The Herald Sun along with all of its stable mates in News Com are dedicated to keeping the peace with Indonesia. News Com has major interests there and it is to their benefit to always show Schapelle Corby and her family in the worst possible light.
Recently they have published more articles that are clearly wrong in fact and misrepresent the true situation. Here is one. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25529360-661,00.html to which they have asked for comments. All of the usual trolls are there with their innane comments, but supporters comments are not printed. Why is that? Is it purely an editorial decision to keep them out for fear of the truth emerging?
This one of my posts there today.
"This comment will not be published by this newspaper as all supporters comments are automatically deleted. However, it will appear on my blog http://saveschapellecorby.blogspot.com/.
Enough is enough! When this newspaper allows trolls with the nous of a flea make innane comments regarding Schapelle Corby's health, it shows to what depths the new reporting industry has plummeted over the past few years.
Whatever happened to compassion? Whatever happened to seeking out the truth. Where have all of the investigative journalists gone?
Schapelle Corby is suffering from severe depression and needs urgent treatment and repatriation to her own country. 20 years in that hell hole of a prison is a death sentence and she will not stand the distance. Rapists, murderers and Terrorists get let out in a couple of years but someone who will not play their game and plead guilty is given 20 years.
The Australian government has the diplomatic clout to help get this guilty verdict quashed but they do not have the balls to act. Rudd has been gelded along with his Foreign Affairs minister and the Attorney General.
What does it take for a newspaper to lead for a change? Will the Herald Sun change direction? Lets see if the editor of this newspaper has the guts to stand up for what is right and correct in matters of human rights."
Editorial policy of the Herald Sun
Please note that we are not able to publish all the comments that we receive, and that we may edit some comments to ensure their suitability for publishing.
Feedback will be rejected if it does not add to a debate, or is a purely personal attack, or is offensive, repetitious, illegal or meaningless, or contains clear errors of fact.
Although we try to run feedback just as it is received, we reserve the right to edit or delete any and all material.
What this means is that if you make supportive comments or point out errors in their printed copy then it will be edited out or not printed.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Enough is enough!
Open letter to the Editor of the Herald Sun
It would appear that certain items of 'news' get printed without asceretaining the facts. The item that appeared in your newspaper dated 17th May gives the impression that the Corby's are living the high life when in fact, the younger sister, Schapelle, is languishing in a 3rd world jail while the other is living and working in Bali to support her sister with food and clean water and other essentials. Unlike Australia, in Bali you have to pay for your accommodation and food in jail, unless you want to die from any of the diseases brought on by unhygenic handling and surroundings. Schapelle Corby's life is a living hell with sheer boredom brought about through no exercise facilities, no library, no tv, no mental stimulation and no rehabilitation systems in place.
Stories like yours, are creating an urban myth that does not stand up to scrutiny. Many Australians that I speak to are saying that "Enough is enough. She has paid the price. It is time for our government to bring her home." Internationally, people are writing to their newspapers and parliamentarians asking why the Australlian government does nothing for its citizens jailed in foreign countries by courts that refuse to admit evidence or use dodgy evidence. Why the Australian Government did not stand by their signed agreement with Indonesia to get a sample of marijuana for testing for place of origin. Ref:http://untreaty.un.org/unts/144078_158780/16/7/7481.pdf
There are many unanswered questions regarding the close AFP involvement with the Indonesian police, yet at no stage did they ask for a sample as required under this treaty. Schapelle Corby wrote to the Australian Consul who advised her that the Bali police refused to provide the AFP with a sample for testing. Why did the AFP not insist on getting a sample? Why was the evidence destroyed before her appeals were heard?
The truth is slowly emerging to the extent that the Australian media has been manipulated by the Australian government, past and present. As you are well aware, freedom of the press is a thing of the past when certain items have to be given approval by the PM's department before distribution.
By toeing the line, media such as yourselves are creating a situation where news reporters and media owners are being placed in the same category as dodgy used car salesmen. The pride that used to be exhibited by reporters is slowly being replaced by apathy as more and more 'news' is syndicated and used without further investigation to seek out the truth. Because of this, reporters are leaving the industry in droves.
It is time for you to start saying 'Enough is enough' and stand up for fair and honest reporting by your staff. It is time for editors to stand up to the media moguls and say 'Enough is enough, we want to be able to seek out and tell the truth'.
Regards
Neville Wright
It would appear that certain items of 'news' get printed without asceretaining the facts. The item that appeared in your newspaper dated 17th May gives the impression that the Corby's are living the high life when in fact, the younger sister, Schapelle, is languishing in a 3rd world jail while the other is living and working in Bali to support her sister with food and clean water and other essentials. Unlike Australia, in Bali you have to pay for your accommodation and food in jail, unless you want to die from any of the diseases brought on by unhygenic handling and surroundings. Schapelle Corby's life is a living hell with sheer boredom brought about through no exercise facilities, no library, no tv, no mental stimulation and no rehabilitation systems in place.
Stories like yours, are creating an urban myth that does not stand up to scrutiny. Many Australians that I speak to are saying that "Enough is enough. She has paid the price. It is time for our government to bring her home." Internationally, people are writing to their newspapers and parliamentarians asking why the Australlian government does nothing for its citizens jailed in foreign countries by courts that refuse to admit evidence or use dodgy evidence. Why the Australian Government did not stand by their signed agreement with Indonesia to get a sample of marijuana for testing for place of origin. Ref:http://untreaty.un.org/unts/144078_158780/16/7/7481.pdf
There are many unanswered questions regarding the close AFP involvement with the Indonesian police, yet at no stage did they ask for a sample as required under this treaty. Schapelle Corby wrote to the Australian Consul who advised her that the Bali police refused to provide the AFP with a sample for testing. Why did the AFP not insist on getting a sample? Why was the evidence destroyed before her appeals were heard?
The truth is slowly emerging to the extent that the Australian media has been manipulated by the Australian government, past and present. As you are well aware, freedom of the press is a thing of the past when certain items have to be given approval by the PM's department before distribution.
By toeing the line, media such as yourselves are creating a situation where news reporters and media owners are being placed in the same category as dodgy used car salesmen. The pride that used to be exhibited by reporters is slowly being replaced by apathy as more and more 'news' is syndicated and used without further investigation to seek out the truth. Because of this, reporters are leaving the industry in droves.
It is time for you to start saying 'Enough is enough' and stand up for fair and honest reporting by your staff. It is time for editors to stand up to the media moguls and say 'Enough is enough, we want to be able to seek out and tell the truth'.
Regards
Neville Wright
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Hunting Schapelle Corby
The following story has been removed from the Herald Sun.
Hunting Schapelle Corby Blog by Jeff Corbett, Herald SunApril 8 2009
http://www.theherald.com.au/blogs/jeff (link will not work as it has been removed by the Herald Sun management)
Our record in matters of Australians exposed to the brutality of Indonesia's justice system really is alarming.For starters, we refuse to deport non-Australians who may be executed for their crime in their own country, yet our Federal Police were instrumental in having the Bali Nine arrested in Indonesia where the same police knew they faced the very real prospect of execution.
