Madonna King

I purchased this book as it seems to be the only one available about the Bali 9, to bad it is so dated. I have some mixed feelings regarding this story and it participants.
1. I am still not sure why the Australian drug enforcement allowed the participants to be arrested in Bali rather than in Australia, both countries have claimed that they wanted to know and identify any members in Bali as well as they network that brought the drugs into Bali. It that is true they failed miserably at this goal.
2. Clearly the Indonesian criminal justice system is a very scary joke. They claim drug dealers are scum and want the death penalty for all of them and harsh sentences for drug use, yet they are laughably inconsistent in the administration of these standards when the guilty party is Indonesian, furthermore the Bali 9 were taking the drugs out of Bali not bringing them in!
3. I personally don't think any of the 9 has ever told the whole truth regarding themselves and what they knew of the other knowledge and participation. Lawrence the sole female, was in Bali 6 months earlier with Chan and the passport records prove it. For her to later say she didn't courier drugs then, is laughable. The other 3 couriers are not at all believable, they would have to be enormously ignorant, naive, and or stupid to 1. Think the trip to Bali, was out of the goodness of the heart of those paying for it, 2. Painfully stupid not to know what was being taped to their bodies, 3. The whole "our families were threatened" is right right our of every crappy Hollywood movie, 4. Since the two or three (depending on who you sort of believe) ringleaders were not with the members who would courier the drugs, at all times a simple call to the Australian consulate would have been a good call for one or more of them to make.
I think everyone involved knew exactly what was happening and the promise of money at the end motivated them. Do they deserve life in prison or worse the death penalty? Yes the ringleaders deserve the death penalty in that they knew that was the Indonesian answer to drugs in the amount they had. For the rest of them I don't know, what I do know is Everyone needs to be reminded repeatedly that what you do in other countries can have severe consequences, and it is not the job of your home government to bail you out. Some people are innocent and in these type of cases their governments can, should and usually do everything they can to help, but to expect the Australian government to try and dictate terms and desires to the Indonesian government is absurd, all so these drug dealers/couriers can spend their sentence closer to home is crazy.… (altro)

Australia has a special relationship with Indonesia in general and Bali in particular. The Indonesian Archipelago arches across the top half of Australia. Bali has long been a very popular inexpensive overseas holiday destination for Australians. The surfing beaches of Kuta provide the watery playground by day and the nightclubs of Kuta the playground by night.

Not far away, for the more artsy and adventurous, Ubud provides the peaceful getaway and a chance for holiday makers to have up close encounters with the islands primates in the Monkey Forest. Cheap accommodation sits next to 5 star resorts. Bali is also a melting pot of Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. Trinkets and clothing are cheap. Beer is plentiful.

Before any traveler leaves Australia, one has only to go to the restroom to get your first taste of how much the Australian government does to try and protect its citizens from themselves. On the back of every door, in every stall, there is a notice explaining the penalties for drug trafficking in most of the Asian countries in the region. For Bali, the penalty is death by firing squad. It is spelled out explicitly.

Upon arrival in Bali, a huge sign is hung in front of travelers before they even reach customs and immigration. In Bali, Drug Trafficking = Death. Both governments are crystal clear on the penalties. Nothing is left to chance or the imagination.

In 2005, 9 Australians, between the ages of 18 and 29, decided to test the system. They lost. At least two have been executed by firing squad. Five are doing life in prison in Bali. Two are doing 20 years.

This book is a succinct version of what occurred. It documents a brief background on each individual involved in the smuggling ring. It then documents the events that led up to the attempt to smuggle 8.2kg of heroin out of Bali and back to Australia where the street value was the equivalent of approximately $5million dollars.

The next portion outlines the arrests of the smugglers and their trials. Trials that occurred both from the Indonesian legal system (which is very unique and described in detail) as well as trial by media. Every move each person made being dissected by the tabloids and news organizations from Australia, Indonesia and abroad.

The final chapters outline what the prisoners day to day experience of being in prison on Bali are like and the effect these events have had on the families of the smugglers. It also discusses the relationships with Indonesians that the smugglers have formed throughout this ordeal. One thing about the Balinese – they are a wonderful, kind and warm people whose faith and belief in kindness comes through even in a bleak story like this one.

This is a quick read but an excellent reporting of the events that resulted in the execution by firing squad of two Australians for drug smuggling. In Bali, death means death for drug trafficking.… (altro)

I purchased this book as it seems to be the only one available about the Bali 9, to bad it is so dated. I have some mixed feelings regarding this story and it participants.
1. I am still not sure why the Australian drug enforcement allowed the participants to be arrested in Bali rather than in Australia, both countries have claimed that they wanted to know and identify any members in Bali as well as they network that brought the drugs into Bali. It that is true they failed miserably at this goal.
2. Clearly the Indonesian criminal justice system is a very scary joke. They claim drug dealers are scum and want the death penalty for all of them and harsh sentences for drug use, yet they are laughably inconsistent in the administration of these standards when the guilty party is Indonesian, furthermore the Bali 9 were taking the drugs out of Bali not bringing them in!
3. I personally don't think any of the 9 has ever told the whole truth regarding themselves and what they knew of the other knowledge and participation. Lawrence the sole female, was in Bali 6 months earlier with Chan and the passport records prove it. For her to later say she didn't courier drugs then, is laughable. The other 3 couriers are not at all believable, they would have to be enormously ignorant, naive, and or stupid to 1. Think the trip to Bali, was out of the goodness of the heart of those paying for it, 2. Painfully stupid not to know what was being taped to their bodies, 3. The whole "our families were threatened" is right right our of every crappy Hollywood movie, 4. Since the two or three (depending on who you sort of believe) ringleaders were not with the members who would courier the drugs, at all times a simple call to the Australian consulate would have been a good call for one or more of them to make.
I think everyone involved knew exactly what was happening and the promise of money at the end motivated them. Do they deserve life in prison or worse the death penalty? Yes the ringleaders deserve the death penalty in that they knew that was the Indonesian answer to drugs in the amount they had. For the rest of them I don't know, what I do know is Everyone needs to be reminded repeatedly that what you do in other countries can have severe consequences, and it is not the job of your home government to bail you out. Some people are innocent and in these type of cases their governments can, should and usually do everything they can to help, but to expect the Australian government to try and dictate terms and desires to the Indonesian government is absurd, all so these drug dealers/couriers can spend their sentence closer to home is crazy.… (altro)