Pubdate: Thu, 29 Sep 2005
Source: Australian, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2005sThe Australian
Contact: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/files/aus_letters.htm
Website: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/35
Author: Marian Carroll, Denpasar
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

BALI NINE TRIAL DATES SET

THE trials of the Bali Nine, who face the death penalty for allegedly 
trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia to Australia, will start in 
less than a fortnight.

A series of seven separate trials is scheduled to begin from October 
11 before the Denpasar District Court and could run for at least four 
months, defence lawyers for the accused said today.

Trial dates have been set for all except Renae Lawrence, 27, of 
Newcastle, the only woman facing charges.

Hearings are expected to be held once a week for each case.

Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for all nine.

They were arrested in a series of Indonesian police raids in Bali 
after an Australian Federal Police tipoff in April.

Four of the defendants were arrested at Bali airport as they were 
about to board a flight to Sydney, allegedly with heroin strapped to 
their bodies.

Indonesian police say several later claimed under interrogation that 
they had tried to back out of the operation when they found out they 
would be smuggling drugs, but were forced to go ahead when threats 
were made against their families.

The starting dates are:

* OCTOBER 11: Separate trials for accused drug mule Michael Czugaj, 
19, of Brisbane, who was arrested at Bali airport; and alleged gang 
ringleader Myuran Sukumaran, 24, of Sydney.

* OCTOBER 12: Joint trial for Matthew Norman, 18, of Sydney, Tach Duc 
Thanh Nguyen, 27, of Brisbane and Si Yi Chen, 20, of Sydney. The 
three were arrested at the Melasti Hotel at Kuta Beach allegedly 
preparing a second drug shipment. A separate trial for alleged drug 
mule Martin Stephens, 29, of Wollongong, who was arrested at the airport.

* OCTOBER 13: Separate trials for alleged gang enforcer Andrew Chan, 
21, of Sydney; and accused drug mule Scott Rush, 19, of Brisbane. 
Both were arrested at the airport.

Lawyer Fransiskus Passar, who is representing Czugaj, was optimistic.

"We are confident of proving our case that Michael was an innocent 
victim of the drug gang," Mr Passar said.

Haposan Sihombing, who is representing Mr Stephens, said: "Martin is 
ready to face court. He has been in prison for many months now and 
just wants the trials to start."
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman