Australian Beauty Student Faces Death In Indonesia

Authorities in Bali are to seek the death penalty against Australian tourist Schapelle Corby, 27, who was arrested two weeks ago when airport cops found 4.1 kg of cannabis in her luggage, at Bali's International Airport.

According to a report in the Herald Sun this week, the trainee make-up artist is being detained in a "tiny' cell in the Denpassar Police Headquarters, Bali, despite continuing to plead her innocence. Ms Corby is claiming the marijuana was planted in her unlocked body-board bag and also passed blood and urine drug tests showing she's not a user.

Her prison conditions, however, contrast favourably with those experienced by the 134 foreigners currently detained in the Philippines prison system, which includes 4 Brits, 6 Americans and two Australians, according to local newspapers.

The Manila Times (Philippines) reported last week that gang violence, disease and substandard food are endemic throughout the countries' jails, which are massively overcrowded due to ultra harsh mandatory drug laws introduced in 2002, which make possession of microscopic amounts of any drugs punishable with at least 12 years in jail.

"Inmates have a living space of 0.28 square meters per person, way below the
3-square meters per inmate set by the UN Minimum Standard for the Treatment of Prisoners," the Manila Times reported, "prisoners sleep on the floor when they could find space." Tags

• Indonesia
• bali