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Australia: Local teen home from Bali on Sunday David Quick
Thursday 01 Dec 2011 Lake Macquarie MP and mayor Greg Piper said the youngster's age saved him from receiving considerably harsher Indonesian penalties. "I would like to think that others will learn by what has happened to this young person, but I have a sinking feeling that few will," Mr Piper said. "Australians generally tend to be culturally insensitive as tourists but the fact remains that countries like Indonesia have a different set of values and laws to enforce them. "Young people like this have to be made aware of this. It is a worry to me that schoolies are now turning to Bali. They have no travel or cultural experience and that makes them vulnerable." Mr Piper said while the Indonesian court had clearly set out to be compassionate because of the youth's age, the experience had been a genuine ordeal for the boy. "He was held awaiting trial in Denpasar prison and that's not a fun place to be," Mr Piper said. The youth was found guilty and sentenced to two months' imprisonment but with time in custody already served at an immigration detention centre where he stayed with his parents, he should be released on Saturday. "My guess is he will be released late on Saturday and deported back to Australia pretty much immediately," Mr Piper said. "His father will be waiting for him at Bali airport and I know he hopes that his son's experience will serve as an example for others. He doesn't want him to be seen as a hero, but simply as an example of how important it is to avoid drugs and trouble," he said. At one stage, false rumours that the family had sold the boy's story to a television network for $300,000 were considered to be a serious impediment to his avoiding a serious jail term of up to 12 years. Big for his age, the boy looks 17 or 18 and was caught on October 4 in possession of 3.6 grams of cannabis outside a Kuta business. There was every prospect he could spend Christmas and New Year in custody, possibly in a special cell for under-age offenders at the notorious Kerobokan penitentiary. But Bali has a new law, article 128.2, that allows juveniles to be released without charge if they are a regular drug user and have previously sought treatment. The boy's defence team proved this applied to their client. But Judge Simanjuntak said a prison sentence was required because the boy had already served a period in custody. http://www.lakesmail.com.au/news/local/news/general/local-teen-home-from-bali-on-sunday/2376510.aspx
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