How Australia forgot about Schapelle Corby

Richard L, Bali says:

06:25pm | 09/07/09

Get a grip on yourselves, guys.

Eric says:

06:39pm | 09/07/09

Is Ms Corby the only Australian currently imprisoned in Indonesia? If not, why so much attention on her and not the others?

That said, I believe that she was guilty as charged—and that the sentence is way too excessive. She should have been let off with a slap on the wrist.

However, Western governments, with their fanatical stance on prohibition of certain drugs, are largely responsible for this. I doubt the Indonesians would have treated marijuana possession as a serious crime, if decade after decade, hysterical American and Australian leaders hadn’t demonised it.

The media also share the blame. When the Daily Telegraph ranted about the evils of cannabis, the Indonesian judiciary took notice.

I feel sorry for Schapelle—but in the final analysis, she knowingly took a risk, and lost out. And it was the prohibitionist system set up by politicians and journalists that made all this possible.

peter says:

06:41pm | 09/07/09

A bogan who tried to break the law and got caught. No sympathy.

Ash says:

06:56pm | 09/07/09

I definitely feel sorry for Schapelle.  I think her family, and the way they carried on, were her ultimate undoing in terms of her sentencing.  As an Australian who lives in Jakarta, it’s not the way to get things done and Indonesians don’t respond to it well, as frustrating as that can be.  You just shut up, be polite and try and grease some palms.  How do you think Michelle Leslie got out?  Threw on a Muslim headscarf, shut up and paid, paid, paid… that’s the rumor anyway.  The five Australians detained for flying into Papua kicked up less fuss, and even though they were stuffed around a fair bit, they got out in the end.  None of this is ‘fair’, but you are talking about a developing country here which has only had a democratic government for just over 10 years and is battling ingrained corruption and widespread poverty.  Schapelle is the least of their worries.  Come and see the slums in Jakarta or the plight of the rural poor and then lets talk about fairness… at least Schapelle’s being fed.

After all the ruckus around her case, the government and judiciary, which wants to present itself as tough on drugs, probably didn’t have much of a choice.  They couldn’t give her a sentence that was lower than what an Indonesian caught of the same crime would probably be handed down, otherwise it would be seen as double standards.  There was probably a hint of sending a strong message to others as well… so many Australians come over and treat Bali as their boozy druggy playground, with no regard for culture, and sometimes no clue that Bali is even part of Indonesia.  So she was unfortunately probably a scapegoat of sorts.

But it’s especially disappointing that prisoner transfer agreements between Australia and Indonesia have not been as actively pursued as promised.  And while Australia has forgotten Schapelle, they have also forgotten that the Bali 9 are still in jail too, and they have even longer sentences than Corby.

But ultimately, as sad as this is, there’s not much that can be done at the end of the day… the Australian government can’t meddle in the judicial system of foreign governments.  And the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is peppered with words like Timor and Papua, which just makes the whole situation even more complicated.

Nick says:

06:58pm | 09/07/09

Peter- that is an absurd comment.  A lot of nonsense has been written about this woman from people who don’t know her and weren’t at her trial. It’s quite amazing how judgemental people can be from a position of ignorance - then again its easier to be ignnrant and foollish.

Viggo Mortensen says:

07:05pm | 09/07/09

The lack of comments kind of say it all. Nicely written, @Penbo.

stringer says:

07:06pm | 09/07/09

maybe because i live on the gold coast, corby is a regular visitor to our media. prevailing view here seems to be, yeh she did it, or is protecting someone who did it, but four years in an Indo jail is enough. bring her home. anyone with that sister and mother deserves a break.

Ford says:

07:17pm | 09/07/09

I always thought she was guilty.  She’s an idiot who got caught.  No sympathy for her back then, nothing’s changed. 

I do think the Indonesian justice system needs an overhaul, given the sentences given to Corby and Bashir.  Bashir should have received worse, no question.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t think Corby deserves it.

Richard Tuffin says:

07:41pm | 09/07/09

We’ll always cast our eyes over a Shapelle Corby story as hits on the stories about her professional hair cut will probably testify too.

As things stand, she was caught, she was sentenced and she’s in gaol for a long, long time and depending on whether she gets out of prison through the front gate, over the fence or, heaven forbid in a body bag, Corby stories aren’t really gonna be worth the html their written in. They’re certainly not gonna be a main stay attracting readers to web sites or newspaper subscriptions and sales (remember those??)

Yeh, it was big at the time as your mention of the discussion amongst the nursing mothers accurately portrays, but really it’s like any news story, even the really big ones and has faded away to a fair degree over time. For instance, how long has it been since anyone’s done a piece on Princess Diana, especially since there’s not been a notable anniversary of her death since 2007.

