"Poor" SBY...

The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or "SBY" to those in the know, has gone on the record (Kompas) intimating to high-ranking police and military officers that he understands their suffering on the salary front because he has not had a salary rise in more than seven years.

However, this is the kicker, what the president did not say is that his salary is already twenty-eight times the GDP per Indonesian. 

One of the fundamental questions with respect to eradicating corruption in Indonesia is whether or not a significant rise in the level of salaries of police and other officials of state will reduce the reliance on illegal fees to supplement those meager salaries, and thereby reduce corruption. It was within this framework that the president was promising to reinvigorate the government's commitment to improving the prosperity of members of the Armed Forces and Police.

Now, most people would not begrudge a salary increase to those who have earned one. Simply, where performance justifies a salary increase then it is fair that an increase occur. Yet, in situations where performance is poor or promises have been broken, then it is not only hard to justify a pay rise but it is the height of arrogance to be suddenly crying poor, particularly when it would seem that one's workload is not so extreme that there is no time to put out an album of favourite songs to entertain the masses rather than feed them.

A survey by The Economist highlighted that SBY was enjoying a salary that ranked him third highest from twenty two countries surveyed. So, what is this in dollar terms? The president enjoys a salary of more than USD 124,000 per year. Interestingly the two leaders in front of him were Kenya (240 times GDP) and Singapore (42 times GDP). It is worth noting that this is the basic salary of the president, according to The Economist. Therefore, it does not include all the fringe benefits that the Head of State enjoys.

The sad truth of the matter is, Mr President, that you have not earned a pay rise. Even more telling in your attempt at empathy is that you really have lost touch with what it is like to be poor in Indonesia and living on or below the poverty line in a nation with vast national wealth and huge potential for growth but with a leadership that has no commitment to anything other than preserving itself. Mr President, perhaps it is time to worry about doing your job, the one you were elected to do and the one that has nothing to do with singing, rather than how long it has been since you have had a pay rise!

Ho hum...

Gayus Tambunan, Seven Years, and Justice Seen to be Done?

Gayus Tambunan, the corrupt tax official, received a sentence of seven years for his crimes. On hearing the verdict, Gayus thanked the judges for being fair and impartial, lambasted the incompetent and lying Legal Mafia Eradication Taskforce, and hinted that the CIA was involved in the process of helping him out.

The big question that most people are asking in the immediate aftermath of this decision is: "Was justice done and was justice seen to be done?" Perhaps the 'real' question is whether there is any difference in those two concepts; justice and justice seen to be done.

The prosecution demanded a sentence of 20 years. When one considers the scope of the fraud and the corruption that was alleged in this case, then 20 years was probably not a manifestly excessive request. So, a sentence of 7 years does seem to be on the light, the very light, side of the justice equation. This leads to the idea of justice being seen to be done. In this case, seven years leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth when there are others sent to prison for fraud and corruption cases that involved considerably less losses for considerably longer periods of time. Justice was not seen to be done in this case.

It is a foregone conclusion that the prosecution will appeal this verdict. Based on the 12 instructions issued by the president, it would be a toss-up as to whether the president would want this case to be an ongoing distraction. Perhaps, the Legal Mafia Eradication Taskforce will say "we have done our job and we are outta here...thanks for coming!" After all, the president said he wanted the Gayus case resolved, and it is. Although, the result is hardly a positive outcome for anyone but Gayus who would have been thinking that 20 years was a very real possibility.

Nevertheless, the real question for the president, for law enforcement officials, and to a lesser extent the community is "what happens next?" The reality is that the trial of Gayus Tambunan was a media circus, but in amongst all those shenanigans were some rather explosive allegations and counter-allegations. All of these allegations must be investigated and  'resolved'.

The companies that had dealings with Gayus need to be worried. The individuals that have had dealings with Gayus or who are in someway connected to him need to be worried. The biggest issue now facing the president is does he modify his instructions a little to demand that the KPK become the lead investigator on all these matters or does he let the corruption-tainted national police force continue to participate in a charade where public perception is clearly that the police are operating in a way to protect their own interests and their own people.

The reason this is such a test for SBY is that some of the companies involved are conglomerates owned by well-connected people with special interests that they will be seeking to remove from public scrutiny. The "biggie" now is does the president have the testicular fortitude to take these matters head on an exhibit some leadership to his people? Or, does he do as he has always done hand it off to one of his many minions so that he can later use "plausible deniability"?

