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Posted on 08/23/2005 6:56:27 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
PRIME Minister John Howard has delivered a blunt warning to Australians who carry drugs into Asia, calling them stupid and telling them not to expect the Government to save them.
His comments follow high-profile drug cases in Indonesia where 10 Australians now face the death penalty if convicted of narcotics charges. "It's beyond belief that any Australian could be so stupid as to carry drugs into any country in Asia," Mr Howard told Channel 9.
"We have told Australians - young Australians - again and again, don't take drugs out of this country, don't take them into Asian countries because you can't expect any mercy."
Traffickers who ignored the warnings should expect no help from the Federal Government, Mr Howard said.
"Now we'll keep pushing that message but people have to understand that if they defy that, and they get caught with drugs, they can't expect the Government to bail them out," he said.
"I'm just amazed that people would even contemplate after all the publicity that's been given to some quite prominent cases in recent months, that people would do this."
Graham Clifford Payne, a 20-year-old teacher from Adelaide, could face a firing squad in Indonesia if convicted of drugs charges after being arrested on the weekend allegedly with more than 2000 assorted tablets.
Already facing a possible death penalty are the Bali nine, the eight Australian men and one woman accused of trying to smuggle more than 8kgs of heroin from Bali to Australia in April.
In another case, 24-year-old Adelaide-born model Michelle Leslie faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted of possessing two ecstasy tablets in Bali.
Anyone dopey enough to be carrying illicit drugs in Asia can't expect the rest of us to drop everything to save their miserable hides.
Well said, John Howard!
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The penalties are IMHO absurdly harsh, but they are very well advertised. A wise man once said, "do illegal drugs in your own country." Westerners have little protection in foreign countries.
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Ah, the good old days of weekly hangings in the Singapore newspapers, mostly for drug trafficing.
There is an irony here. Indonesia executes drug trafficers, but let's bombers loose in a few years.
Actually, we should encourage our druggies to travel holding to Asia. Get's them out of the gene pool.
Send the hollyweird crowd first.
Hell, I may have to move to Australia. Sounds like my kind of country.
Does anyone besides me think some of these kids were set up (framed)?
How refreshing to hear common sense bluntness from a political leader. Indonesia is corrupt semi-barbaric cesspool, but how can anyone in Australia not be aware of that after that girl's farce of a trial a few months ago? From what I understand, it was like ya'll's media's version of the missing girl in Aruba or Michael Jackson trial (overcovered day and night for months.)
John Howard was nicely blunt to the press on his recent visit here. We're lucky he's on Freedom's side.
Bingo! You got it!
I like Howard, but he's really ticked me off here. He ignores mistaken arrests and setups. Plus, wasn't there a young girl that was most likely framed in the last 6-9 months or so ago, from Australia? The fines are excessive too, but well advertised like mentioned earlier here. However 15 years for 2 tablets? 24 year old girl??? Outrageously excessive!
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