The model Michelle Leslie created a furore in Australia when she swapped skimpy clothes for a hijab to claim Muslim status and a lenient sentence for drug use in Bali. It was an issue that she had offended Muslims in Australia, not that her claim to be a Muslim appeared improperly to have won her leniency from both the prosecutor and the judge.
And now, as I write in my column in The Herald, we have Australian Commonwealth prosecutors winning orders in Australian courts to confiscate royalties for a book written by Schapelle Corby. They've seized $128,000 and have just been denied by Indonesian courts access to a further $280,000.
Our prosecutors sought this confiscation despite the fact that Ms Corby was not given a fair trial in Indonesia and that by any measure was convicted by a system that is corrupt and otherwise unacceptable in Australia. The court granted the application for confiscation despite the Proceeds of Crime law allowing the courts to take into account any matters it saw fit.
Under Indonesia's justice system the onus was on Ms Corby to prove that she was innocent, that she knew nothing of the marijuana in her boogie board bag. She was presumed to be guilty until she proved her innocence. The chief judge in her trial declared his hand when he boasted during the trial that in 500 cases involving drugs he had never acquitted anyone. That alone marks the trial as unfair.
There were many other issues that would have in Australia thrown the prosecution case into reasonable doubt. And not even the shocking revelations since of drug smuggling among some Australian airport baggage handlers has won any support from our government and authorities for a fair trial for Ms Corby.
This is not a question of whether you or I think Ms Corby is guilty. That is entirely irrelevant. It is not even a question of whether she received a fair trial - that is beyond question.
It is a question of whether our Proceeds of Crime legislation should apply to Australians who have not been found by Australia's measure to have committed a crime.
What are you thoughts? And, remember, you don't know whether Ms Corby is guilty or not guilty.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments were invited and have been responded to. All removed from the site. What is happening?
Nev
At last, there is a journalist who 'takes the blinkers off' and is prepared to 'look beyond the square' (that is the media and government 'square'). It had to happen, it has to happen and it will happen. It is just taking time. And time I have.
Hunting Schapelle Corby Blog by Jeff Corbett, Herald SunApril 8 2009
http://www.theherald.com.au/blogs/jeff (link will not work as it has been removed by the Herald Sun management)
Our record in matters of Australians exposed to the brutality of Indonesia's justice system really is alarming.For starters, we refuse to deport non-Australians who may be executed for their crime in their own country, yet our Federal Police were instrumental in having the Bali Nine arrested in Indonesia where the same police knew they faced the very real prospect of execution.
The model Michelle Leslie created a furore in Australia when she swapped skimpy clothes for a hijab to claim Muslim status and a lenient sentence for drug use in Bali. It was an issue that she had offended Muslims in Australia, not that her claim to be a Muslim appeared improperly to have won her leniency from both the prosecutor and the judge.
And now, as I write in my column in The Herald, we have Australian Commonwealth prosecutors winning orders in Australian courts to confiscate royalties for a book written by Schapelle Corby. They've seized $128,000 and have just been denied by Indonesian courts access to a further $280,000.
Our prosecutors sought this confiscation despite the fact that Ms Corby was not given a fair trial in Indonesia and that by any measure was convicted by a system that is corrupt and otherwise unacceptable in Australia. The court granted the application for confiscation despite the Proceeds of Crime law allowing the courts to take into account any matters it saw fit.
Under Indonesia's justice system the onus was on Ms Corby to prove that she was innocent, that she knew nothing of the marijuana in her boogie board bag. She was presumed to be guilty until she proved her innocence. The chief judge in her trial declared his hand when he boasted during the trial that in 500 cases involving drugs he had never acquitted anyone. That alone marks the trial as unfair.
There were many other issues that would have in Australia thrown the prosecution case into reasonable doubt. And not even the shocking revelations since of drug smuggling among some Australian airport baggage handlers has won any support from our government and authorities for a fair trial for Ms Corby.
This is not a question of whether you or I think Ms Corby is guilty. That is entirely irrelevant. It is not even a question of whether she received a fair trial - that is beyond question.
It is a question of whether our Proceeds of Crime legislation should apply to Australians who have not been found by Australia's measure to have committed a crime.
What are you thoughts? And, remember, you don't know whether Ms Corby is guilty or not guilty.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments were invited and have been responded to. All removed from the site. What is happening?
Nev
At last, there is a journalist who 'takes the blinkers off' and is prepared to 'look beyond the square' (that is the media and government 'square'). It had to happen, it has to happen and it will happen. It is just taking time. And time I have.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Corby royalties siezed story debunked
There's a lot to be debunked in the following story.
The DPP states it is the proceeds of crime yet no crime was ever proven. To argue that it was the proceeds of crime would mean that the DPP has concrete evidence that she actually exported the goods from Australia which was never proven in Bali. Nor did the AFP ever investigate that claim and report publicly on its findings.
The Qld police have issued a statment in which their investigations show that Schapelle Corby, her father and brother had never been involved in the drug trade. Why doesn't/didn't the AFP/DPP do likewise?
Schapelle Corby has been able to keep A$270,000 (NZ$337,626.61) made from the sale of her book, My Story, despite the money being the proceeds of crime. (What crime? See comment below) The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has seized A$128,000 in literary payments. But a DPP spokeswoman confirmed this money was not part of the A$270,000 that the DPP was originally seeking to recover. But the spokeswoman declined to comment further.
The Queensland Supreme Court ruled last week that the DPP could also seize any future payments made to Corby's sister, by the publisher Pan Macmillan Australia. In March 2007, Queensland's Court of Appeal ruled in favour of an application from the DPP to freeze any money from the book deal. The order dated March 24, 2009 now allows that money to be banked into the government's Confiscated Assets Account.
Corby's 2006 book My Story was co-written by former TV producer Kathryn Bonella and is based on a series of secret interviews Bonella conducted with Corby inside the jail. Corby is serving a 20-year sentence in Bali's Kerobokan Prison for smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in October 2004. (The smuggling charge was never proven as no tests were ever done to determine if the marijuana actually came from Australia. The drugs were destroyed to prevent that happening despite a written request. Ever wondered why?)
The Corbys requested that the extra funds confiscated be paid into a charity or fund to further the advancement of cancer research. That is around $128,000 that the cancer research will not receive. Why was that not done?
I am publicly asking the DPP what evidence they have that show that the marijuana was ever in Australia.
The DPP states it is the proceeds of crime yet no crime was ever proven. To argue that it was the proceeds of crime would mean that the DPP has concrete evidence that she actually exported the goods from Australia which was never proven in Bali. Nor did the AFP ever investigate that claim and report publicly on its findings.
The Qld police have issued a statment in which their investigations show that Schapelle Corby, her father and brother had never been involved in the drug trade. Why doesn't/didn't the AFP/DPP do likewise?