But, getting back to the sense of justice and justice being seen to be done. The argument is really one about what is a legally sound judgment and what is a sound judgment with respect to public perceptions. Seven years does not satisfy the public perception of either justice or justice being seen to be done. In a strict legal sense, a seven-year sentence may in fact be fair in light of what the prosecution was able to prove regarding the indictment charged.

Finally, the statement by Gayus that intimated that the Legal Mafia Eradication Taskforce had provided assurances of certain conduct being undertaken and promises being made that were not fulfilled must also be investigated, particularly as this taskforce reports directly to the president and seemingly works at his discretion. Perhaps Gayus was misled into believing a promise from the taskforce was a promise from the president?

The CIA involvement angle may well become a side-show of some importance as it has the potential to distract from the real issues in the case. The US Ambassador, Scot Marciel, wasted no time in suggesting that the whole CIA claim was nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from other aspects of the case. But, then again, he would, wouldn't he?

Ho hum...next case!

Dewi Persik [Not] Nude...

Another day, another FPI led controversy of insignificant proportions. The FPI and their anti-porn 'crusade' has reached another level of absurdity. The Islamic Defenders' Front has decided that a couple of topless photos of Dewi Persik are so obscene that it is time to pay her a visit at home and toss rotten eggs at her house. There is without a doubt some tossing going on, but it is not rotten eggs!

The arbiters of all things moral, the FPI, has decided to report Dewi Persik (sometimes spelled Perssik) to the police because their are nude photos of her on the internet. First things first. The FPI knows this how? Someone told them so? Or do they have a dedicated department of porn surfers in their ranks whose sole task is to surf the internet and find Indonesian porn? If the second option is the go, and apparently it is, then the FPI should be looking to contract out their services to the Ministry of [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information. I am sure their polygamous leader and world-renowned porn expert, Tifatul Sembiring (TitS), will be most interested.

Dewi Persik's claim to fame has always been her sexy image. She has built her entire dangdut career around the concept of "if you have it, flaunt it". And, that has worked very well for her. Her personal life might not be an encyclopedia of success stories, but then again whose is? However, professionally she seems to be doing very well, thank you very much!

The FPI claim that they had to make the report because that is what the community wanted and because the Indonesian Koranic Recital Council demanded it. So, what were the Indonesian Koranic Recital Council doing looking at porn anyway? Or if they are just going on the hearsay or others, then it is about time these crotchety old men in white robes took the time to have a sneak peek at what it is they are complaining about and demanding police action on.

Seriously, Dewi Persik's breasts, no matter how perfect, are not going to damage the moral fabric of the Republic of Indonesia. Let's face it, a sustained assault on Indonesia's morality and ethics by the New Order took care of any lingering questions on that front. Quite simply, the world, and Indonesia, as we know it, is not going to end because of a topless photo of Dewi Persik appears online, particularly one where her breasts are covered by her rather long hair. Maybe if she was wearing a jilbab it would have been all OK?

There are four pictures that form the basis of the report. Three of them apparently nude and one with her kissing Ahmad Dhani. All images freely available on the internet.

This is so much a non-issue, but it does explain why there has been a run on my blog today of visitors looking for porn images of Dewi Persik. I have heard that there are a few full-frontal shots out there, but the above images will have to do for now.

What Do The Indonesian Cables on Wikileaks Reveal?

Tongue in cheek...

Someone asked me whether I thought the 3000+ diplomatic cables that Wikileaks are leaking on Indonesia will be interesting and worth a read. My answer, Yes!

No matter what is in these cables, they are going to make for interesting reading. This is particularly so for those who consider themselves knowledgeable on all things diplomatic and Indonesia / USA relationship wise. For those that are truly in the know, or those that are on the coal-face of this relationship, or those who are passionate about the study of the Indonesian / US bilateral relationship are likely to be more disappointed than anything else. These are secret and confidential cables. They will include some nice tidbits and probably some comments that will cause offense both at home and abroad, but they are unlikely to be earth shattering.

Yet, it is worth putting a modifier on that. For example, if one of the cables included a statement to the effect that there was evidence that SBY was on the Bakrie payroll, now that would be a pearler. It might not be earth-shattering, let's face it, it would be an easy assumption to make considering the ease with which Bakrie gets "passes" on everything that should tarnish and sink him for ever as a political player. Nevertheless, it would be fun to watch the fallout and the subsequent spin.

