Indonesian Actors & Actresses to be Drug Tested...

Actors and actresses are just like anyone else in the community, they have their demons to confront. Sometimes these demons are legal like alcohol sometimes they are illegal like recreational drugs and narcotics. Yet, until yesterday it seemed unlikely that Indonesian actors and actresses were going to be subjected to mandatory drug testing prior to being permitted to work in film or television.

It would be interesting to see a statistical analysis as to whether actors are any more susceptible to drug use than the rest of the Indonesian community. The reality is that a celebrity with a drug addiction or a celebrity caught in possession of drugs and looking at jail time is far more news worthy in terms of shifting papers and selling advertising than is a young kampung girl newly arrived in the big city. Maybe the reporting of celebrity-linked drug offenses serves to distort the seriousness of the problem.

According to the Chief Detective of the Jakarta Police, Anjan Pramuka Putra, the Indonesian Film Actors Guild (Parfi) has requested police assistance in conducting urine tests on actors. In some cases the results may indicate that the actor or actress tested has taken an illicit substance, but the reality is that acting is not a sport and it is unlikely that taking drugs is going to improve performance. In fact, a drug addiction is likely to impact negatively on the ability to work or maintain consistent performance.

For example, an actor or actress may take steroids in an attempt to "buff up" for a role, or to transform their appearance, and in so doing breach the prevailing laws and regulations. Yet, is the intent of the Parfi request to catch all those using any scheduled prescription, recreational or illegal drugs or is it just to catch those with addictions to drugs like shabu-shabu (crystal meth), marijuana, heroin, or ecstasy.

I wonder whether actors and actresses are going to be supportive of the Parfi request. Is it possible that there will be a mass exodus of Parfi members or some kind of actors strike in protest of this invasion of their privacy, particularly considering a urine sample can be tested for a whole lot more things than just to find those using drugs.

Should we be concerned that this is just the first step in mandatory random drug testing for everybody irrespective of who they are or what they do. For example, can prospective employers demand a candidate for a position at their company undertake a drug test as part of the interview process. Or, can the government demand a drug test to be taken before providing a government benefit or paying a tax return. The mind boggles at the possibilities.

Drugs in Indonesia...

When will foreigners (and some Indonesians) learn? Drug related offenses are considered to be serious criminal offenses that attract harsh penalties. You are not in your country of origin and the standards you might expect may not be available to you. The slap on the wrist you might feel you are entitled to is not likely to be forthcoming just because you are a foreigner.

Three foreign students, and two of their Indonesian friends, were arrested in Bali for marijuana and hashish possession. They are now facing the prospect of four years in the slammer. If played right, they are likely to do 5 - 7 months as drug addicts, and this is likely to be time served as their individual cases are more than likely to play out over 5 months or so.

The urine tests were positive for drugs. Assuming these positive tests related to THC then the appointed lawyers might decide the best course of action is to plead addiction.

Not everything is a stitch-up designed to shake-down the innocent for cash!

The happy snappy is supposedly of law enforcement burning the marijuana and the heroin that sent Schapelle Corby and the Bali Nine to long-term jail sentences and death sentences (for some).

Renae "The Protector" Lawrence...

It was with some interest that I read an article by Tom Allard in today's (24/01) Sydney Morning Herald. It was with interest because there are two pieces of relevant information provided in the article.

In Allard's opinion from what he has witnessed during a brief visit is that Schapelle has deteriorated both physically and mentally. Nevertheless, the prospects for an imminent or early release have faded. And, that Renae Lawrence has taken on the role of 'protector'.

The second important piece of 'news' was that Renae Lawrence is pretty angry about the book written by Kathryn Bonella titled "Hotel Kerobokan" which Corby supporters are promoting as the god-given truth of what conditions are like inside. To the contrary, Lawrence claims the book is nothing more than a pack of lies. Of specific concern seems to be the claims that Lawrence frequently indulges in lesbian orgies in her queen-sized bed.

I wonder if Kathryn Bonella is going to come out and defend herself against the claims reported by Lawrence? Simply, if Bonella is not telling the truth about Lawrence as Lawrence claims, then this brings into question the content of the whole book.

The prison authorities have consistently denied that the conditions are as bad as Bonella makes out. In fact, the prison authorities recently held a media open day to highlight the very fact that conditions are not as bad as they are claimed to be. They have also denied that Schapelle is in a desperate place and situation that requires her immediate removal to a mental health facility or her immediate repatriation to Australia.

It will be interesting to see if there is any response to this Tom Allard article from either side of the debate.

Schapelle Corby -- Remission Confirmed...

As was expected Schapelle Corby has been granted a four-month remission on her 20-year jail sentence for smuggling 4.1kg of the wacky weed into Bali back in 2004. Corby has been battling depression for a number of years and continues to maintain her innocence.

Renae Lawrence of Bali Nine fame was granted a five-month sentence reduction on her 20-year jail sentence for trying to smuggle more than 8kg of heroin out of Bali and into Australia in 2005.

Both, seemingly, still have a long road to haul before they will qualify for release. Hopefully, the remissions will make them feel a little bit better about that.