Schapelle Corby has been able to keep A$270,000 (NZ$337,626.61) made from the sale of her book, My Story, despite the money being the proceeds of crime. (What crime? See comment below) The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has seized A$128,000 in literary payments. But a DPP spokeswoman confirmed this money was not part of the A$270,000 that the DPP was originally seeking to recover. But the spokeswoman declined to comment further.
The Queensland Supreme Court ruled last week that the DPP could also seize any future payments made to Corby's sister, by the publisher Pan Macmillan Australia. In March 2007, Queensland's Court of Appeal ruled in favour of an application from the DPP to freeze any money from the book deal. The order dated March 24, 2009 now allows that money to be banked into the government's Confiscated Assets Account.
Corby's 2006 book My Story was co-written by former TV producer Kathryn Bonella and is based on a series of secret interviews Bonella conducted with Corby inside the jail. Corby is serving a 20-year sentence in Bali's Kerobokan Prison for smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in October 2004. (The smuggling charge was never proven as no tests were ever done to determine if the marijuana actually came from Australia. The drugs were destroyed to prevent that happening despite a written request. Ever wondered why?)
The Corbys requested that the extra funds confiscated be paid into a charity or fund to further the advancement of cancer research. That is around $128,000 that the cancer research will not receive. Why was that not done?
I am publicly asking the DPP what evidence they have that show that the marijuana was ever in Australia.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Corby Jailing: Gross Human Rights Abuse
We need your help in exposing a gross case
of Human Rights Abuse.
Nearly 5 years ago a young Australian woman, Schapelle Corby, was jailed in Bali
for a crime that most people believe she did not commit.
Despite her pleas the Bali court said that it was up to her to prove her
innocence.
Despite her request, the police refused to test the drugs for point of origin.
Despite her request to have the bag fingerprinted, they refused.
She was jailed for 20 years.
We need your signature on our petition to the Australian Government to get her
released a free woman.
This video just 6 minutes long will tell you the story.
Sign our petition at http://apps.facebook.com/petitions/view?pid=398648204
Tell your Friends : http://viralets.com/127/FreeSchapelle
Come and join our supporters forum at http://www.freeschapelle.com.au/forum
Get more facts at http://www.schapelle.net/
Please don't forget me
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Corby myths busted
Corby myths busted
In the U.S.A. the movie Ganja Queen has showed an outpouring of emotion directed towards Schapelle Corby who languishes in a cramped jail cell with other women in Bali. It is no holiday even thought the Fairfax and Murdoch would have us believe otherwise.
Over the last few years, supporters have come to realise that her jailing had nothing to do with justice but keeping face.
The three judges at her trial had never let off anyone charged with a drug offence.
They burned the hard evidence before it could be tested for point of origin.
They refused her requests (written and supported by the Australian Consuls office documents) to have the marijuana tested.
They refused to have the bag fingerprinted to look for Corby's prints. They refused to weigh the bag to compare with the weight in Brisbane.
They in this case refer to the Bali police and the prosecution.
The questions remain. Did she get a fair trial? Did she really do it? How do you justify 20 years when in Australia it would have meant a slap on the wrist in some states?
This new video which uses approved copyright material from Ganja Queen looks at the possibilities. It is a movies that commands your attention. Please don't walk away. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO51twevL2I
Nev
In the U.S.A. the movie Ganja Queen has showed an outpouring of emotion directed towards Schapelle Corby who languishes in a cramped jail cell with other women in Bali. It is no holiday even thought the Fairfax and Murdoch would have us believe otherwise.
Over the last few years, supporters have come to realise that her jailing had nothing to do with justice but keeping face.
The three judges at her trial had never let off anyone charged with a drug offence.
They burned the hard evidence before it could be tested for point of origin.
They refused her requests (written and supported by the Australian Consuls office documents) to have the marijuana tested.
They refused to have the bag fingerprinted to look for Corby's prints. They refused to weigh the bag to compare with the weight in Brisbane.
They in this case refer to the Bali police and the prosecution.
The questions remain. Did she get a fair trial? Did she really do it? How do you justify 20 years when in Australia it would have meant a slap on the wrist in some states?
This new video which uses approved copyright material from Ganja Queen looks at the possibilities. It is a movies that commands your attention. Please don't walk away. Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO51twevL2I
Nev
Monday, February 23, 2009
Brisbane author Guest Speaker at World Conference
Brisbane Author heads to US as special guest speaker to the 61st Conference on World Affairs & as a talk show guest on New York City’s popular Joey Reynolds Show
Kay Danes
Author and International Humanitarian
PO Box 391, Capalaba Q 4157 Australia
Email : integris@iprimus.com.au
Web : http://www.kaydanes.com/
USA Personal Assistant: Leann Hoelscher - Tele: 1 (760) 413-7135 Email: lhoelscher@dc.rr.com
New Book Release: Standing Ground (March 2009)
Brisbane born author has received a special invitation, in an Australian first, to speak at the 61st Conference on World Affairs in Boulder, Colorado. The event attracts audiences of more than 80,000. Previous guest speakers have included Patch Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt and Vice-President Joe Biden.
Kay has achieved enormous success in both her professional and personal life, much of which is attributed to her easy going-never-give-up style. She has had a diversified career, establishing an international security protection service for UN programs, International Corporations and Foreign Investors working in hostile environments and is the bestselling author of ‘Families Behind Bars’ and this year’s US and Australia release of the Danes horrific ordeal as hostages in Laos: ‘Standing Ground’.
Her husband, Kerry Danes, is a member of the Australian Defence Force, and that carries with it a code of pride to uphold his honor, his reputation and the honor of Australia.
While working in the communist country of Laos as Managing Director of a British Security Company, Kerry Danes is abducted by secret police on December 23, 2000. In defiance of International law, he is taken to an undisclosed location where he is centered in a dispute between the Laos Government and Gem Mining Laos, a US $2 billion dollar sapphire mining company. Throughout brutal interrogations, Kerry’s attitude is that he can take it and he will take it. But what is gnawing away at him, is watching his wife undergo these same ordeals. Torn from the couple’s two children during an attempted Embassy evacuation at the Lao-Thai border, Kay Danes is thrown into a filthy prison cell to await her own fate.
The Danes endure mock executions, torture, and arbitrary detention in one of the world’s most secretive communist prison systems, home to scores of political prisoners, forgotten freedom fighters of the US backed secret war, and the clinically insane. Corruption of epic proportions, set the backdrop to this very powerful, real life drama of one couple’s fight to survive.
Standing Ground will shock you, it will challenge you to the edge of imagination - but will leave you with a strong conviction that we can endure against seemingly impossible odds if we show courage.
Australians may remember the Danes ordeal that featured prominently in the news, prompting the Australian government to defend their honor and successfully negotiate their release, after a year-long nightmarish ordeal in a Lao prison. Since then, Kay has become one of Australia’s top social justice ambassadors. She has been a guest speaker at two US Congressional Forums on democracy and is a recognized advocate for Hmong-Lao Civil rights, recently showcased in Clint Eastwood’s Hollywood feature film, ‘Gran Torino’.