Also, we’ve all got a lot of things on our minds that are close in on our radar, eg the GFC (and no, I don’t mean the Geelong Footy Club!) Swine Flue and maybe even whether Ruddy will secure us the 2012 World cup (which will go even further towards securing him a second term than UteGate ever could if he stitches that one up!). Then there’s MJ of course, but as much as we may have loved or hated him, I think we’re almost over it now.

There’s always the footy of course, and we’ll keep an out for the scores in the Ashes and might even put in a couple of all nighters if we get on a bit of a roll.

And probably there’s stories we’d be looking at a lot more if these other things weren’t bugging us so much such as China, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan etc.

There’s just too much going on here and now for us to keep up with what’s going on in an an overcrowded prison over in Bali. I’m glad the hair cut’s helped lift her spirits though.

Anne says:

07:42pm | 09/07/09

She was a scapegoat and a constant reminder to all - to not get caught!  Or don’t do it in the first place.  Her youth and her beauty stole many hearts and it felt like double standards.  Why the media and public attention if it wasn’t for the youth and beauty?  You just have to look at the many other tragedies and personal heartaches around the world.  None of them looked as good as Schapelle…

MarK says:

07:49pm | 09/07/09

Forgot???? you’ve got to be joking
Theres been a constant stream of article and news coverage, from her depression, nto her every outing, her latest hair style.
4.2Kg is a Crapload of dope you’d have to be extremelely hammered to not notice that, Its Freakin HUGE the weight aside

parachute ebm says:

07:56pm | 09/07/09

David! Come on mate!  Schapelle would have done more harm to vulnerable Indonesian youth by pushing marijuana on them that done to Dianne Brimble by some dude who just failed to dob on a drug-pusher.

Sure you’re not being a teensy weensy bit hypocritical?

I definitely don’t want to insult you but….come on mate!!!

Saphire Rose says:

08:14pm | 09/07/09

Lets bring Corby back to Sydney where she’ll fit in beautifully with the current crop of celebrity crims.I must say I am having a hard time keeping up with your changing moods. I could have sworn when I read your article yesterday you didn’t like celebrity criminals, but then I guess that was yesterday’s news.

Bill says:

08:24pm | 09/07/09

If we’re talking about double standards, how about the double standard of continually wringing out hands over the Corby soap opera while saying nothing about the Australians who are facing being shot in Indonesia?

Thommo says:

08:57pm | 09/07/09

Do the crime.  Do the time.

Good to hear Australia is waking up to itself.  At last.  I wonder what the “reaction” & “media interest” would have been if she had been a balding overweight middle-aged male?  Would any mobile phone rich kids come to help that old bloke out?  I know it’s a stretch for what she did, but she knew what the risks were.

Claudia says:

10:28pm | 09/07/09

Very well written article, and spot on. I actually wonder if it has something to do with the fact that she is literally aging and somehow less appealing to the masses? A bit like the ‘missing white woman syndrome’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome where coverage is given to more attractive white women….now that Schapelle is aging she may be less marketable. Cynical view I know, but one I’ve thought about. Regardless, a good topic for us all to think about. Guilty or otherwise I feel sick at the thought of her sitting in that Balinese jail for the next 15 years.

RosscO, FNQ says:

07:54am | 10/07/09

As with arch traitor David Hicks, I have no sympathy for Corby.  The less said about either of them the better.  For all their faults, the Indonesians know how to deal with drug trafficers - something the Australian judiciary could learn from.

realto says:

08:17am | 10/07/09

She was only considered very newsworthy by the Australian media because she was pretty. Contrast her with the woman from the Bali 9, who was facing the death penalty at one time. She is so rarely mentioned in the media now that I’ve forgotten her name. Corby still gets mentioned at least once a month even when there is nothing whatsoever to report. Corby has had a haircut - gee, that’s news. The Bali 9? They might as well BE dead for all the interest the media and public take in them now.

iansand says:

08:45am | 10/07/09

You’ve done it again.  Another story about our reaction to a story where you hardly mention the elephant in the room - the atrocious media who feed us the crap to which we react.

Try for some introspection next time.  We know you can do it.

Ben says:

11:56am | 10/07/09

Corby wouldn’t be in jail if she was a stunning model who been pleasuring the scion of a powerful indonesian dynasty, who nevertheless received the aid of her Australian car dealship heir’s money when she was caught with the naughty pills.
Bottom line - she is a bogan with a cringe worthy bogan family. Does that mean she should be rotting in jail?

