Pubdate: Fri, 27 May 2005
Source: Bendigo Advertiser, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2005 The Bendigo Advertiser & Independent Pty Ltd
Contact:  http://www.bendigoaddy.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1035

NO CAUSE FOR XENOPHOBIA

IT IS fitting that the Schapelle Corby court verdict will be televised live 
from Bali today, because this soap opera has been a media circus from the 
day she was arrested.

The case has seen some of the worst media beat-ups, conjecture and 
interference witnessed in recent memory.

Yesterday, we had the ridiculous situation in which Corby's mother 
describing her daughter as "very stressed" was a top news item for the day.

It is perfectly understandable to speculate about whether Corby brought the 
drugs into Bali - it's been the "water-cooler" issue of 2005.

Certainly, some of the evidence does not weigh up, and the concerns raised 
about the baggage-handling system in Australia deserve further attention, 
regardless of the verdict.

But too often, the tone of the debate has shown a deep contempt for the 
Indonesian legal system, and by extension, the Indonesian people.

On radio, the judges in the case have been described as monkeys, while 
phone polls have been presented as some sort of conclusive proof of Corby's 
innocence.

The supposed holes in Indonesia's legal system have been debated with such 
ferocity it would make anyone think our own system was faultless.

There is no excuse for the type of xenophobic hysteria we have witnessed.

Unfortunately, that xenophobia occasionally arises at such times - we have 
seen it with immigration debates, and we are seeing it again now.

Perhaps there is some truth in Derryn Hinch's comments that Corby gets our 
sympathy because she is young, white and pretty.
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MAP posted-by: Beth