Interpol, Drug Trafficking Networks, and the Bali Nine

The Bali Nine case has taken an interesting turn. However, this turn, no matter how interesting, is not going to impact on the sentences already handed down on the Bali Nine. The alleged drug trafficking network, which has seen Interpol team up with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency to investigate the drug trade in Surabaya as this is the supposed entry point for heroin and other illicit drugs.

This is interesting because the AFP should have known about this considering they claimed to have broken a major drug trafficking ring at the time they gave up the Bali Nine to the Indonesian Police.

The cooperation will obviously include the Indonesian Police and more specifically the narcotics division. It seems though that this is a new development as it is being discussed as a recent discovery.

Strangely enough with the number of local drug busts and the increasing size of these busts it is hardly surprising that there is now a belief that major cartels and international drug organizations operate in an through the Republic of Indonesia. I guess the death penalty is not the deterrent that some claim it to be.

Colombia & Cocaine

Good news for some and bad news for others as Colombia's National Police Chief, Oscar Naranjo, tells an anti-drug summit that Colombia's share of world production has fallen form 90% in 2002 to around 54% today.

That is a significant drop for sure and it must be hurting the drug cartels based in Colombia. Yet, my guesstimation would be that what is lost on the merry-go-round is made up on the swing. Someone else is more than likely picking up Colombia's slack.

What the reduction does say though is that the police in Colombia are having success in their crop eradication efforts, the removal of drug laboratories, and the prosecution of drug bosses. This has seen more than a million hectares of drug crops destroyed. In another success story more than 74 tonnes of cocaine has been seized in the first three months of 2008.

I still wonder about legalization and take the black market out of the trade. Another debate for another post, I suppose!

State Sanctioned Killing

Indonesia will execute two Nigerians later tonight. Although this is more likely to be in the wee hours of Friday morning as executions normally take place around 2am for some reason. This must be a reminder to all those contemplating smuggling drugs; it simply is not worth your life!

Maybe the Attorney General, Hendarman Supandji, has decided to execute a few people in the hope of taking the heat off of himself and an ongoing corruption scandal which is more than likely see him removed as the revelations of involvement keep moving on up the food chain at the Office of the Attorney General.

However, the reasons aside for the first executions of drug traffickers since 2004, it must not be forgotten that these two individuals smuggled drugs, were caught, tried and convicted in a court of law, and will soon pay the ultimate price for their stupidity.

The National Police Chief, General Sutanto, has also gone on the record to say that the executions should act as a deterrent. Nevertheless, they won't there is no sustainable evidence to suggest that the risk of death is a deterrent to the smuggling of drugs. Some people are just so desperate that no matter what the risk is they will still try and smuggle drugs.

Hansen Anthony Nwaolisa was caught trafficking 600g heroin in 43 capsules from Pakistan in January 2001. Samuel Iwachekawu Okoye was caught with 3.8kg of heroin in his luggage after arriving from India in January 2001.

Both men were sentenced to death in mid-2001 and their final appeals for clemency were rejected in July 2004. They are currently in special holding cells at the Nusakambangan Prison in Central Java.

According to Amnesty International, "Experts in international law, including the top UN officials, have confirmed that applying the death penalty for drug-related offences is a breach of international law".

The latest figures state that there are almost 60 people on death row in Indonesia for drug related offences and of these almost half are foreigners.

Australians, Vietnam, and Drugs -- A Deadly Mix!

I like to think my fellow Australians are smart but sometimes I have to wonder! It seems that every other week I am reading about an Australian somewhere in the world being arrested for drug related offences or trafficking. A lot of these places look a lot more harshly on drug offences than does the Australian legal system.

However, the issue for me here is the Australian Federal Police's involvement in providing intelligence to States were the death penalty applies and then allowing Australian citizens to be arrested in States where they might be subject to the ultimate penalty. If you break the law you should be punished. Therefore, this is not an issue of law and order but rather a personal opinion and concern about the severity of the punishment. Furthermore, it bothers me that the Australian Federal Police are playing a role in the killing of young Australians overseas.

I am ready for any flak on this issue and the position I have adopted. I am unashamedly anti-death penalty and even more vehemently opposed to it where a similar offence in Australia would attract the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrist.

This aside, my point is, if you know that you are putting yourself in the position where the ultimate penalty may be applied can you blame anyone else but yourself for your own stupidity? This should not be construed as the ramblings of a conflicted soul, as I am not conflicted!

Anyways, a couple of Australian women, Trang Bich Hong and Lam Mong Chinh were detained in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) after heroin (photo and with the chemical formula C21H23NO5) was found in their hotel room. Another unidentified woman was arrested at the airport carrying 250 grams of heroin. It seems that the AFP had been monitoring the three and tipped off their Vietnamese counterparts of the three women's role in a drug trafficking operation. I think that the AFP must be prevented from sharing any intelligence with States that impose the death penalty. If the AFP knows of a trafficking operation then they should take it down once it arrives in Australia, at least as far as Australian citizens are concerned.

After intense lobbying by the Australian government the Vietnamese government has not executed any Australians for drug trafficking despite a growing list of convictions. Nevertheless, Vietnam has some of the toughest drug laws in the world. Just 600 grams of heroin can see you sentenced to death.

My question is when will Australians learn that, sooner or later, if you continue to play with fire you will get burned?