Pubdate: Fri, 27 May 2005 Source: Bendigo Advertiser, The (Australia) Copyright: 2005 The Bendigo Advertiser & Independent Pty Ltd Contact: http://www.bendigoaddy.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1035 NO CAUSE FOR XENOPHOBIA IT IS fitting that the Schapelle Corby court verdict will be televised live from Bali today, because this soap opera has been a media circus from the day she was arrested. The case has seen some of the worst media beat-ups, conjecture and interference witnessed in recent memory. Yesterday, we had the ridiculous situation in which Corby's mother describing her daughter as "very stressed" was a top news item for the day. It is perfectly understandable to speculate about whether Corby brought the drugs into Bali - it's been the "water-cooler" issue of 2005. Certainly, some of the evidence does not weigh up, and the concerns raised about the baggage-handling system in Australia deserve further attention, regardless of the verdict. But too often, the tone of the debate has shown a deep contempt for the Indonesian legal system, and by extension, the Indonesian people. On radio, the judges in the case have been described as monkeys, while phone polls have been presented as some sort of conclusive proof of Corby's innocence. The supposed holes in Indonesia's legal system have been debated with such ferocity it would make anyone think our own system was faultless. There is no excuse for the type of xenophobic hysteria we have witnessed. Unfortunately, that xenophobia occasionally arises at such times - we have seen it with immigration debates, and we are seeing it again now. Perhaps there is some truth in Derryn Hinch's comments that Corby gets our sympathy because she is young, white and pretty. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth