Court Hearing Of Swedish-Thai Couple Facing Death Penalty In Indonesia

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Court Hearing of Swedish-Thai Couple Facing Death Penalty in Indonesia

Dennis Krog

JAKARTA: -- The trial against Orjan Robert Elevsson from Sweden and his Thai girlfriend Narawadee Phothijam, who are accused of smuggling six kilograms of methamphetamine in to Indonesia started last Thursday and continue today in the South Jakarta Court.

The 38-year-old Swede and 22 year-old Thai were arrested in August at Soekarno-Hatto International Airport were they tried to smuggle in the drugs, having a value of estimated US$1.14 million, in two custom-built suitcases.

According to local media, reporting from the courtroom, Orjan Robert Elevsson behaved eccentric during the day in court on Thursday. Apparently Elevsson was hiding his face behind his shirt and the back of his fellow accused, Narawadee Phothijam.

At the same time Orjan Robert Elevsson supposedly continued to disturb the court proceedings. The judge, Ari Jiwantoro, asked Elevsson to show his face, and at the end the first day in court, the judge was visibly offended by the Swedes behavior, stating he would be more firm in the continuances of the trial.

Both the accused face the death penalty in case of conviction.

Source: http://www.scandasia...21&coun_code=se

-- scandasia.com 2012-02-09

[Gers1873]

Specially modified suitcases ---- caught red-handed......... these people destroy thousands of lives.

Hope they receive the maximum sentence

[sparebox2]

Specially modified suitcases ---- caught red-handed......... these people destroy thousands of lives.

Hope they receive the maximum sentence

Agree. They deserves it, regardless of nationality.

[WyattEarp]

Nobody deserves a death sentence. Nobody put a gun to drug users heads and force them to use it. If it was up to me drugs should be freely available OTC from any pharmacy. That way the druggies can drug themselves to pieces without having to kill, maim, plunder or rage anyone to support their habit.

Edited February 9, 2012 by WyattEarp

[stevehaigh]

Nobody deserves a death sentence. Nobody put a gun to drug users heads and force them to use it. If it was up to me drugs should be freely available OTC from any pharmacy. That way the druggies can drug themselves to pieces without having to kill, maim, plunder or rage anyone to support their habit.

that may be a good idea but they knew going into Indonesia what the penalty was for drug smuggling, they can hardly complain about the sentence now

[AgentSmith]

Specially modified suitcases ---- caught red-handed......... these people destroy thousands of lives.

Hope they receive the maximum sentence

American?

[metisdead]

A flame post has been removed.

[SouthernMan3]

Specially modified suitcases ---- caught red-handed......... these people destroy thousands of lives.

Hope they receive the maximum sentence

American?

So what if he is ?

Got a proablem with that ?

Are you prejudice ?

Oh please tell me no....

Maybe he's Arabic.

They have death sentences there too.....

And, in many countries where they do not have death sentences much of the population does not agree with spending their tax dollars to support criminals while they live out the rest of their lives in jail.

I too agree that drugs should be legal.

Let the druggies drug themselves to death.

It works just fine in Holland.

Let us not imprison poeple for drug use.

They want to ruin their lives, up to them.

It is after all, their life.

It's like prohabition (sp ?).

It just makes the cartels, kingpins and dealers rich and the users outlaws.

But, they did know the penalty going in.

And they were carrying stuff that does ruin peoples lives so........

[Baerboxer]

Nobody deserves a death sentence. Nobody put a gun to drug users heads and force them to use it. If it was up to me drugs should be freely available OTC from any pharmacy. That way the druggies can drug themselves to pieces without having to kill, maim, plunder or rage anyone to support their habit.

I can think of many crimes, where those who are 100% gulity without a doubt, deserve the death penalty. Drug dealers wreck countless lives, not just the users, but also their families, loved ones and the victims of drug users violence. Countries that have a well publicised death penatly for drrug smuggling shoud carry out the sentence.

[Gary A]

If a person or persons decide to destroy their lives by taking drugs, that is their business. I certainly couldn't and wouldn't approve of it but since I am a live and let live type of person, I wouldn't turn them in. If they decide to become drug dealers then they are endangering other people and at that point they deserve whatever punishment the law allows including being put to death. I am not able to work up any sympathy for them.

[CRUNCHER]

Nobody deserves a death sentence. Nobody put a gun to drug users heads and force them to use it. If it was up to me drugs should be freely available OTC from any pharmacy. That way the druggies can drug themselves to pieces without having to kill, maim, plunder or rage anyone to support their habit.

They would still have to get money to pay for them. They would still kill, maim, plunder and rage to get the money.

It is not the legality or availability that causes junkies to resort to crime. It is the need to get money when many cannot or will not work to get the money

[gaucho]

they know the risks ...they want the spoils and complain and plead when they get caught ...

[alanferdi]

Nobody deserves a death sentence. Nobody put a gun to drug users heads and force them to use it. If it was up to me drugs should be freely available OTC from any pharmacy. That way the druggies can drug themselves to pieces without having to kill, maim, plunder or rage anyone to support their habit.

