Two remarkably different results of court cases have come out of Indonesia this week. One was the sentencing of Australian drug mules, the other of Indonesian terrorists. The disparity really underlines how seriously Bush allies take their war on terror.
Indonesia's police chief defended an appeals court decision to execute members of an Australian drug-smuggling ring, saying his nation could not afford to take a soft stance on the illegal narcotics trade.
General Sutanto made the comments as he headed into a cabinet meeting, believed to discuss issues including Canberra's reaction to a ruling yesterday to place four Australian heroin smugglers before a firing squad.
At the same time three JI terrorists were sentenced following an earlier conviction for heir role in the 2005 Bali restaurant bombings.
Bombmaker Muhammad Cholily, 28, was sentenced to 18 years over the suicide attacks on crowded restaurants in Kuta and Jimbaran Bay last October, which killed 20 people, including four Australians.
Cholily, who shook hands with the judges after their verdict, just smiled and gave the thumbs up.
Later, asked if he felt any remorse, the bombmaker who will spend his 29th birthday tomorrow in jail told reporters: "What did I do wrong?".
Associates Dwi Widyarto, 34 and Abdul Aziz, 33 were sentenced to eight years.
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