Pubdate: Tue, 19 Apr 2005
Source: Townsville Bulletin, The (Australia)
Contact:  
http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/
Address: GPO Box 587, Townsville, Q, 4810
Fax: (07) 4722 4559
Copyright: 2005 The North Queensland Newspaper Company Pty Ltd
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

NINE LIVES SHOULD BE SPARED - BEAZLEY

THE nine Australians arrested in Bali over alleged heroin smuggling should 
not face the death penalty if convicted, Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said 
today.

Eight men and one woman - all aged between 18 and 29 - have been detained 
by Indonesian authorities following an Australian Federal Police (AFP) 
investigation dating back to February.

Four of the nine Australians were arrested at Bali airport on Sunday. The 
woman and the three men she was with were allegedly about to board a flight 
to Sydney with heroin strapped to their bodies.

A fifth person, a man alleged to be the leader of the drug syndicate, was 
also arrested at the airport.

Four other Australian men were later taken into custody in a raid on a Bali 
hotel where police said they found sandwich-sized blocks of heroin.

Indonesian authorities said they seized a total of 11.25kg of the drug.

Mr Beazley said there was a presumption of innocence that applied in both 
Indonesian and Australian courts, but he would fight to protect the 
Australians from execution if they were ultimately found guilty of drug 
smuggling.

"It will be up to the Australian Government and people like me to argue 
with our Indonesian counterparts that the death penalty should not apply," 
he said.

"Because we don't think that the death penalty should apply if there are 
convictions, they should result in jail sentences."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer today said Australia would always appeal 
for clemency in any situation where an Australian faced the death penalty. 
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman