What Are The Aussies Whining About?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32508722
It seems to me that Indonesia has done them a favour.

[andy-hughes]

TTT, that's fine if you take the gung ho 'shoot 'em all' approach to this kind of situation - but the Australian government may have other ideas about how their citizens are dispatched abroad.

Put simply, they may think that shooting people for a crime is wrong.

A concept I have no trouble understanding - I agree with them totally.

[ToraToraTora]

doesn't matter what they/we think, they should accept it. As we are always being told by our latte sipping Islington friends that we/they need to respect foriegn laws. Their drug smugglers new the law and chose to violate it.

[mushroom25]

there are 32 countries that currently have drug trafficking as a capital offence, they tend to be those nations whose only plentiful natural resource is its workforce. most of these countries make no secret of the fact that drug trafficking is not a life enhancing move.

why would anybody feel sympathy for those who digest their warning and then, presumably for reasons of pure greed, ignore it.

[retrocop]

Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.These criminals were obviously fools.
I am sure the Indonesian Govt think they can attempt to wage a war against drug crime in their country better than any left wing liberals could suggest.
Any how. We are constantly being reminded ,on other matters, that we must stop being the world's policemen so let us allow Indonesia to carry on dispensing justice the way they think fit.It is not as though they felt their collar and marched them straight up to a firing squad.!0 years later. Bang.
I wouldn't lose sleep over it.I hate to think how many impressionable young people have died all over the world as a result of drug runners.Their families are still,no doubt,grieving also.

[keyplus90]

It’s not only Australia but quite a few countries believe that everyone should accept and abide by their laws but double standards come into force when it comes to the situation where their own citizens violated another countries law. When that situation arises then they will take diplomatic actions and much more to get their citizens released even if they were behind killings of many innocent people through either direct or indirect actions of theirs.

[andy-hughes]

I'm not suggesting that countries should turn a blind eye to foreigners committing crimes in their territories, or that criminals should not be punished.

My position is that state execution is fundamentally wrong - it is no deterrent, and revenge, which is essentially what you have left if you take deterrent away, is not the way of a civilised country to behave.

[jno]

[i]As we are always being told by our latte sipping Islington friends that we/they need to respect foriegn laws[i]

Good to see you agreeing with the latte-sippers at last, TTT. If you're planning to hug a tree any time soon, post a photo!

[naomi24]

Penalties are not designed as 'revenge' – they’re designed to prevent people re-offending. The men knew the penalty for the crime they committed and they incurred the penalty for that crime. They won't re-offend.

[ToraToraTora]

this is the biggest one I could find jno:
http://www.awesomeoff.com/images/entries/mainview/treehugging_big.jpg

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //Penalties are not designed as 'revenge' – they’re designed to prevent people re-offending. The men knew the penalty for the crime they committed and they incurred the penalty for that crime. They won't re-offend. //

True - in the literal sense, pity it has to be legalised state murder in order to ensure that recidivism is never an issue.

[naomi24]

It's the only sure way.

[melv16]

I think the proponents of state capitol punishment should sit down and watch the film 10 Rillington Place. Timothy Evans won't be able to join you!

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //It's the only sure way. //

That sounds like a mind that is so sure of itself that it brooks no argument.

Mindsets like that start all sorts of horrible worldwide catastrophies.

What next - should Indonensia say that ten per cent of tourists smuggle drugs in and out of the country, so let's exterminate ten per cent of them at the airport?

A particularly horrible and extreme example - but no-one in a position to do lasting damage ever started off with small ideas.

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, mindsets like mine //start all sorts of horrible worldwide catastrophies//? What on earth are you talking about?

[ToraToraTora]

Don't be rediculous Andy, we are talking about tried and convicted guilty men not some sort of random statistical pre guilt determination. Due process has been carried out.

[Baldric]

The Aussies can whine all they like.
If you commit a crime in a Country where that crime carries the Death Penalty and you get caught, who's to blame other than you.

[Baldric]

///Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Tuesday that the executions were "both cruel and unnecessary," adding that Chan and Sukumaran had been "fully rehabilitated" while in prison.///

Wouldn't you become "fully rehabilitated" if you were facing a Firing Squad?

[Prudie]

It is their law and that has to be respected even if you don't agree with it. The one thing I do find particularly distasteful and uncivilised is making them wait 10 years for their sentence to be carried out.

[mushroom25]

chatterati spluttering into their skinny islington lattes, or countries petulantly removing their ambassadors, is not going to change the capital-punishment mindset of those countries that practice it.

the only way would be to hit them where it hurts, until they re-think; like withdrawing state aid from them......

oh wait, we've done that argument already, and those who would seek to reduce our foreign aid bill were howled down in the name of not stifling free trade. well there you have it - it's more important to sell these countries fighter jets, than it is to persuade them to embrace a more human attitude.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //andy-hughes, mindsets like mine //start all sorts of horrible worldwide catastrophies//? What on earth are you talking about? //

Sorry, I can't understand it for you.