So, in light of the question, here are a couple of choice cable exchanges that I would be intrigued to read:

"SBY prefers to sing than to lead!"

Or, "the 2009 election was clearly not fair despite what the Carter Center may have said in its report. Evidence suggests that on the orders of SBY, Partai Demokrat spent huge sums of money to manipulate voting in areas outside of Jakarta!"


Or, "SBY: can't sing, can't dance, can't lead, all round waste of time, effort, and space. Indonesians are holding out to 2014 believing something is better just around the corner!"

Or, "despite public protestations to the contrary, SBY has performed poorly on key election promises relating to corruption and terror."

Or "the recent good results on the elimination of terrorists is really nothing more than elements of the national police and military cleaning house and tidying up some 'loose' ends!"

Or, "The Minister for Communication and Information is publicly an avid anti-porn advocate however he is known to frequent massage parlours that offer a plus plus service. Obviously, the man has an insatiable appetite for the bump and grind considering he has four wives and seven known mistresses!"

Or, more on TitS..."the Minister for Communication and Information's staff have been secretly trying to set up a session with Vicky Vette to determine whether she was serious about her offer to 'pleasure' the Minister. It is widely known that the Minister has a 'thing' for blondes with big breasts. One of his staff members noted that the Minister was a 'TitS man'. Maybe he meant that TitS is the man?"

Or cables along those lines. I could go on and on and on with the possibilities. I am sure that you, if anyone reads this, will have some of your own. So, feel free to share.

Once again, this is tongue in cheek. No 'real' offense is intended.

A White Man in a Black Mask...

Perhaps the demand for ever better special effects and the rapidly improving skills of special effects practitioners will give rise to ever more frequent dilemmas for law enforcement, and perhaps the community as a whole. I recently wrote about a young Chinese man who donned a real life face mask that made him look like an old man as he boarded a flight to Canada. Another case of real life facial masks being used to perpetrate crimes has come to light in the USA.

Conrad Zdzierak is a white man. He robbed four banks, a credit union, and a pharmacy while wearing a mask. Not any ordinary mask, but the very real looking face mask of a black man. In fact the mask was so lifelike that the police initially arrested a black man for the crimes that Zdzierak committed while in disguise. The fact that a black man was arrested is not an indictment on police, rather it is testament to the quality of the mask that the company, SPFX Masks, produced. This is especially the case when one considers that the mother of the black man that the police initially arrested confirmed that it was her son when police showed her some CCTV footage of the crimes being committed.

However, being fortunate to have the mind that I do, one that allows me to come up with some outrageous possibilities, I came up with this scenario.

Obviously SPFX Masks have some real talent when it comes to creating masks. So, imagine that they create an Osama bin Laden mask. This mask is very lifelike. Someone buys the mask. Maybe for Halloween or just as a joke among friends. The US wants Osama bad, so bad in fact that they are happy to have the man "dead or alive". So, imagine this, our Osama bin Laden lookalike is walking down the road to his Halloween party. The police see him and recognise that they have a really big scoop on their hands. They ask Osama to stop, at which point Osama gives them the bird; the old one-finger salute, and then lifts up his robes to reveal some aluminium foil strapped to his body. The police shoot him dead.

Let's face it, no one seems to know where Osama is. So, he could conceivably be wandering the streets of middle America, right? Therefore, is it the fault of the lifelike mask wearing Halloween party-goer for being silly enough to wear the face of the most wanted man in the world?

The special effects technology is great for entertainment value, but it is also generating some serious headaches for law enforcement as they seek to maintain law and order, particularly with regard to national security and terrorism.

The other scenario that I thought of while I was writing about lifelike Osama bin Laden masks was, perhaps Saddam Hussein is not dead after all. Maybe it was just some unfortunate soul forced to wear a lifelike Saddam mask and take the plunge on his behalf. Maybe Saddam is currently enjoying life somewhere in the Caribbean or South America.

There is Silly, then There is Stupid, and then There is Matt Nicholls...

This post needs to be premised with a disclaimer of sorts. It is based on facts currently available to me. I reserve the right to amend this post should "other" facts come to light which force we into a back down and apology to Mr. Nicholls.

Here we go!

