Australian sailor Packer apologizes
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
Australian yachtsman Christopher Packer apologized on Monday to the panel of judges at the Denpasar District Court for his failure to declare six firearms to local security personnel.
"I am very sorry that I neglected to report the firearms. It is a very big mistake and all I have to say now is I am sorry," he said.
The members of the panel, Gede Damendra, IGN Astawa and I Wayan Yasa Abadi, nodded in sympathetic acknowledgement of Packer's admission.
Packer, who appeared calm and composed during the trial, stressed that the failure stemmed merely out of his unfamiliarity with local regulations and misguided advice from his local contact in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.
The agent had advised Packer not to declare the firearms upon arrival in Bali so as to avoid inconvenience, particularly the possibility of having them confiscated.
At that time, the wealthy adventurer was in the early stages of what was expected to be a voyage around the world.
The Bali water police, who boarded Packer's yacht MV Lissa in waters off Benoa as he was about to set sail in November last year, apparently acted upon a tip from disgruntled ex-crew member on the existence of firearms and drugs on the vessel.
After a thorough search, officers found six firearms and 2,790 bullets. Remnants of a leaf were also found, which later proved to be marijuana. Urine and blood tests on Packer, his girlfriend and four crew members showed that none of them had recently used any illegal substances.
The firearms comprised two 12 gauge shotguns, a Mossberg and a Winchester, two riffles, a Mauser and a Sturm Ruger, a .357 revolver and a 9 mm Glock pistol.
Packer stated that the firearms were mainly for self- protection and sports. He argued that Indonesian waters, particularly the Strait of Malacca, Lombok Strait and Bangka Strait, were infested with pirates.
An avid sailor, who once won the prestigious Sydney to Hobart yacht race and had sailed as far as South America, disclosed that he had encountered pirates on several occasions in Indonesian waters.
"The last time was in 1996," he said.
He also recalled an incident in Peru when firearms had enabled him to ward off a group of masked pirates, who had previously stolen a large amount of supplies from his ship.
Asked by one of the judges why, in such an incident, he had not radioed local security personnel for help, Packer smiled and answered that he did not know the radio frequency of each and every security agency in the world.
Then, in a solemn tone, he said, "On the sea there is only one person that will be able to help you: yourself."
Prosecutor Putu Indriati, who charged Packer under Article 1 of the 1951 Emergency Law on illegal possession and transportation of firearms, which carries the maximum sentence of death, is scheduled to deliver her sentence demand next Friday.