Kay uses her public profile to create awareness about issues affecting our community; specifically relating to security of self, social justice and human rights. Kay has helped thousands of people endure the most impossible emotional ordeals, and has assisted hundreds of family’s worldwide to cope with trauma and tragedy. She has instigated a number of international campaigns to assist people in poverty, provided humanitarian support to the Zambian Orphans of death row prisoners and assisted thousands of impoverished people in SE Asia. Her direct efforts contributed to the building of a school and medical centre for refugee children in Cambodia. She was honored in April 2006 by becoming an Ambassador for the US based International Relief Centre.
In November 2008, Kay returned from a month long humanitarian mission in war-torn Afghanistan, as the Australian Liaison for the Childlight Foundation for Afghan Children – a US Based Charity.
Her diplomatic efforts have earned her the respect, and the ear of, some of the world's most prominent individuals and government figures.
On 26 January 2009, Kay was given special recognition for her International Service, and awarded a certificate by the Mayor of Redlands in the Citizen of the Year Awards.
“The ordeal of Kerry and Kay Danes in the mysterious and exotic land of Laos is, perhaps most importantly, a unique human saga of love, courage, honor, heroism and the triumph of hope in the face of overwhelming odds against a ruthless Stalinist regime.” - Philip Smith, Executive Director, Center for Public Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.
Standing Ground
Foreword by Philip Smith [Former US National Security Advisor]
Readers of the amazing story of Kerry and Kay Danes in Laos will find it a compelling, richly inspiring and fascinating saga. The unique strategic role of Laos, both during the Vietnam War and presently, makes this book all the more interesting and important. Standing Ground helps to elucidate the dark and despotic nature of the current government of Laos, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (LPDR).
Kay Danes
Author and International Humanitarian
PO Box 391, Capalaba Q 4157 Australia
Email : integris@iprimus.com.au
Web : http://www.kaydanes.com/
USA Personal Assistant: Leann Hoelscher - Tele: 1 (760) 413-7135 Email: lhoelscher@dc.rr.com
New Book Release: Standing Ground (March 2009)
Brisbane born author has received a special invitation, in an Australian first, to speak at the 61st Conference on World Affairs in Boulder, Colorado. The event attracts audiences of more than 80,000. Previous guest speakers have included Patch Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt and Vice-President Joe Biden.
Kay has achieved enormous success in both her professional and personal life, much of which is attributed to her easy going-never-give-up style. She has had a diversified career, establishing an international security protection service for UN programs, International Corporations and Foreign Investors working in hostile environments and is the bestselling author of ‘Families Behind Bars’ and this year’s US and Australia release of the Danes horrific ordeal as hostages in Laos: ‘Standing Ground’.
Her husband, Kerry Danes, is a member of the Australian Defence Force, and that carries with it a code of pride to uphold his honor, his reputation and the honor of Australia.
While working in the communist country of Laos as Managing Director of a British Security Company, Kerry Danes is abducted by secret police on December 23, 2000. In defiance of International law, he is taken to an undisclosed location where he is centered in a dispute between the Laos Government and Gem Mining Laos, a US $2 billion dollar sapphire mining company. Throughout brutal interrogations, Kerry’s attitude is that he can take it and he will take it. But what is gnawing away at him, is watching his wife undergo these same ordeals. Torn from the couple’s two children during an attempted Embassy evacuation at the Lao-Thai border, Kay Danes is thrown into a filthy prison cell to await her own fate.
The Danes endure mock executions, torture, and arbitrary detention in one of the world’s most secretive communist prison systems, home to scores of political prisoners, forgotten freedom fighters of the US backed secret war, and the clinically insane. Corruption of epic proportions, set the backdrop to this very powerful, real life drama of one couple’s fight to survive.
Standing Ground will shock you, it will challenge you to the edge of imagination - but will leave you with a strong conviction that we can endure against seemingly impossible odds if we show courage.
Australians may remember the Danes ordeal that featured prominently in the news, prompting the Australian government to defend their honor and successfully negotiate their release, after a year-long nightmarish ordeal in a Lao prison. Since then, Kay has become one of Australia’s top social justice ambassadors. She has been a guest speaker at two US Congressional Forums on democracy and is a recognized advocate for Hmong-Lao Civil rights, recently showcased in Clint Eastwood’s Hollywood feature film, ‘Gran Torino’.
Kay uses her public profile to create awareness about issues affecting our community; specifically relating to security of self, social justice and human rights. Kay has helped thousands of people endure the most impossible emotional ordeals, and has assisted hundreds of family’s worldwide to cope with trauma and tragedy. She has instigated a number of international campaigns to assist people in poverty, provided humanitarian support to the Zambian Orphans of death row prisoners and assisted thousands of impoverished people in SE Asia. Her direct efforts contributed to the building of a school and medical centre for refugee children in Cambodia. She was honored in April 2006 by becoming an Ambassador for the US based International Relief Centre.
In November 2008, Kay returned from a month long humanitarian mission in war-torn Afghanistan, as the Australian Liaison for the Childlight Foundation for Afghan Children – a US Based Charity.
Her diplomatic efforts have earned her the respect, and the ear of, some of the world's most prominent individuals and government figures.
On 26 January 2009, Kay was given special recognition for her International Service, and awarded a certificate by the Mayor of Redlands in the Citizen of the Year Awards.
“The ordeal of Kerry and Kay Danes in the mysterious and exotic land of Laos is, perhaps most importantly, a unique human saga of love, courage, honor, heroism and the triumph of hope in the face of overwhelming odds against a ruthless Stalinist regime.” - Philip Smith, Executive Director, Center for Public Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.
Standing Ground
Foreword by Philip Smith [Former US National Security Advisor]
Readers of the amazing story of Kerry and Kay Danes in Laos will find it a compelling, richly inspiring and fascinating saga. The unique strategic role of Laos, both during the Vietnam War and presently, makes this book all the more interesting and important. Standing Ground helps to elucidate the dark and despotic nature of the current government of Laos, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (LPDR).
The ordeal of Kerry and Kay Danes in the mysterious and exotic land of Laos is, perhaps most importantly, a unique human saga of love, courage, honor, heroism and the triumph of hope in the face of overwhelming odds against a ruthless Stalinist regime. Stripped of their honor, dignity, and fundamental liberties while working as security managers in Laos, Kerry and Kay Danes are forced to undergo a dark journey into a corrupt and brutal prison and gulag system.
This same one-party, authoritarian regime in Laos which abducted and brutalized Kerry and Kay Danes is currently engaged in a large-scale Darfur and Bosnia-like campaign of mass starvation and military attacks directed against thousands of family members of Lao and Hmong-Americans. The United States and the international community should heed the warnings about the serious nature and scope of this problem. They should more carefully consider the national security, foreign policy and humanitarian implications and risks of the LPDR regime as an oppressive communist military junta closely allied with brutal dictatorships in Burma, North Korea and elsewhere, which it is.
