Last 3 Bali Nine members get life in Denpasar court

The remaining 3 Bali Nine members to be sentenced, received life imprisonment today. Tach Duc Thanh Nguyen, 28, Matthew Norman, 19, and Si Yi Chen, 21, appeared in Denpasar District Court and were shown no mercy. Obviously they will appeal, with nowhere else to go. The sentencing sends a chilling message to those considering drug trafficking, either lose your life to a bullet, or to a jail cell, with no other options.

The journo’s covering this case must be glad its over. I talked briefly to one Aussie journo the other day, who said that with the build up to this trial, there would be many people back in Australia who would be upset if the sentencing didn’t fulfill their ‘sensation fix’ ie death sentences. I know from talking to the people covering this case that it involved a lot of waiting around in the hot sun, showing up at court everyday and trying to beat a dead line.

In my mind guilt was never an issue, just how long each person would get. Maybe now I will be able to interview some of them in Kerobokan jail.