There was a recent shooting death in Sydney of a NSW Police Officer. Constable William (Bill) Crews was involved in a raid on a house in Bankstown (Southwestern Sydney). The raid was drug-related. During the raid Constable Crews was shot in the head and subsequently died. One man has been charged with discharging a firearm with the intent to kill. Another has been charged with the possession of an illegal firearm.

The charges in themselves are interesting in that they highlight the forensics team is still trying to work out who fired the fatal bullet. There is current speculation that Constable Crews may have been shot by a fellow officer. Ultimately, forensics will reveal all with respect to who fired the fatal shot.

However, I digress. Constable Crews is from a reasonably small rural town in NSW called Glen Innes. I passed through there not long back on my way to Moree for a practicum placement. The editor, Nicholls, of the local newspaper, the Glen Innes Examiner, has updated his Facebook status to suggest that the paper can capitalise on the death of Constable Crews and the devastation of the family he has left behind because of his history with the town of Glen Innes.

For Nicholls, the death meant that it was a perfect opportunity to boost the circulation of the Fairfax-owned tome. Not content to leave it there, Nicholls decided that it was worth noting on Facebook that the paper must be looking at exploiting the death for all it is worth by making the most of the tragedy.

Now, Nicholls has denied that he made the offending Facebook posts. Nevertheless, he has been stood down effective immediately. Fairfax has issued an apology for any offense that has occurred to the Crews family.

Here is the commentary part to this post. Even if you were thinking that, and even if you believe that, where was the common sense kick in that said, "do not post this publicly on Facebook?" If we were to be perfectly honest about this whole thing, then it is fair to say that papers, as do magazines and television, endeavour to capitalise on the tragedy that befalls people and their subsequent suffering. That is the nature of the game, is it not?

What is not done is confessing this in public spaces such as Facebook within 24 to 48 hours of the tragedy unfolding. We as people, as consumers of news, are a little more savvy, perhaps cynical, than this. We certainly do not need the editor of the Glen Innes Examiner to be telling us this on his Facebook page.

Final point. The alleged Facebook posts of Nicholls are disrespectful more than anything else. The decision to become a police officer and dedicate your life to the protection of others and the community as a whole is one very few men and women take. Perhaps it is because, for some of us, we are not prepared to lay it all on the line and make the ultimate sacrifice as Constable Crews has done. Maybe this is what we should be considering in this case.

My condolences to the Crews family on your loss.

Cut Tari and Ariel Peterporn...

The proof of the deed is in the "watches". Or, more specifically in the "watch" of Nazriel "Ariel" Irham, amateur pornographer and wannabe porn star.

The attached image is supposedly proof positive that the fellow wearing the watch and making a rear entry into the scene is none other than Ariel. The photo really is a little to grainy for my liking. It would be so much easier if there was a much more obvious distinguishing feature' like a tattoo or a mole on the end of his penis or something (not that I would be looking, of course), just something that the police could grab on to might help in resolving this case...

In any event, if the case is this easy, why is it taking the police so long to lay the charges, complete the case file, and hand this thing off to the prosecutors?

Ho hum...

Hate Crime in Australia...

The murder of a 21-year-old Indian student, Nitin Garg, in a West Footscray park is a tragedy. The young man studying in Australia was on his way to work at a local Hungry Jacks when he was stabbed and killed. However, the murder is certainly testing the bilateral relationship between Australia and India, particularly so with the publication of the above cartoon.

The cartoon, published in Delhi's Mail Today, depicts an Australian police office in Ku Klux Klan garb. The suggestion being that Australian police are racist and not doing enough to solve the murder of Garg. The further suggestion is that Australia is a overtly racist country that is not only unwelcoming of foreigners but a country with a long history of racism towards the indigenous population (Australian Aborigines).

It is not like Australia is the only country in the world that has issues to deal with on the racism front or the treatment of its indigenous population. It is not all that difficult to find Australians who acknowledge as much. However, the majority of Australians are good people, welcoming, caring, understanding, and humble. There are those, though, that exhibit none of these redeeming features. The reality though is that this is true of all countries. India, for example, is not a place that is free from the scourge of racism or violence. The simple truth being that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

The murder of any person I find abhorrent. And, it is no different in this case.

However, to state that the murder of this young man was racially motivated is premature to say the least. It is premature because at this point in time there is not a suspect, at least not that is being publicly discussed. This murder may be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, let the police do their job, and if it turns out that the crime is racially motivated, then that is something we as a community must address and deal with no matter what colour, religion, gender, or political persuasion we might have and irrespective of whether we be citizens, residents, tourists, or international students.