Standing Ground is especially crucial reading for Americans and others who may be considering travelling, vacationing or investing in Laos. It is also an important book for those in America and those in the international community with concerns about foreign aid and investment, economic development, human rights, religious persecution, national security, trade and travel. The Danes’ careful documentation of their case in this important book underscores the need for extraordinary and difficult measures by governments to protect the lives of their citizens abroad, to stop violations of human rights and to uphold international law.
As a U.S. Congressional advisor for national security and foreign policy issues, I became engaged on issues regarding Laos after organizing a number of Congressional research missions to Lao and Hmong refugee camps along the Mekong River on the Thailand-Laos border during the 1980s and early 1990s to investigate and document human rights violations and forced repatriation. During this same period, among other responsibilities, as a staff liaison to the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe in the U.S. House of Representatives, I also focused on security and human rights issues regarding Eastern Europeans, including the plight of religious and political dissidents.
From 1993 to the present, in my capacity as the Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA), which is a non-profit research organization focused on national security and foreign policy issues in Washington, D.C., I have continued to focus on policy issues regarding Laos and the tragic plight of Laotian and Hmong people, including refugees and political prisoners.I first met Kay Danes in Washington, D.C. in 2002 when she was invited to testify and speak with Members of Congress before a special session of the U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos held in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Many in Washington, D.C. and the United States were very impressed by her extraordinary grace and courage as she told us about harrowing accounts of her experiences in Laos.Like the voices of prisoners of conscience, from Andrei Sakharov to Alexander Solzenitsyn, who bravely endured the horrific cruelties of the Soviet gulag system during Stalinist times, Kerry and Kay Danes’ experience in Laos has borne witness to the injustices and evil nature of a corrupt regime in violation of international law.
The Danes have become a voice for the voiceless and suffering people in Laos.Laos, a small, landlocked Asian nation, still largely unknown to many people around the world was once whispered in hushed voices in Washington, D.C.’s corridors of power. U.S. Presidents, beginning with President John F. Kennedy along with senior policymakers in the U.S. Congress, the Pentagon, the State Department and elsewhere, viewed the Kingdom of Laos, Lan Xang, the Kingdom of a Million Elephants, as one of the keys to America’s and the West’s security and foreign policy interests.
Like Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, the country of Laos was once centre stage in the White House, in a crisis period that helped shape the course of world events in a major way. President John F. Kennedy established Laos as a priority for U.S. and Western allied clandestine and military operations during the period of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Berlin Wall in hopes of establishing a ‘third option’ by recruiting indigenous tribal guerilla forces largely composed of ethnic Hmong and Laotians to avoid a East-West nuclear conflagration or conventional third world war. Laos remained the largest covert operation in America’s history, in terms of budget and duration, prior to the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s.Laos prior to the communist take-over in 1975, had a rich and ancient history, culture, religion and people.
A largely peaceful and tranquil Buddhist nation ruled by a revered monarchy, it was best described as a kingdom paradise blessed with abundance and long periods of peace, until the violation of Laos’ neutrality by North Vietnam and the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh Trail by the North Vietnamese Army that led to the U.S. clandestine and military intervention.America still owes a debt of honour and has a special moral obligation to many freedom-loving Laotians and Hmong who are veterans, or descendants of veterans, who served with U.S. military and clandestine forces during the Vietnam War. As a former Australian Special Air Services (SAS) Kerry Danes, and his courageous wife understand the full meaning of the word honour and the moral obligation to friends and former allies.
Tragically, as the Danes story in many ways foreshadows, since the unlawful and brutal arrest of Kerry and Kay, the LPDR regime has intensified its military and security forces’ attacks against its own people and continues to engage in widespread human rights violations. In recent years, the LPDR regime has murdered dissidents abroad in Thailand, arrested and unlawfully detained Americans visiting Laos (including Mr. Hakit Yang and two other Hmong American citizens), and is currently engaged in a Bosnia and Darfur-like campaign of ethnic cleansing and mass starvation against thousands of Hmong and Laotians seeking refuge in the jungles and mountains of Laos.
Tragically, as the Danes story in many ways foreshadows, since the unlawful and brutal arrest of Kerry and Kay, the LPDR regime has intensified its military and security forces’ attacks against its own people and continues to engage in widespread human rights violations. In recent years, the LPDR regime has murdered dissidents abroad in Thailand, arrested and unlawfully detained Americans visiting Laos (including Mr. Hakit Yang and two other Hmong American citizens), and is currently engaged in a Bosnia and Darfur-like campaign of ethnic cleansing and mass starvation against thousands of Hmong and Laotians seeking refuge in the jungles and mountains of Laos.
These human rights violations have been documented by Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, independent humanitarian and human rights organizations and advocates, dissidents, independent journalists and others.In writing Standing Ground, Kerry and Kay Danes will help to inspire and strengthen the moral authority and courage needed by dissidents, journalists, activists and student and religious leaders seeking to challenge the despotic one party regimes in Laos and other countries that continue to oppress, imprison and murder their own citizens and visiting foreigners who inconveniently get in their way. The freedom-loving people of Laos deserve a government that will provide an open-society, transparency, basic human rights and economic prosperity. Standing Ground serves as powerful testimony to those who share these aspirations for the people of Laos and other countries facing a similar plight. Kerry and Kay Danes have demonstrated their exception courage to stand up to tyranny, speak truth to power, and help those suffering under the most difficult of circumstances in Laos and other countries.
Standing Ground brings hope and dignity to those who have been stripped of these most fundamental and important elements of our humanity. Philip Smith, Executive DirectorCenter for Public Policy AnalysisWashington, D.C.
Friday, February 6, 2009
DFAT Major SNAFU. Failed to follow their own rules
http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/s8341.pdf
I June 2005, page 26, SENATE Hansard - Estimates Committe for DFAT.
Senator FAULKNER—Have you got statistics that indicate how often the Australiangovernment has intervened with another government after the conviction of an individual toseek either a pardon—that is one broad area—or clemency? Could you provide someinformation to the committee on that? I think those are the main two areas but there may besome other category of approach that might have been made.
Mr R Smith—I would have to take on notice the question of how many instances there have been. I can talk a bit about the circumstances in which the government would, as a matter of policy, do that. For example, where an Australian has been given a death sentence,the government will as a matter of policy—this is a practice that goes back quite some time—support clemency applications in relation to those cases. There is another broad policy that we have. That is, where an Australian has served a sentence overseas that is equivalent to the sentence he or she would have received for a comparable crime in Australia, we can intervene with the detaining authorities or government to seek clemency in those circumstances. That approach would normally be made one year before the equivalent sentence has been served.
Ladies and Gentlemen, its time to sharpen your pencils, find your biro or finger tap your keyboards. The above tells me that there is a need to write to the Senate and DFAT to seek that they exercise the broad policy and bring Schapelle home now. She has done more time than what she would have served in Australia for an equivalent crime.
I June 2005, page 26, SENATE Hansard - Estimates Committe for DFAT.