I can think of many crimes, where those who are 100% gulity without a doubt, deserve the death penalty. Drug dealers wreck countless lives, not just the users, but also their families, loved ones and the victims of drug users violence. Countries that have a well publicised death penatly for drrug smuggling shoud carry out the sentence.

Interesting to see the opinions of self righteous and dogmatics. One says kill and the other says No. what if - those offenders are left to use the drugs themselves in a prison cell with the world to watch how it kills? would that be an option or would I fall into the catogory - Sadist?

Perhaps we need to see this in perspective "situational" - your son or daughter is sold or spiked with drugs and is eventually hooked on it. What would be your choice of trial. Death???? What if you are without a job and enough money to make a days means to survive.... and these people sit in prison for a crime of this magnitude. A doctor who has a choice to save the patient of cancer spreading does not tolerate dodging pain or loosing time. His aim is to eradicate it! What is your response to a world of drugs - The countries that grow them are sometimes use them in an indirect political world imbalance - (Afghanistan, Turkey, Laos, Cambodia, South America) get the whole picture fight it at the roots. The courts is way up.

[londoedan]

they know the risks ...they want the spoils and complain and plead when they get caught ...

Exactly, no-one traveliing to Indonesia can be in any doubt as to the penalities in place for drug-smugglers.

Having said that, I do disagree with capital punishment for any crime and would think that a lengthy prison sentence should suffice for people that seek to profit from the misery of others.

I hope they get 15 to 20 years if found guilty and such a sentence serves as a deterrent to other would-be smugglers.

[bendix]

Im not entirely sure the maxim 'they knew the penalty, they knew the risks' is always the case. It's thrown around far too glibly. So many of these cases seem to involve young, naive, uneducated and poor idiots, duped or persuaded into it by gangs, cartels, even boyfriends or people they think are boyfriends (see the reference on the other thread involving Malaysia).

No point going into the rights and wrongs of it, but - christ - what a terrible waste of young lives.

[londoedan]

No point going into the rights and wrongs of it, but - christ - what a terrible waste of young lives.

Fully agree with you on the last point.

Re their awareness of the penalties for smuggling / trafficking when flying to Indonesia and other countries in SE Asia, the penalties for this type of offence are spelled-out at airports, when applying for a visa, on landing cards and are even announced on the flights. Even if you were not aware of the recent cases from the news outlets etc, it would be pretty hard to avoid these warnings once you had decided to fly to Indo, Sg etc.. Plus most people would be able to put 2 and 2 together when hiding large bags of white powder in their luggage, wouldn't they ?

I wouldn't execute them, but I would lock them up for quite a while.

[bendix]

No point going into the rights and wrongs of it, but - christ - what a terrible waste of young lives.

Fully agree with you on the last point.

Re their awareness of the penalties for smuggling / trafficking when flying to Indonesia and other countries in SE Asia, the penalties for this type of offence are spelled-out at airports, when applying for a visa, on landing cards and are even announced on the flights. Even if you were not aware of the recent cases from the news outlets etc, it would be pretty hard to avoid these warnings once you had decided to fly to Indo, Sg etc.. Plus most people would be able to put 2 and 2 together when hiding large bags of white powder in their luggage, wouldn't they ?

I wouldn't execute them, but I would lock them up for quite a while.

I know what you mean about the fact they should be aware, but the cases I've seen like this (Filipinas being enticed into it in China, the thai girl being persuaded by an Argentian lothario online etc etc) . . . they all smack of the same themes. Naieve gullible eager to please fools being exploited by sinister gangs or criminals.

It's no excuse I know - ignorance never can be - but i feel more sorry for them than anything else. The real evil bastards are those enticing them to accept a few thousand bucks to do their dirty work for them.

FWIW, I'm universally opposed to the death penalty under any circumstances.

[londoedan]

FWIW, I'm universally opposed to the death penalty under any circumstances.

[harleyclarkey]

Meth is a particularily dirty filthy drug that is almost guaranteed to addict you from the start. It destroys your life, your body, your mind and soul. It affects your friends, your family, your community and everyone around you. You rob cheat and steal to feed your habit to pay your drug dealer and get supplied. The drug dealer these 2 were working for.

It was seemingly concieved and started by bike gangs in the States and shame on them for doing so.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for these 2 idiots ...the drug does kill and so there are therefore, by their distribution and smuggling, implicit in the manslaughter of drug addicts. The death penalty? Mmmm, I am out on that one for this type of crime.

Yes....I would also legalise addictive drugs for drug addicts through community based clinics.

[londoedan]

Another reason not to smuggle controlled substances to Indonesia:

Denpasar. Indonesian security forces Wednesday stormed a riot-hit prison housing murderers, pedophiles and Australian drug mules in Bali after a night of arson and rock-throwing.

Guards were forced to abandon the overcrowded Kerobokan prison, which holds 1,000 inmates including the 12 convicted Australians, during the night-long riot. Authorities said no foreigners were injured or involved in the trouble

Full story is here:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/update5-indonesian-police-storm-bali-prison-to-end-riot/499687#Scene_1