The cartoon is offensive. However, I personally do not feel that it goes beyond the line in the sand with respect to what constitutes free speech. The cartoonist is entitled to his opinion, which he has seemingly expressed through this cartoon. Nevertheless, offensive or not, the cold hard reality is that police still have a job to do, and that is everything that they can to find the young man's killer(s).

Perhaps rather than cartoons designed to inflame the situation further we should come together as a community and seek ways to address the concerns of racism and violence in our communities in constructive ways that will see us all creating a better community for our children and our children's children.

Jennifer Dunn -- Drugs Bust

Jennifer Dunn does not sound like your typical Indonesian name however there is no doubt that she is Indonesian. It seems that every now and then a young Indonesian starlet finds herself in trouble with drugs, and I find myself blogging about it. I have in the past posted about Sheila Marcia Joseph and her troubles. I should probably do another post on Sheila now that she is back in jail and pregnant.

However, back to Jennifer Dunn. Police are reporting that Ms. Dunn has been arrested with friends in a boarding house in the Cilandak area of South Jakarta. Apparently, she and her friends were involved in, and by all accounts enjoying, a little get together where drugs were brought out and shared. The police had wind of this little get together and were quick to break it up just as the party was seemingly getting started.

The police have the power to demand a urine test where there is a suspicion of drug use. Generally, being caught with methamphetamine, ecstasy, and other drugs is probably reasonable suspicion for the police to act. The urine tests for Jennifer and her two friends were positive. The urine test for her acting colleague and friend, Vicky Nitinegoro, was negative. The most likely scenario is that the police will now pressure Vicky to testify against the others as a means of avoiding prosecution himself.

This is not the first time Ms. Dunn has be busted for drugs. She was busted back in 2005 as a 16-year-old.

Alexander Downer, Schapelle Corby, and a Home Invasion...

It would probably be fair to say that Alexander Downer as Foreign Affairs Minister in the John Howard Liberal Government that he would have expected to take some heat over any role he could have played in securing the release of Schapelle Corby from Kerobokan Prison in Bali. This might be particularly so considering that Ms. Corby is still in Kerobokan prison and suffering from severe mental illness, including two attempts at suicide.

However, as a former Foreign Minister who has been out of government for some time and who is focused much more on conflicts in other parts of the world, he probably was not expecting a stranger to walk into his home and start abusing him on his failure to get Ms. Corby released from prison and then imploring him to do something to get her out now.

Yet, this was the case last Thursday. Downer was sitting down watching the news at 6.15pm when an elderly woman walked through an unlocked front door, sat down on his couch and then proceeded to give him an earful. There is little doubt that incidents like these get people to thinking about their home security. Without a doubt there is going to be some ramped up security at the Downer household from now on, starting with locking the doors.

It would seem that Mr. Downer was not in fear of his life, and asked the woman who she was, which triggered a tirade that culminated in the old lady suggesting that if Mr. Downer did not get Corby out of jail then God would damn him. Cutting to the chase, Downer called the police, the woman disappeared through his garden, the police arrived, the woman was gone. The police believed that they knew who the woman was and apparently an arrest has subsequently been made.

There is plenty to be said for the passion and commitment of Schapelle Corby's supporters, but it is incidents like these that make one wonder to what extremes some people are prepared to go in pursuit of their cause. A home invasion of the former foreign minister's home is certainly ratcheting it up to the next level.

It is a worrying development, aside from the action being a home invasion, I really fail to see how this sort of thing helps Schapelle and her supporters get her out of jail.

Corruption at the KPK...

The fight for justice against corruption is never easy. It never has been and never will be. It exacts a toll on our self, our families, our friends, and especially our children. In the end, I believe, as in my case, the price we pay is well worth holding on to our dignity.

-- Frank Serpico

It is certainly going to be interesting to watch this particular case unfold. If for no other reason that you have two commissioners of the Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi / KPK), Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, accused of taking bribes to drop a case against a local Indonesian businessman who has since fled, and is thought to be living in Singapore.

Interesting because both successfully negotiated a very long and difficult vetting process which ultimately saw them appointed to the KPK, and by default one would have to assume that the vetting process turned up nothing of contention and certainly nothing that would have pegged them as being corrupt.