Senator FAULKNER—Have you got statistics that indicate how often the Australiangovernment has intervened with another government after the conviction of an individual toseek either a pardon—that is one broad area—or clemency? Could you provide someinformation to the committee on that? I think those are the main two areas but there may besome other category of approach that might have been made.
Mr R Smith—I would have to take on notice the question of how many instances there have been. I can talk a bit about the circumstances in which the government would, as a matter of policy, do that. For example, where an Australian has been given a death sentence,the government will as a matter of policy—this is a practice that goes back quite some time—support clemency applications in relation to those cases. There is another broad policy that we have. That is, where an Australian has served a sentence overseas that is equivalent to the sentence he or she would have received for a comparable crime in Australia, we can intervene with the detaining authorities or government to seek clemency in those circumstances. That approach would normally be made one year before the equivalent sentence has been served.
Ladies and Gentlemen, its time to sharpen your pencils, find your biro or finger tap your keyboards. The above tells me that there is a need to write to the Senate and DFAT to seek that they exercise the broad policy and bring Schapelle home now. She has done more time than what she would have served in Australia for an equivalent crime.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Corby mistake. She failed to pay on entry
Corby mistake. She failed to pay on entry "The biggest mistake Schapelle made was not to start handing out wads of cash in the moment her boogie bag was opened. This night mare would have just been a bad dream."
People in far away places such as Trinidad, Chile, Lithuania, Sweden have expressed their deep concern regarding a trial that did not admit the evidence requested by Corby. Here are some of their words:-
Canada Something has to be done about this and it has to be done now! It can happen to me or someone I love. No one deserves to be treated like that. My heart goes out to her and her family. May God be with her, she is not alone.
Canada No one deserves this without a fair trial and proper representation, the gov of Australia should step in.
Canada This is an assault on basic human rights! This poor woman needs to be set free now!
llinois She is an innocent woman and all who have put her in this position, not forgetting the ones who KNOW the truth and have kept cowdly quiet, should be ashamed!
United Kingdom It is incredible that this happened, and there is someone/people out there that know exactly what happened and have kept quiet. Cowards. Have the Australian government wiped their hands of the situation? if so they should be ashamed!
Texas Free Schapelle!!!!!
Florida schapelle. i think about you quite often and the hell you are going threw.Something tells me you will be out of that hole.I cant explain it. I just feel it.You are a beautiful girl and your family is wonderful.I ma surfer in Florida and when you get out of that place, i am coming to your pace to surf with you! Thats a promise!
Australia What a horrible injustice! I really feel for Schapelle and hope she comes home soon!!
United Kingdom After reading her book I can not beleive this poor girl is living in this hellhole. The Australian goverment wants to get their heads out of the sand and do something now.She is INNOCENT.My prayers are with you and your family and I hope one day soon you are freed and get the apolology and freedom you deserve.
Canada I pray for your realease Schapelle, and health while your in there. You have supporters from all over the world! Stay strong!
Australia To her detriment, I truly beleive that Schapelle has been a valuable commodity to the world and Indonesian media, particuarly through out the trial. So many people making so much money. Not to mention the money her `keepers' have pocketed in the time she has been incarcerated. I have been to Indonesia 5 times, I have seen how the country operates on graft and corruption. The biggest mistake Schapelle made was not to start handing out wads of cash in the moment her boogie bag was opened. This night mare would have just been a bad dream. My prayer for you Schapelle, is that some where, some how justice will be done.
Canada Unbelievable, my heart is deeply saddened to hear and see this innocent women be locked away for reason no one can prove. I am horrified to think you will be in this place for another 15 years! Years gone for nothing, only because an under-developed government became power hungry. Disgusting. My heart goes out to you Schapelle I truly believe in your innocence. Don't give up.
Australia How was the boogie board bag not picked up by AQIS or Customs pooches or staff as it exited both Brisbane on the domestic sector and then Sydney through international? As I understand it Schapelle checked in at Brisbane (or Gold Coast) on a domestic flight to Sydney but the luggage was through checked to Denpasar - sounds very suss to me, and where on earth did that CCT tape go?! my heart goes out to u mate, hang in there!
Canada I am truly saddened by this tragic story, and my heart is with Schapelle Corby and her family!.....I pray for them
Brazil Estou muito revoltado com essa condenação injusta e absurda. Eles são tão cruéis com suas condenações, mas o paÃs sustenta uma industria de prostituição que atrai pessoas do mundo inteiro. hipócritas!!
Canada Schapelle, after just watching the documentary I dont know how they could go through with a conviction like this with out proper evidence. I trully believe that your innocent and wish you luck getting home.
Canada FREE HER !!!THIS IS INSANITY WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT NOT DOING ANYTHING ?
Canada Definetly will not be taking any holidays to Bali along with many other Canadians. This is an terrible misjustice. What goes around comes around and the actual persons who placed this contraban in Ms.Corby's luggage will pay , however, this is no consolation for her now. It is very unfortunate the Bali system has used this inocent young woman to make a stand that in their country may seem rationale but not in mine. My support is all I can give. Free Chapelle!!!
Canada To Schapelle..I just watched the documentary Ganja Queen. I was shocked. I hope and beleive that as support for your cause gains more publicity from the documentary, the Australian government will find away to negotiate your release. To Indonesia... I will never visit your country.
People in far away places such as Trinidad, Chile, Lithuania, Sweden have expressed their deep concern regarding a trial that did not admit the evidence requested by Corby. Here are some of their words:-
Canada Something has to be done about this and it has to be done now! It can happen to me or someone I love. No one deserves to be treated like that. My heart goes out to her and her family. May God be with her, she is not alone.
Canada No one deserves this without a fair trial and proper representation, the gov of Australia should step in.
Canada This is an assault on basic human rights! This poor woman needs to be set free now!
llinois She is an innocent woman and all who have put her in this position, not forgetting the ones who KNOW the truth and have kept cowdly quiet, should be ashamed!
United Kingdom It is incredible that this happened, and there is someone/people out there that know exactly what happened and have kept quiet. Cowards. Have the Australian government wiped their hands of the situation? if so they should be ashamed!
Texas Free Schapelle!!!!!
Florida schapelle. i think about you quite often and the hell you are going threw.Something tells me you will be out of that hole.I cant explain it. I just feel it.You are a beautiful girl and your family is wonderful.I ma surfer in Florida and when you get out of that place, i am coming to your pace to surf with you! Thats a promise!
Australia What a horrible injustice! I really feel for Schapelle and hope she comes home soon!!
United Kingdom After reading her book I can not beleive this poor girl is living in this hellhole. The Australian goverment wants to get their heads out of the sand and do something now.She is INNOCENT.My prayers are with you and your family and I hope one day soon you are freed and get the apolology and freedom you deserve.
Canada I pray for your realease Schapelle, and health while your in there. You have supporters from all over the world! Stay strong!
