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Bali Nine - a mass execution of Australians? : Comments
By Mirko Bagaric, published 7/9/2006Bali Nine - Australia tipped off Indonesian police so Australia should have a role in deciding the ultimate outcome of the case.
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For many the story begins with drug or gambling debts, followed by loan sharking and stand over and threats by some extremely unpleasant individuals. I don’t know to what extent this applied to any of the Bali 9, but some of them look to me like not-too-bright kids who have got in way over their heads with a particularly nasty form of global business. I’ve seen lots of kids get sucked into the criminal world: for many, escape gets more and more difficult the deeper they go. By the time they realize how trapped they are it’s too late. That’s no excuse for their actions, of course, but I’ve been stunned by the lack of compassion from some posters on this string.
I can understand that the Indonesian people and their government are less than thrilled by the idea of their country becoming an international narcotics trafficking crossroads, and I acknowledge how important it is for them to be seen to be taking the problem seriously. But I agree with Mirko here: proportionality in penalty seems to be taking a back seat to political considerations. Most of these kids appear to be very minor players in the global drug trade. Unfortunately, they are seen as both expendable and very, very replaceable.