So, it appears, at least to the police, after having had long and successful careers outside of the KPK both Chandra and Bibit have turned to the dark side and take a bribe of allegedly IDR 1 billion for Chandra and IDR 1.5 billion for Bibit. Chandra allegedly collected his bribe, in cash, at Pasar Festival, and Bibit collected his at the Bellagio Residences.

This is most definitely out of character. So much so, that it seems almost impossible that the police are going to be able to put together a sustainable case. Particularly when it seems that the police have not been able to track the money nor place any other eyewitness accounts of the alleged payoffs. This is surprising for Pasar Festival as it is a place that generally has large numbers of people about.

However, the police have to have something because it would be extremely poor judgment to proceed without sufficient evidence. On the evidence front, the primary evidence is said to be an unsworn statement by the former Head of the KPK, Antasari Azhar, who is waiting to go to trial for his alleged role in a murder conspiracy.

It is a big call for the police to want to try and take these allegations all the way by filing a dossier with the Office of the Attorney General if the only "solid" evidence is an unsworn statement from an individual facing some pretty serious charges. The police have also said that they expect to file more criminal charges on top of the abuse of authority charges and the more recent bribery charges. But, they are not at liberty to disclose what those charges are likely to be.

The police case against Chandra and Bibit is simply that they abused their authority as commissioners of the KPK by seeking, obtaining, and then removing a travel ban against Anggoro Widjaja and Djoko Tjandra. Apart from some rather obvious repercussions of criminalizing administrative powers, the police case has absolutely no chance of success.

The idea that the administrative functions of public officials can be criminalized is one that even Indonesian courts will find a little repugnant. Mainly because if the courts were to accept arguments then by logical extension many, if not all, of the administrative functions of all public officials would conceivably be criminalized, perhaps even those of the president.

When the police realized the weakness of the case it was seemingly decided that there was a need to up the ante with criminal charges relating to bribery. If there is a fishy smell about this then it is that the Head of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Comr. Gen. Susno Duaji, that is investigating this alleged crime is also caught up in a KPK investigation relating to Bank Century.

Bank Century is the bank that was bailed out by the government under somewhat debatable circumstances as to the importance of the Bank to the overall Indonesian economy and during a time where the founders and upper level executives were allegedly syphoning off large sums of cash.

Therefore, it would seem to be a simple ask that the Chief of National Police, Bambang Danuri, would remove Duaji from his position in order to avoid any apparent conflict of interest. Any failure to do so will continually expose the police as a whole not only to the idea that there is a personal element of payback to this investigation, but that the police themselves are operating not solely in their own interest and the interest of the broader community, rather they have abandoned the ideal of the broader community to act on behalf of a couple of individual citizens who have fled the jurisdiction.

Perception is sometimes more powerful than the truth, the idea that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Schapelle Corby -- The Innocence Side...

I have written frequently about the plight of Schapelle Corby (image from here). And, I must admit from the outset that I am not convinced the girl is innocent. Nevertheless, there are those very passionate people who are convinced of Schapelle's innocence and they are going all out to prove their case. I admire their passion and conviction and the commitment to the Corby cause.

There are a lot of believers out there in Schapelle Corby's innocence. I list them here and I encourage you to read and get a feel for what the alternatives are to the guilt that was established in a Bali court that saw Schapelle Corby sentenced to 20 years jail.

I have always held that the sentence was too harsh, even by Indonesian standards, but believe that it was harsh because the case was handled so very poorly from the outset.

I remain unconvinced of her innocence, but, that said, it is worth reading what those who support her innocence have to say in order to get n overall understanding of the pros and cons of this case. I would also be interested in becoming involved in an innocence project style project if one was to come together.

Here are the links.

1. The Truth About Aussie Gold;

2. The Corby Case - Part I;

3. The Corby Case - Part II;

4. On My Honour;

5. Free Schapelle;

6. Corby and the Bali Police;

7. Rodent Millenium;

8. Foreign Prisoner Support Service;

9. Free Schapelle.net;

10. Schapelle Corby;

11. The Hidden Truth Report (Very Interesting and Worth the Read);

Child Abuse -- The Baby Swinging Video Charges Dropped...

Finally, common sense has prevailed in this case and the charges have been dropped. This case was a loser from the outset and should never have been brought by the police. It was a case of over-zealousness on the part of the police or maybe even a not so subtle attempt to try and judicially broaden the scope of the relevant legislation. In any event, it failed and rightly so.