Australia To her detriment, I truly beleive that Schapelle has been a valuable commodity to the world and Indonesian media, particuarly through out the trial. So many people making so much money. Not to mention the money her `keepers' have pocketed in the time she has been incarcerated. I have been to Indonesia 5 times, I have seen how the country operates on graft and corruption. The biggest mistake Schapelle made was not to start handing out wads of cash in the moment her boogie bag was opened. This night mare would have just been a bad dream. My prayer for you Schapelle, is that some where, some how justice will be done.
Canada Unbelievable, my heart is deeply saddened to hear and see this innocent women be locked away for reason no one can prove. I am horrified to think you will be in this place for another 15 years! Years gone for nothing, only because an under-developed government became power hungry. Disgusting. My heart goes out to you Schapelle I truly believe in your innocence. Don't give up.
Australia How was the boogie board bag not picked up by AQIS or Customs pooches or staff as it exited both Brisbane on the domestic sector and then Sydney through international? As I understand it Schapelle checked in at Brisbane (or Gold Coast) on a domestic flight to Sydney but the luggage was through checked to Denpasar - sounds very suss to me, and where on earth did that CCT tape go?! my heart goes out to u mate, hang in there!
Canada I am truly saddened by this tragic story, and my heart is with Schapelle Corby and her family!.....I pray for them
Brazil Estou muito revoltado com essa condenação injusta e absurda. Eles são tão cruéis com suas condenações, mas o paÃs sustenta uma industria de prostituição que atrai pessoas do mundo inteiro. hipócritas!!
Canada Schapelle, after just watching the documentary I dont know how they could go through with a conviction like this with out proper evidence. I trully believe that your innocent and wish you luck getting home.
Canada FREE HER !!!THIS IS INSANITY WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT NOT DOING ANYTHING ?
Canada Definetly will not be taking any holidays to Bali along with many other Canadians. This is an terrible misjustice. What goes around comes around and the actual persons who placed this contraban in Ms.Corby's luggage will pay , however, this is no consolation for her now. It is very unfortunate the Bali system has used this inocent young woman to make a stand that in their country may seem rationale but not in mine. My support is all I can give. Free Chapelle!!!
Canada To Schapelle..I just watched the documentary Ganja Queen. I was shocked. I hope and beleive that as support for your cause gains more publicity from the documentary, the Australian government will find away to negotiate your release. To Indonesia... I will never visit your country.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Corby setup by International Drug Barons
FOI Evidence Emerges To Support Schapelle Corby, According to Legal Research Group
When Schapelle Corby found herself in an Indonesian court in February 2005 accused of importing marijuana, she was faced with an almost impossible task: from the inside of a prison cell she had to identify who had placed the drugs in her unlocked boogie-board bag. One of the two main theories presented to her was that they were placed in Australia by baggage handlers to ship the drugs interstate. However, it has emerged that a far more complex airport scenario was entirely possible. The International Legal Research Group announces today that research conducted by Dr Adrian Bradford using a Freedom of Information request has revealed significant fresh evidence, which embraces an international drug transportation ring.
(PRWEB) December 31, 2008 -- When Schapelle Corby found herself in an Indonesian court in February 2005 accused of importing marijuana, she was faced with an almost impossible task: from the inside of a prison cell she had to identify who had placed the drugs in her unlocked boogie-board bag.
One of the two main theories presented to her was that they were placed in Australia by baggage handlers to ship the drugs interstate. However, it has emerged that a far more complex airport scenario was entirely possible. The International Legal Research Group announces today that research conducted by Dr Adrian Bradford using a Freedom of Information request has revealed significant fresh evidence, which embraces an international drug transportation ring.
ABOUT SCHAPELLE CORBYSchapelle Corby was sentenced to an unprecedented 20 year prison term in 2005. This followed a highly contentious case in which her prosecutors refused to fingerprint or test the evidence, refused to test the drugs for country of origin, and subsequently incinerated them (2). Other factors included the case record of the senior judge who had never acquitted a drug related defendant (3), and the disparate value of the drugs between the two countries.
THE NEW INFORMATIONThrough a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, Dr. Adrian Bradford, has discovered that a South American plane carrying a shipment of illegal drugs was on the ground at Sydney international Airport at exactly the same time Schapelle Corby passed through in transit to Bali.
"The significance of this is enormous", said Dr Bradford. "It is entirely possible that the consignment of cocaine, which was central to a joint investigation by Australian Federal Police and the NSW Crime Commission called Operation Mocha, was linked to the drugs which were found in Schapelle's luggage," says Dr. Bradford.
"The moment news broke in early May 2005 that Operation Mocha had smashed a cocaine smuggling ring using baggage handlers to bypass Customs checks at Sydney airport on the same day Schapelle was there, I immediately suspected that the drugs shipment was the source of the drugs found in Schapelle's bag. Until now there have only been reports that the two planes were at Sydney airport on 8th October 2004 but no indication whether the two planes were at the airport at the same time. To clear up the confusion, I lodged a freedom of information request with Air Services Australia."
The FOI request was posted on 10th November 2008 and the reply from Air Services Australia was received on December 3rd 2008.
The FOI reveals that on 8th October 2004 Lan Airlines flight 801 with the drugs shipment on board landed at Sydney International Airport at 7:50 am while Australian Airlines flight AO7829, which Schapelle Corby and 3 companions travelled to Bali on, departed Sydney at 11:12 am.
"That's an overlap of just under three and a half hours!" he exclaimed.
Schapelle Corby, Alyth McComb and Katrina Richards departed Brisbane on QF501 which landed in Sydney at 7:30 am before catching their connecting flight to Bali. Corby has always maintained her innocence and argued in her trial that baggage handlers were responsible for placing the drugs in her luggage.
"So it is entirely possible that the drugs were switched to Schapelle's bag for some reason by a corrupt baggage handler. There are a couple of incidents in North America where police have arrested airport workers smuggling marijuana and cocaine simultaneously. With the volumes reported it sounds like these crime gangs got away with it on previous occasions. "(4)
"It wouldn't surprise me if a sophisticated crime ring would try smuggling marijuana and cocaine into Australia and maybe this is what happened on that day. Perhaps the marijuana was placed in Schapelle's unlocked bag to draw potential sniffer dogs away from the cocaine. Once the cocaine was clear of the airport, the marijuana was meant to be removed as well. But instead of this happening the drugs went through to Bali."
"I am excited that I have now proven that Schapelle's transit in Sydney did indeed overlap with the plane carrying the cocaine. The odds of this being coincidental must surely be astronomical. This has never been reported in the media before. It would be wonderful if this new fact formed the basis of another extraordinary appeal by Schapelle," added Dr Bradford.
"Operation Mocha also has its unique problems," he continued. "It was headed by former Assistant director of the NSW Crime Commission Mark Standen who was arrested for conspiring to import drugs into Australia (5). He also approved that NSW police could sell 7Kg of cocaine on Sydney streets to gather evidence against the drug ring." (6)
Dr Bradford has a PhD in Chemistry from Adelaide University. He now lives in Perth.
