An apology to all Indonesian People
An apology to all Indonesian People
I am ashamed to be Australian and I apologize to all
Indonesian people for the hysterical and criminal actions, and
mob-mentality of so many of my fellow Australians.
I am indignant that an act of terrorism has been perpetrated
presumably by one of Corby's maniacal supporters, against the
Indonesian Embassy in Canberra; that threats have been made
against Indonesian people and some Australians have reportedly
asked for their tsunami donations to be refunded.
None of this is acceptable or civilized behavior and the
responsibility and blame for this hysteria lies solely with the
corrupt Australian media who have created an American-style,
("Survivor"-type) reality television drama out of the Schapelle
Corby incident.
This has been done because it is good for television ratings
and it sells newspapers. It will also make for good sales of the
numerous books that will no doubt be written about all of this.
However it is not good for society, it is not good for
international relations, it is not justified, and it is not
acceptable to any rational or intelligent person.
The Australian population is mostly unaware or at least
unconcerned about all the other ex-pats who are currently in
jails throughout Southeast Asia because the Australian media has
chosen not to cover their stories. It needs to be added that most
of these jailed expats also declare their "innocence".
The Australian media has been conspicuously and suspiciously
low-key in their coverage of the so-called "Bali-Nine" who were
recently arrested In Denpasar with heroin allegedly strapped to
their bodies, because the media knows that their story will not
attract sympathy.
The Australian media in general is responsible for the racism
and xenophobia that has resulted from this entire unpleasant
business and again I apologize for all the distress this has
caused Indonesians and for the damage done to Australian-
Indonesian relations and to tourism in my beloved Bali.
KATE INGLETON
Ellenbrook
Western Australia,