I have written about this case on three separate occasions and you can find those posts here.

The Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) has dropped the charges. The realization that if this went to a jury trial that they would be very unlikely to succeed in convincing a jury of Christopher Illingworth's peers that he was guilty of distributing child abuse material has prevailed.

The video was posted on Liveleak and showed a man swinging a baby. The man and the baby remain pretty much unknown. However, the video is purportedly of either a Russian or Ukrainian circus family doing a little bit of training. At the end of the video the baby is smiling and laughing.

What was even more bizarre was that the Australian Film Classification Board classified this as MA15+ which would suggest that they were not convinced that the material was of a standard that would see it become a criminal offense under the provisions for child abuse material. Ultimately, the classification sealed the deal for Illingworth. There was simply no way that a jury would have been convinced that he had broken the law.

This ends the criminal saga however it is unclear whether Illingworth has any recourse for the trauma he has suffered as a result of his home being raided by the police, his arrest, and subsequent committal for trial.

Indian Students In Australia -- Not All Good News...

The idea that Indian students in Australia are always the victims of senseless crimes is one that does not always hold true. This is a case in point.

Two Indian citizens who are in Australia on student visas, Sukhjinder Singh and Amarjit Singh, have been charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl who was asleep on a train travelling from Melbourne to Sydney. This is a train I have travelled on frequently in my youth when I went to Hurlstone Agricultural High School as a boarder.

The girl awoke to find the two Indians attempting to restrain her. They apparently restrained her long enough to sexually assault her. Sometime during the assault the girl managed to break free and notify train staff of the assault. The train staff radioed ahead to police and police met the train at Goulburn railway station and arrested the two men.

Neither of the accused entered a plea at their hearing and both were remanded in custody until the matter is to be heard again on 16 September 2009. At this hearing both are expected to make applications for bail. It is likely that bail will be granted with strict conditions. I would be guessing those strict conditions would include surrendering travel documents and reporting to police at least several times a week.

The moral of this story, if there is one, is that visitors to this fine land are not always victims of racial taunts and other types of vilification, but are in fact perpetrators of crimes against citizens of this fine land. Simply, those that take advantage of and abuse visitors to Australia, irrespective of what those visitors are doing here must be punished. Similarly, visitors who come to this fine land must understand that they too will be punished in accordance to the law.

Just ask Schapelle Corby what that means.

Priests, Children, Grooming, Chatting, and Sex...

Robert Fuller, a 54-year-old Catholic priest, has been arrested and refused bail for allegedly attempting to groom a child under 16 for sex. Fuller is the parish priest at Liverpool. The long story short is that police masquerading as a 13-year-old girl had a series of 25 sexually explicit chats, on Yahoo7, with Fuller during July and August, where it is alleged that Fuller tried to lure the "non-existent" girl to a meeting for the purposes of having sex with her.

Strangely enough, Fuller expressed during one of the chats that he was a little worried about getting into trouble because of the girls age. However, according to the "facts" that the police have tendered to the court this did not stop Fuller from turning on his web cam and masturbating during one of the chats with the police officer from the Child Exploitation Internet Unit of the Sex Crimes Squad. All the while the priest was masturbating he was allegedly encouraging the girl to masturbate as well.

All involved, the Magistrate, the Police Prosecutor, and the Defence lawyer all concede that the case is a solid one.

I am guessing that the image above is not a web cam capture of the priest flogging himself silly.

Look, if two consenting adults want to have a bit of a chat and it is on topics that might pique the sexual interest of both and they find other associated activities get them to where they want to be, then so be it. However, where adults target children for sexual activity, then there is a line that is clearly crossed and these adults must feel the full force of the law.

This is certainly a WTF moment. Like, Father Fuller WTF were you thinking!

Indonesia's Most Wanted Malaysian -- Part II

Latest reports are suggesting that the game might be up for Indonesia's most wanted Malaysian, Noordin M. Top.

It is being reported that either Top has been arrested already or is engaged in a firefight with authorities in Central Java. It would be better that he is arrested in terms of gathering more intelligence on the network. Although, I would be guessing that the interrogation is probably not going to be pretty.

Kompas is also reporting that there is a pretty good likelihood that the game is up for Top.

Detik.com is also reporting that there has been related activity in Jatiasih in Bekasi where police have shot and killed two suspects and raided a house where they have found a live bomb and grenades.

Perhaps the net has not only tightened, but it has now closed on Top.

