'They knew the consequences if they were caught, they gambled the death penalty against the loads of money they would have received if not caught.'

True Phillip S however probably growing up in a country with weak judges, weak politicians and often weak parents who always threaten but never carry out they could be forgiven for thinking the INdonesian Government is the same.

Just look at our atrocious State education system where bullying is suppose to be the big no no of the age and kids suspended spend days playing computer games. Ingrained in consciousness of these druggies is that like weak and often gutless Australian authorities. The crims are always fed the line by the social engineers that they are the victims

runner - It was reasonably common in the media etc what would happen in relation to drugs and Indonesia, I believe they knew that they would not get a slap on the wrist, they wanted the big pay-off and lost.

Corby and other cases were frequently in the news.

I have to agree that Australia for crime and punishment is a joke.

We had an example just a few days ago.
Quote "A Sudanese man accused of luring a 16-year-old girl to a stairwell where she was allegedly gang raped by six men has been granted bail in the Supreme Court.
Hassan Kugor, of Hoxton Park, is accused of being a key offender in the random attack on the teenager in a carpark stairwell at Liverpool City Library on June 21 last year.
He is charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault in company and robbery in company and has been held on remand since his arrest by detectives from Strike Force Merom on July 22 .
On Tuesday Justice David Davies granted Mr Kugor strict bail, including the condition that he live with a family friend in Blacktown, adhere to a curfew and his father deposit $5000."

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/bail-for-gang-rape-accused-hassan-kugor-20150203-134u58.html

$5000 bail that has to be a joke, regrettably it is not.

Dear Is Mise,

Blanks are customarily fired in executions by firing squads so that those firing the guns have the possibility in their minds that they may not have fired the fatal shots.

Hi there...

DAVID F...

I've heard this notion that blank cartridge's are fired by some members of a firing squad, and other's fire live rounds ? How is this achieved ? Might not the 'felt' recoil or lack of it, send a significant message to that member ? And if in fact this practice actually happens, who loads each individual weapon ?

I believe any experienced rifleman would 'immediately' recognise whether he discharged a live round. Members of a Firing Squad would need to be both mature and experienced with military small arms, before being selected as a potential member of such a squad.

I could well be wrong, however it's my belief members of a firing squad would be carefully selected using well established criterion. Once selected the individuals would understand quite clearly his or her duties when the time came to execute the offender ? There would be very little ceremony associated with such a duty, in the interests of not prolonging the anguish. Once the religious mechanisms were completed, the offender would be quickly and securely bound, blindfolded, and immediately dispatched. I again say, this is purely my opinion only ?

Dear o sung wu,

I bow to your superior knowledge. Of course one would know whether one fired a blank or not. It sounds like an urban legend that no one bothered to check.

The firing squad or the guillotine seems more humane than lethal injection or the electric chair from what I have heard of all four types of execution.

The concern is to get them all to be aiming at the target area when the trigger is pressed. After knowledge of blank or ball ammunition is irrelevant to that.