Corby might be innocent<\/p>\n
The plight of Schapelle Corby and the desperation in her pleas
\nof innocence drive me to write the first letter I have written to
\na newspaper in 15 years.<\/p>\n
I was living in Darwin in 1982 when Lindy Chamberlain was
\nfound guilty of killing her nine-week-old baby daughter Azaria in
\n1980 at what was then called Ayers Rock in Central Australia.
\nLike the prosecutor is asking for here, she was given a life
\nsentence.<\/p>\n
At the time the majority felt she was guilty because the
\nprosecution had presented evidence that overwhelmed the resources
\nof her tiny defense team. As well, at the time all sorts of
\nrumors were spread around about weird and strange religious
\nrituals involving infant sacrifices.<\/p>\n
Because Lindy never fit the profile of a woman who would kill
\nher baby daughter, many people later fought to prove her
\ninnocence. Four years later Lindy was released and two years
\nafter that given a full pardon.<\/p>\n
Perhaps it is this sad experience in Australia's legal history
\nthat makes 92 percent of Australians believe Schapelle Corby is
\ninnocent.<\/p>\n
Her defense team claimed that someone else, particularly
\nAustralian airport luggage handlers, could have put the drugs in
\nher bag in an attempt to transport them interstate. This makes a
\nlot more sense than the prosecution's case. Any foreigner who has
\never walked down the streets or on the beaches of Bali will
\nconfirm that there is no shortage of locals trying to sell them
\nmarijuana, at much cheaper prices than it sells for in Australia.<\/p>\n
The Northern Territory legal system lost a lot of credibility
\nby convicting Lindy Chamberlain and for many years both tourism
\nand investment suffered badly. Bali is still recovering from the
\nbombing that killed almost 100 innocent Australians. Sentencing
\nSchapelle Corby to a long jail sentence on the flimsy evidence
\npresented to date will cause huge damage to the reputation of
\nBali and Indonesia, as what happened to her could happen to
\nanybody.<\/p>\n
Almost all of the foreigners I know investing and working in
\nIndonesia think President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his team
\nare doing a great job of rebuilding Indonesia's reputation, with
\nthe result that investment and tourism dollars are starting to
\ncome back in again. It would be a pity to see that effort set
\nback by an unjust decision in Bali.<\/p>\n
KEN DAY
\nJakarta<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/corby-might-be-innocent-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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