Zorro Posted June 2, 2005 Report Share Posted June 2, 2005 Yeah I don' t think an amnesty would work either but I do believe she is probably innocent after looking at the facts or at the very worst there is enough evidence to suggest she could be innocent. Let's face draconian drug laws do nothing to stop the flow of drugs or to catch the MR Bigs. Rather they catch the bottom feeders and the unlucky. What big penalties do is to force the price of the product up and make the big boys richer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted June 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Frankly, the idea of not being able to lock suitcases these days really scares me. Anyone can removed and replace anything Months after this case burst into the headlines, the Federal Police have now come out wringing their hands and saying that our airports just dont have the lvel of security in place that the flying public deserves. One genius even stated 'If they can put 4kg of drugs in someone's bag, how easy would it be for one of them to put a bomb in someone's bag ?'. Well, duh ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlton68 Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 Hi, I wasn't sure if I should bring up this thread from the grave. But I do. In my posts here I wrote about a case where a young woman from germany was sentenced in a drug case in Singapore. I made the mistake and told that she was already released. Seems she is/was released today. Her release was reported today in 'Der Spiegel' and I looked for an article in english. Found only one which complains about unfair justice. Link here. What's the newest on Schapelle? Seems the australian media has gone quiet after all, or am I wrong? In case the link I gave will vanish, here's the text: If you follow the link in the article you're forwarded to a german publication, so don't bother if you aren't speaking that lingo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Government is shameless 3 June 2005 Case 1 Offender: Shanmugam Murugesu Offence: Smuggling marijuana Penalty: Death Nationality: Singaporean Case 2 Offender: Julia Bohl Offence: Smuggling marijuana Penalty: 3-years jail Nationality: German No, your eyes have not deceived you. This is the kind of Government that we have - the kind that makes you sick to the very pit of your stomach. Barely weeks after the execution of Shanmugam Murugesu, we get news that German national Julian Bohl has been released after 3 years of jail (to be released on 15 July 2005). And how did the Government arrive at the type of sentence? According to the report below it was a result of "months of legal and diplomatic maneuvering" that "helped Bohl avoid capital punishment." What diplomatic maneuvering? Doesn't our Constitution tell a Singapore citizen like Shanmugam that he was guaranteed "equal protection under the law"? Will the PAP Government tell Singaporeans if the report that there had been "diplomatic manuevering" has any basis? The Government is telling us Singaporeans: "Yes, so we released Julian Bohl and killed Shanmugam. So what? We don't have to explain to you why we did it. Not happy? Okay, so what are you going to do about?" Enough already, our dear fellow Singaporeans, enough already. Why do you remain on bended knees in the face of such injustice? The Singapore Democrats wish Ms Bohl the very best with her new lease on life. Meanwhile, we wish Mr Shanmugam... Singapore releases German F.A.Z. Weekly 3 June 2005 http://www.faz.net/s/Rub9E75B460C0744F8695B3E0BE5A30A620/Doc~E1ABB80C587B74EFB8B622136D4F17A97~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html In the summer of 2002, Julia Bohl became a household name in Germany after the 22-year-old student faced the death penalty in Singapore for the possession and trafficking of drugs. Months of legal and diplomatic maneuvering helped Bohl avoid capital punishment, and instead she was sentenced to 5 years in jail. Three years into her sentence, however, the Justice Ministry in the southeast Asian country announced on Friday that Bohl would be released two years early from the women's prison in Changi. The ministry did not say why she would be set free on July 15, but her lawyer said it was because of good behavior. Bohl's case made headlines around the world in March 2002 when police seized 687 grams (24.2 ounces) of marijuana and other drugs in her apartment. Authorities also accused her of allowing three roommates to use her apartment for narcotics trafficking. In Singapore, which is known for its extremely strict drug laws, capital punishment is mandatory when the defendant possesses more than 500 grams of marijuana. But later tests showed that the drugs seized in the case were less pure than previously thought and for legal purposes amounted to only 287 grams. This finding helped Bohl avoid the death penalty. During the court proceedings in 2002, Bohl sought leniency from the court and apologized in a written statement before her conviction: ?I deeply regret what I've done, especially as I'm a guest in this country.? She spent most of her teenage years with her parents in Singapore and was completing an internship at Daimler Chrysler at the time of her arrest. While serving her sentence, Bohl was regularly visited by her lawyer, embassy representatives and family members. She began a business degree at the distance-learning university in Hagen while in jail and plans on continuing her studies upon her return to Germany. The now 25-year-old is expected to immediately leave Singapore after her release. Various media sources said a number of German publishers were interested in buying the rights to her story for a book. But representatives of the embassy said such a deal would not go over well in Singapore and could complicate the situation for future foreign nationals facing charges in the country. Singapore has executed some 100 people since 1975 for drug offenses. Only one was a westerner, a Dutchman hanged in 1994 after he was caught with 4.5 kilograms of heroin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted July 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2005 What's the newest on Schapelle? Seems the australian media has gone quiet after all, or am I wrong? Haw-haw, Carlton - they are far from 'quiet' in the wake of Schappelle hiring Hotman Hutapeha, notorious Indo lawyer (he effectively got Bashir off on the Bali bombing) to lead her retrial. Same judges, different day - will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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