Drug smugglers 'deserve death'

TANGERANG (JP): Tangerang Mayor HM Thamrin expressed his support on Tuesday for stiff sentences imposed on drug smugglers by the local court.

"Drug smugglers deserve the heaviest punishment. They cause the decay of the moral fiber of the younger generation ... death sentences are fitting," Thamrin told reporters after an installation ceremony of a customs chief at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Thamrin was speaking in reference to the death sentences imposed on three Indonesian drug smugglers by the Tangerang District Court on Tuesday last week.

"With this punishment, people will think twice before daring to smuggle drugs into or out of Indonesia," he said.

Judge Asep Iwan Irawan of the Tangerang District Court handed down the death sentence to defendants Deni Setya Maharwan, 28, Ranni Andriani, 25, and Merika Franola alias Ola, 30, for being part of an international drug ring and attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Indonesia.

Thamrin added that he could only hope that the customs and excise division at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport would be as professional as the district court when dealing with smugglers.

"The filtering process of baggage and air passengers at the international airport deserves professional treatment," Thamrin said. (41/ylt)