali where the stuff grows wild. She didn’t conceal it at all but slashed the vacuum-seal Space bag so that the stench would make it obvious to anyone opening the bag.

What if she is exactly who she says she is Mr Tanner? As the years pass by and she still pleads her innocence, people will begin to look. Unlike you, they will look at the case and the evidence. They will ask the simple question, “If Indonesian customs didn’t cut the Space bag as they claim, then who did?” Schapelle is not looking for any special treatment, just an investigation, something guilty people don’t often do

Abu Bachar Bashir perpetrated crimes against Australians, so there was scope for our authorities to be more involved there, not that, in my opinion, they did any more than they did in relation to Schappelle Corby.

Tim.

Bob

A very succinct response.

Moreso, I read in yesterday's news that a person had been arrested/detained by customs officials on arrival at Melbourne airport "on information/advice from the AFP". Please? In direct contradiction to what the AFP allegedly did for the so-called Bali 9?

This raises serious concerns which must be addressed forthwith. What is happening between our Customs Department and AFP?

Maybe there should be a Royal Commission?

It seems to be quite out of hand to my mind. I have already given sites for reference to the matters originally brought up by Mr Tanner and quite obviously it goes very much deeper than what he may have thought from his original article. There are very many concerned people who have done a lot of research into all of the the matters mentioned herein. Here is another site which discusses all of these issues:
http://www.fairbloodydinkum.com/

It all revolves around airports/drugs/AFP/Customs and Baggage Handling/Airlines.

Surely someone can take up the cudgeon? If not - why not?

I think that each and every one of us has a right to question the laws of other countries, particularly when human rights are being violated. If noone ever questions them then they would probably never change. Do you think that we should not have questioned what Hitler was doing?

Lindsay Tanner's article completely misses the point delivering a spectacularly stupid and unfair ideological line. The following three points are most relevant here and Mr Tanner please pay attention:

Firstly, Tanner seems to be saying that we must respect the unfair processes of Indonesian law for Schapelle Corby, but we must not accept the unfair American processes to which David Hicks is being subjected.

Secondly, the point that is so blatantly obvious but seems so often to be missed is that in all these cases - Hicks, Corby and the Bali Nine - these Australians are small fish who are just being sacrificed for bigger Australian foreign policy and security objectives. They are all expendible for the sake of relations with the US and Indonesia respectively. If they had been arrested in a country like Laos like Kay Danes and her husband were, they would be free now.

Thirdly, Tanner totally misses the point on the extraordinary circumstances of the Corby case. Unlike almost every other case in which an Australian is arrested overseas, this case involves crime committed in Australia and all the evidence to establish her guilt or innocence is in Australia. But Tanner still seems to insist that Australian authorities do nothing to investigate the case and see whether she checked the 4 kg of ganja through two Australian airports on October 8, 2004 or whether baggage handlers planted it in her luggage (as seems more likely). And good point Smyth!

We should look at the role of the AFP in Bali,
An AFP officer mocked Renae Lawrence, one of the couriers, while trying to get her to confess to owning two suitcases where some heroin was allegedly found, Lawrence says in one of the documents.

"Dont be a silly girl. The silly little girl thinks that she is going to go home," Lawrence says the unnamed officer told her soon after her arrest.

The parents have accused the AFP of being directly involved in the exposure of their children to the death penalty.

"In Australia, no Australian Federal Police officer could expose a citizen to the death penalty," the letter said. "Under Australian law, no Australian citizen can be exposed to the death penalty in Australia.We believe this is now the time to act."

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/01/13/1137118970289.html?from=rss

We know the AFP hindered the Corby trial, and they have their fingerprints all over the Bali nine case.

Our police forces especially the Federal Police should be above politics but unfortunately they have been corrupted by our Govt. who have become experts at ignoring accepted rules to get their agenda through.