Russell says:

12:16pm | 10/07/09

Much of the water cooler and “mums: outrage at the time was directed against the Indonesians. How dare those corrupt, evil little yellow men treat “us” like that? Why weren’t they just grateful we were bringing them our tourist dollars? Can’t they put up with our overwhelming need to get stoned and behave like trogs? So what they what if they different values!
The Corby Show was not one of Australia’s finest moments. Her fate is sad, but not as sad as what the affair said about us.

pixi says:

12:33pm | 10/07/09

dearest shappelle, i havent forgotten you. but i did forget your birthday. i will remedy this by sending you a gift.

Letters and Care Packages to Schapelle Corby should be addressed as follows;

    Schapelle Corby C/- LPM Kerobokan Jl.
    Tangkuban Perahu Kerobokan,
    Denpasar 80117 Bali, INDONESIA

DR says:

01:22pm | 10/07/09

The outrage, if any, should be directed at the light sentence handed to Bashir, not the heavy sentence handed to Corby. If the Australian government does any lobbying at all, it shouldn’t be wasted on Corby.

Susan Mears says:

05:49pm | 10/07/09

The mob comments above are an appalling refecection of mankind.

Regarding her guilt, I wonder how many have researched, or once knew but have put out of their mind, the show trial, the refusal to test the drugs for country of origin, the missing CCTV tapes that she begged for, the whole catalogue of human rights abuses.

There are papers around the internet which never see the light of day in the media, but demonstrate that the chances of her having been involved are almost zero. How many have scratched the surface?

Then the political sentence. 20 years. That is another stain on humanity. A brutal destructive sentence, which is clearly crushing the life out of her. Yet some people seem to be perfectly happy with that. What does that say about them?

Sometimes I am ashamed to be an Australian. Reading foul comments about someone suffering beyond imagination, in circumastances in which her human rights were thrown in gutter, is one of them.

iansand says:

06:41pm | 10/07/09

Susan Mears - A couple of things.  In the “show trial” the defence produced “evidence” that would never have seen the light of day in an Australian court.  I, as an Australian lawyer, read reports of the trial with fascination at how much the defence got away with in that court.

The missing tapes - the defence team admitted that the whole baggage handler thing was an invention.  The reason the tapes never saw the light of day is that the defence carefully orchestrated that exercise for maximum prejudice without any prospect of the tapes seeing the light of day.

20 years would only be political if Indonesians caught with a similar quantity received lower sentences.  I have no idea if this is the case.

udi says:

07:27pm | 10/07/09

Just wondering if any Aussie Journo even knows how many fellow countrywomen/men are in foreign prisons.

The combination of drugs and a pretty young woman certainly make for good copy but the Chapelle Corby affair was hardly the important story of the moment when it happened and it isn’t now.

My stance on the drug issue is that it should be decriminalised and the poor girl’s sentence seems unduly harsh but what I think holds no sway even in Australia let alone Indonesia.

Spike says:

01:08pm | 11/07/09

there is no such thing as a bad boy, or girl!
she loves her Mum and sister, does the hair of her fellow prisoners, smuggles drugs Yarda Yarda…........
I am more concerned about not being able to play my one of the tee.

Caz says:

07:20pm | 13/07/09

And Corby is more “special” than Renee, also serving 20 years in the very same jail, because .... ?

Oh, that’s right, Renee didn’t go to “beauty school” and she had the sense to plead guilty on the advice or lawyers, thus getting 20 years instead of life or a death sentence. 

Now, as soon as someone in the MSM starts worrying about Renee’s hair-do and reminds us annually of Renee’s birthday, then and only then will I wring my hands over a very stupid and manipulative young drug runner whose life is stuffed - by her own doing.

snuggles says:

05:28pm | 17/07/09

I just finished watching her story on HBOe. For whatever reason that this happen we are in a new year and times have changed it doesn’t matter where you live. One thing on the show me and my friends where trying to figure out the date when this happened its the one thing missing. For us who live in California where medical marijuana is legalized we really feel for the girl and her family. Maybe she should have done sometime but that was to much time. What about the camaras being off that day in the airport? I would think with 9/11/01 that they would shut down the airport while they were being worked on if terriost attacks where high at the time. Regardless I wish her luck and stay strong. Laws are changing everyday and everywhere!

NY FAN says:

05:54pm | 17/07/09

the australian government is a bunch of cowards! if Corby was an american she would be home now watching baseball. Go Yankees

Birgit Hansen says:

11:58pm | 18/07/09

I wrote a part in Danish on my blog mentioning this case. I firmly believe that there should be alot more warning against visiting foreign countries. People forget that if they visit countries that is in need for development both the police and justice system are not quite up to a level you must expect when we are talking about year 2009.

Denmark took an aid-worker home from Madagaskar regardless of the fact that he did a very cruel crime. He molested five children and I can reasure you all that he got a severe sentence in Denmark.