Postscript...

Word on the street and in the press is that Noordin M. Top is no longer living. I do not figure that this is a good time to be wondering about the paradise that is supposedly awaiting him for doing honor to his God by acting in his name.

Postscript II...

Maybe Noordin M Top has not been topped after all. According to this article, Sidney Jones of the International Crisis Group, is suggesting that Top is still alive and well. In another piece over at Yosef Ardi's blog, he is quoting sources that are now confirming that Top was not one of those killed in yesterday's raids.

If these reports are true, then more violence is certainly on the cards. Although, the seizure of 500kgs of explosives is likely to slow planning down somewhat for the next attack.

Indonesia's Most Wanted Malaysian...

And it is not Siti Nurhaliza!

Is the net tightening on Noordin M. Top?

Is it only a matter of time?

Huge public billboards are certainly one way of ensuring that the man remains in the public eye. The other would be for the man to start blogging, particular where the solitary post on your alleged blog is a claim of responsibility for the most recent bombings in Jakarta at the JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and where this solitary entry attracts 293 followers and some 2800 comments.

More Australian Humour...

Q: If a magician's wand is used for cunning stunts, then what is a police officer's baton used for?
A: [use your powers of deduction on this one]

Q: What happens to a lawyer who jumps out of an airplane at 35,000ft without a parachute?
A: Who cares!

Q: How many racists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None - because racists hate being enlightened.

Manohara Odelia Pinot -- Part VIII -- The Prince Fights Back

I don't know whether this case warrants as much attention as it is getting generally and the attention it is getting from me in particular. Nevertheless, not wanting to wallow in someone else's pain and tragedy, there are intriguing and interesting issues at play in this case and they deserve some attention. These issues have been noted in the earlier posts, I through VII, but now the prince has filed his own complaint with Malaysian police. Does this up the ante or is it just a formality?

I had hinted in earlier posts that I would have expected that the prince, Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry (photo from here), to take legal action against Manohara and her mother, Daisy Fajarina. I am not Malaysian and therefore do not know where Dang Wangi Police Headquarters are, but this is where the prince filed his complaint according to Mohammad Haziq Pillay, lawyer for the prince.

The contents of the complaint have not been divulged, but an educated guess would be that the substance of the complaint would be that the allegations being made by Manohara and Daisy are false. That is to say, there was no kidnapping, no physical abuse, and no rape. This would be in spite of the forensic reports offered up by doctors stating the injuries sustained by Manohara. So, it would seem that if the allegations are unfounded then this would be a case of defamation or slander.

This now gets interesting as it seems we have two criminal complaints made, one each by the respective parties, in different jurisdictions. Now, the question is obviously, "what next?" Perhaps, each side just keeps fighting this out in the court of public opinion. If this is the case then I would be thinking that the prince is on a hiding to nothing and perhaps should consider settling the claims out of court and both parties move on.

I still do not think that domestic violence cases are best settled out of court with a financial payment, but then again I am not an abuser nor am I a victim. If they settle the case then I am going to have to find something else to write about.

Arak, Bali, and Death

Arak (photo courtesy of here - this is not the nasty stuff that is described later) is a bit of a local tradition in Bali, as it is in many places throughout Indonesia. Arak is a locally fermented spirit, which in the opinion of this author is good enough to run your car on, and is quite often outside of the quality assurance checks that most other producers are required to comply with. Needless to say, as happens all over the world, in order to make things go a little further and to ratchet up the profits some unscrupulous producers add all sorts of nasty stuff to their brews.

In this case, and after some 25 deaths, tourists are being warned not to drink arak from unlabelled bottles or roadside stalls. Hopefully, the authorities are also warning Balinese not to drink arak either. It seems that a local batch of arak has been mixed with methanol. Four foreigners have succumbed to the poison and died while 21 locals have also been hospitalized.

The police have managed to catch the culprit / producer and are now doing the investigation. The investigation is supposedly to determine whether the methanol was deliberately added or it got into the batch accidentally. I am not sure how you accidentally get something like methanol into a batch of arak, especially so when one considers that methanol is generally used in anti-freeze among other things.

So, I guess the best advice to locals and tourists is to avoid arak and go with spirits, local or imported that come from labelled bottles. Although, not wanting to be a party pooper, I am pretty sure that it would not be hard to whack some homemade brew into a labelled bottle.

Cheers.