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Bali: Adults kept with children in Bali jail
TVNZ Tuesday 18 Oct 2011 Lawyers for the 14-year-old NSW boy, along with Australian officials, are understood to be negotiating with Indonesian authorities to keep the teenager out of Kerobokan, which is home to murderers, sex offenders and people on death row. While no final decision has been made, it remains possible the boy could be moved to the prison after his drug possession case is handed over to prosecutors. The governor of the jail, Siswanto, said preparations had been made to accommodate the boy at Kerobokan. "So far there's no request. But when it comes, we will be ready," he said. The boy would be held in an area reserved for juvenile offenders, but Siswanto - who goes by one name - said adults were already being held in the juvenile section because of capacity constraints. "If there's minor come here, they will be put in Wisma Kamboja. That area is specially built for juveniles," he said. Siswanto said efforts would be made to ensure the boy was kept in a cell overnight with other minors. "But due to our capacity, some adults are also there in that section," he said. The Australian Consul General in Bali, Brett Farmer, said the boy and his parents were coping well despite the prospect of the teenager being sent to Kerobokan. "They're holding up well," he said today after meeting with them at police headquarters in Denpasar, where the boy from Morisset Park, south of Newcastle, has been since his arrest two weeks ago when he was allegedly caught with 3.6 grams of cannabis. "The speculation that the Indonesian authorities may have decided to relocate the boy to a prison is, we believe, premature," Farmer added. However, the head of the Law and Human Rights Office in Bali, Taswin Tarib, confirmed it was a real possibility, adding that it would be up to the prosecutor to decide whether the teenager was sent to Kerobokan. "The prosecutor is the one who will determine where the defendant would be detained," Tarib said. "It could be in prison... in Kerobokan is also possible, but it all depends on the prosecutor's decision." The teenager will face three charges, the most serious of which carries a maximum penalty of up to 12 years in prison, which can be halved when applied to minors. His legal team is expected to push for a rehabilitation order instead of a custodial sentence when the case goes to trial. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says no decision has been made on where the boy will be accommodated once the investigation stage of the case is complete. "There are a range of options open to the authorities, and we have been in close discussions with the boy's lawyers who are working to find an appropriate solution," a DFAT spokesman said in a statement today. Australian opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said although it was "unthinkable" that the boy could spend time in Kerobokan prison, Australia had to respect Indonesian laws. "This is a tragic reminder of what happens when you get caught up in the laws of another country," she said. http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/adults-kept-children-in-bali-jail-4472717
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