But it is obivious to ask: Why did they not allow the police in Madagaskar to examine the case?

The answer is simple. The country is not developed. All who have read Herge’s masterpiece on African culture know that they would not have been able to conduct a proper trial.

I think that you should get your politicians into action and demand an exchange of prisoners, so you get your criminals back and you can return people from this country who are staying in Australian prisons.

I also thing that it is time to give the money for the book to her family. It is not the familymembers who have been convicted in the controversial trial. It is her if we go so far to accept that the sentence was handed out by a real court. They should be allowed to have the money so they can secure proper treatment for her depressions.

Regards
Birgit - (http://www.birgit4000.smartlog.dk/)

Nev says:

07:42am | 19/07/09

Get the facts. First off if you believe everything you read (including this) then you are ignorant. Do your own research… no that doesn’t mean believing the newspapers, it means digging into Hansard and see what the newspapers did not report. Ask questions about the Treaty in place between Indoensia and australia covering the shipment of drugs between the two countries, read how the AG’s department was supposed to formally request a sample of the marijuana for testing and instead passed it off to the AFP. Read how Corby put in a written submission to the Australian Consul to have the drugs forensically tested to see where they came from. Read the weak response from the AFP when the Indonesian police refused to supply a sample in break of the treaty and our goevernment said nothing.
Do your own research and get the facts from official records then make up your mind.

Debbie says:

01:27am | 07/08/09

I think that it is very dissaponting by the Australian Government and its people, whether she did it or not!!! She is one of you!!!

If she was an American they would not give up till she was home!!!

Thats is what i admire about America most, they are proudly and passionalty American and stick together…

I do not think she did it, but if she did silly girl but is that enough to screw her life up forever!!!

From a South African

Mick Hogan says:

08:45am | 25/08/09

She is a political prisoner thanks to the iraq “weapons of mass destruction war”. Howards masterful management of international relations has encouraged Idonesians to lock up the innocents and let the terrorists and child killers run free, rubbing our noses in his detritus. Poor bugger Shapelle. Her country, its leader, its top cop and the USA have failed her. Even her family have let her down. If only they had all kept their mouths shut.

Lorna says:

11:17am | 25/08/09

Their entire   “legal Justice system sucks”

cat says:

10:32pm | 25/08/09

Corby deserved to go to jail, but not for 20 years. However when in Rome…and that means obeying the laws of the country you’re in. In Australia we’re a too lenient on drug-runners/suppliers/manufacturers. Judging by a lot of comments written or said, we obviously don’t have enough criminals here already that we’re so desperate to bring this one ‘home’. Why not bring all Australian overseas prisoners ‘home’?

Erik Olsen says:

06:28pm | 01/10/09

As a Scandinavian who follow the saga of Schapelle Corby closely I am terrified by reading many comments.
Anyone who try to read a little bit behind the headlines, would find this case a crime against Ms Corby and human rights.
It is not about whether she deserves to be free, more than others. Schapelle Corby is innocent.
If you gave Ms Corby your sympathy because of her beauty and youth, it says a lot more about you.

olivia says:

05:09pm | 26/10/09

I think she has done enough time. Major flaws in the case

Diane Harrison says:

03:46pm | 07/07/10

Why not visit womenforschapelle.blogspot.com and read the real story behind Schapelle’s conviction.

Eunice Yang says:

12:53am | 26/12/10

There is a girl Susan who did drug running from australia to the UK and got caught and is doing a big stretch for her efforts. Her side kick was the wife of a Perth drug dealer who was simply warned to keep clear or she would get a jail sentence too if she ever contacted Susan again-wtf? which she did despite her involvement. She still boasts of the adventures they both had in England and Wales and the drugs involved. She is now a social worker for family protection working with the cops in the SW of WA and yet they (the cops) dont even want to know as it is in the too difficult basket. Corby may have been stupid hiding behing the sweet looks but there are some deviousand evil buggers out there that are still taking the mickey out of Australian and international laws. Or is it the police are still corrupt and turn a blind eye on those who flout the law. They “noted” information regarding that same person being involved in a several thousand dollar fraud with her drug dealer husband, the evidence still there on a plate, but again too hard to actually do any inquiry. I guess they were too busy wooing to the batting of the eyelids, like Corby tried to do and failed. I feel sorry for her as she was a chancer and got caught with drugs that basically should be legalised. This demon is a premeditated vincidtive criminal who used her husbands drug dealling to supply her with all sorts of hard drugs like lollies and is laughing at the authorities and getting away with it. even worse she is making decisions on other families lives and taking children away from them.. She scored continually throughout her own childrens lives without a second thought for them.

Alby says:

12:17pm | 30/04/11

my brother in laws mate’s buy cannabis off her brothers

go figure