The relevant details of the FOI can be viewed at: www.thelegalresearchgroup.org/foi.jpg
THE IMPLICATIONSThe new evidence found by Dr Bradford carries a number of implications and raises an equal number of questions. It is now entirely possible that the marijuana was placed in Schapelle Corby's bag at Sydney airport.
Equally, however, it is certain to increase pressure for answers to questions relating to missing CCTV footage from the same airport, which Schapelle Corby desperately pleaded for, to support her defence that her luggage did not contain drugs at check-in. Such footage was never forthcoming, amidst a range of claims, including that the cameras were not operating. Now, given proof of the timing, how credible is it that those cameras were switched off, in the midst of such a large international drug smuggling operation?
CONTACT DETAILSDr Bradford can be contacted via Adrian@thelegalresearchgroup.com. TLRG can be contacted via pr@thelegalresearchgroup.com
References:
(1) FOI data: www.thelegalresearchgroup.org/foi.jpg
(2) http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bali-police-burn-corbys-marijuana/2006/03/17/1142098659797.html
(3) http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_skin/567953%3Fformat=html
(4) http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-87824639.html
(5) http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/index/0,,5017225,00.html
(6) http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/informant-could-sell-cocaine-says-judge/2006/12/17/1166290412435.html
###
When Schapelle Corby found herself in an Indonesian court in February 2005 accused of importing marijuana, she was faced with an almost impossible task: from the inside of a prison cell she had to identify who had placed the drugs in her unlocked boogie-board bag. One of the two main theories presented to her was that they were placed in Australia by baggage handlers to ship the drugs interstate. However, it has emerged that a far more complex airport scenario was entirely possible. The International Legal Research Group announces today that research conducted by Dr Adrian Bradford using a Freedom of Information request has revealed significant fresh evidence, which embraces an international drug transportation ring.
(PRWEB) December 31, 2008 -- When Schapelle Corby found herself in an Indonesian court in February 2005 accused of importing marijuana, she was faced with an almost impossible task: from the inside of a prison cell she had to identify who had placed the drugs in her unlocked boogie-board bag.
One of the two main theories presented to her was that they were placed in Australia by baggage handlers to ship the drugs interstate. However, it has emerged that a far more complex airport scenario was entirely possible. The International Legal Research Group announces today that research conducted by Dr Adrian Bradford using a Freedom of Information request has revealed significant fresh evidence, which embraces an international drug transportation ring.
ABOUT SCHAPELLE CORBYSchapelle Corby was sentenced to an unprecedented 20 year prison term in 2005. This followed a highly contentious case in which her prosecutors refused to fingerprint or test the evidence, refused to test the drugs for country of origin, and subsequently incinerated them (2). Other factors included the case record of the senior judge who had never acquitted a drug related defendant (3), and the disparate value of the drugs between the two countries.
THE NEW INFORMATIONThrough a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, Dr. Adrian Bradford, has discovered that a South American plane carrying a shipment of illegal drugs was on the ground at Sydney international Airport at exactly the same time Schapelle Corby passed through in transit to Bali.
"The significance of this is enormous", said Dr Bradford. "It is entirely possible that the consignment of cocaine, which was central to a joint investigation by Australian Federal Police and the NSW Crime Commission called Operation Mocha, was linked to the drugs which were found in Schapelle's luggage," says Dr. Bradford.
"The moment news broke in early May 2005 that Operation Mocha had smashed a cocaine smuggling ring using baggage handlers to bypass Customs checks at Sydney airport on the same day Schapelle was there, I immediately suspected that the drugs shipment was the source of the drugs found in Schapelle's bag. Until now there have only been reports that the two planes were at Sydney airport on 8th October 2004 but no indication whether the two planes were at the airport at the same time. To clear up the confusion, I lodged a freedom of information request with Air Services Australia."
The FOI request was posted on 10th November 2008 and the reply from Air Services Australia was received on December 3rd 2008.
The FOI reveals that on 8th October 2004 Lan Airlines flight 801 with the drugs shipment on board landed at Sydney International Airport at 7:50 am while Australian Airlines flight AO7829, which Schapelle Corby and 3 companions travelled to Bali on, departed Sydney at 11:12 am.
"That's an overlap of just under three and a half hours!" he exclaimed.
Schapelle Corby, Alyth McComb and Katrina Richards departed Brisbane on QF501 which landed in Sydney at 7:30 am before catching their connecting flight to Bali. Corby has always maintained her innocence and argued in her trial that baggage handlers were responsible for placing the drugs in her luggage.
"So it is entirely possible that the drugs were switched to Schapelle's bag for some reason by a corrupt baggage handler. There are a couple of incidents in North America where police have arrested airport workers smuggling marijuana and cocaine simultaneously. With the volumes reported it sounds like these crime gangs got away with it on previous occasions. "(4)
"It wouldn't surprise me if a sophisticated crime ring would try smuggling marijuana and cocaine into Australia and maybe this is what happened on that day. Perhaps the marijuana was placed in Schapelle's unlocked bag to draw potential sniffer dogs away from the cocaine. Once the cocaine was clear of the airport, the marijuana was meant to be removed as well. But instead of this happening the drugs went through to Bali."
"I am excited that I have now proven that Schapelle's transit in Sydney did indeed overlap with the plane carrying the cocaine. The odds of this being coincidental must surely be astronomical. This has never been reported in the media before. It would be wonderful if this new fact formed the basis of another extraordinary appeal by Schapelle," added Dr Bradford.
"Operation Mocha also has its unique problems," he continued. "It was headed by former Assistant director of the NSW Crime Commission Mark Standen who was arrested for conspiring to import drugs into Australia (5). He also approved that NSW police could sell 7Kg of cocaine on Sydney streets to gather evidence against the drug ring." (6)
Dr Bradford has a PhD in Chemistry from Adelaide University. He now lives in Perth.
The relevant details of the FOI can be viewed at: www.thelegalresearchgroup.org/foi.jpg
THE IMPLICATIONSThe new evidence found by Dr Bradford carries a number of implications and raises an equal number of questions. It is now entirely possible that the marijuana was placed in Schapelle Corby's bag at Sydney airport.
Equally, however, it is certain to increase pressure for answers to questions relating to missing CCTV footage from the same airport, which Schapelle Corby desperately pleaded for, to support her defence that her luggage did not contain drugs at check-in. Such footage was never forthcoming, amidst a range of claims, including that the cameras were not operating. Now, given proof of the timing, how credible is it that those cameras were switched off, in the midst of such a large international drug smuggling operation?
CONTACT DETAILSDr Bradford can be contacted via Adrian@thelegalresearchgroup.com. TLRG can be contacted via pr@thelegalresearchgroup.com
References:
(1) FOI data: www.thelegalresearchgroup.org/foi.jpg
(2) http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bali-police-burn-corbys-marijuana/2006/03/17/1142098659797.html
(3) http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_skin/567953%3Fformat=html
(4) http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-87824639.html
(5) http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/index/0,,5017225,00.html
(6) http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/informant-could-sell-cocaine-says-judge/2006/12/17/1166290412435.html
###
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