Dubai has a deserved reputation as being one of the most lenient muslim countries in the AG. The people are friendly and welcoming, and as for arresting people for kissing, I seriously doubt it.

Not sure what this part of your post has to do with the question.

Being the risk-adverse type I have never been tempted to visit countries which I perceive to have dubious legal systems. Saying that I do sometimes fly via Singapore, but prefer to go via Japan.

As for which passport I would fly on I am sticking to French as I don't believe the UK or Oz governments do enough for their stranded citizens. That and I wouldn't want my trial turning into some crazy reality TV show.

Papa Z

Bali has never appealed. Just like Mr Mover said in a different thread, why go on holiday to a third world dump when you've got a lifetime's worth of different holiday options here in Australia.

There are first world facilities and places, things and people to go experience in Bali. Remember to take a walk off the tourist highroad to see the third world up close - visit an artist in their home, go for a walk around the paddy fields, meet the locals etc. Vast majority are decent normal people - with a few rotten scoundrels and petty crims for spice. Bali's a small place.

Personally found the volcanism most interesting.

Well, I was there you were not. What I was attempting to point out to the poster was that different countries have different laws and there are worse places than Singapore to visit. Dubai might be more liberal, but it is still a muslim country with muslim laws regarding morality and behaviour, especially of women.

Singapore is worse when it comes to drug smuggling, they don't care if you're black, blue, pink or white with orange spots, or a good actor/actress who flows with the tears , it does not wash with the courts- ie westerns get hung too as do the locals when they are found guilty of possessing over a certain amount of drugs.

If she was in Singapore, and found guilty she have had more than 20 years - she would very likely have had the death penalty, they hardly ever get out of the death penalty if caught smuggling over a certain amount of drugs into the country.

yes I think many people are over reacting - millions of people travel in and out of those countries on a regular basis, and B8gger all happens to them - the media is a powerful weapon.

I wouldn't worry about it, I lived and worked in Sing for years before living in Aus quite happily ,and quite happily flew in and out of the country's airport too on a regular basis - ie once/twice a month etc , so do hundreds of their expats who live there and use the airports to get to the surrounding countries and back into Singapore. As long as you are not smuggling or dealing with drugs in you have nothing to fear You also have nothing to fear in most of the SEA countries if you've nothing to do with drugs, and are sensible.

As for the lashings ,usually they lash people who deserve it, rapists, thieves Etc etc. As for Michale Faye, the westerner who made the news and got lashed - he was a spoilt little brat who though he could go on a vandalising spree, the law was beneath him attitude - my mates son went to the same school as him over there and knew him well.

Wonder why nobody (media and public) is getting upset over Nguyen Tuong Van the young Australia who is facing the death penalty in Singapore??? Obvious reasons I think. Hasn't got the Anglo face to sell papers to the Aus public.

cheers

Probably the same reason as the Bali 9. He had the drugs strapped to his body.

Could it be 'cause:

"In the search room he was asked to remove his jacket and shirt. When that was done, a plastic packet was seen strapped to his lower back with masking tape. At that stage he started crying and tried to hit his head against a wall."

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR vs Nguyen Tuong Van

Think Poms as a group (and the odd Welsh Paddy) tend to rush to racist judgements too quickly and too frequently. Must be something vile in their dismal past.

The bali 9 has had , and does have hell of a lot more media coverage here than the guy in Singapore who is facing death. How many reached for the google search engine to find out who he was when I wrote his name in my post eh ?? - you would not have done that with the mention of the Bali 9

Anyway, it's not the point, the point is Australia is against the death penalty even for those who are guilty, same as the UK -Both countries have a non death penalty policy. Both these governments do try and get them pardoned when they are caught overseas and face death ,as Australia and Uk do not believe in the death penalty, same as most civilised countries ( bar the US which kills their own people).

so, you believe in a death penalty do you if they are guilty??? B8gger him in Sing he is guilty,

well, she is found guilty by the laws of that land, so live by their rules, they are the judges, not Australian courts .You can't have one rule for one and another rule for another.
Media , public sway - people are so easy manuplitated by what the media of any country feeds them.

Bali is the most lovely wonderful place that hold many many happy memories from my honeymoon. Yes I would go in a shot!


We have lots of friends who live there, who are Aussies incidentally!

read through your comments before aiming racial jibes at people.

See wo' I meean.

Hardly, you were relating to the fact that I said his face does not sell to the Anglo public, which I find is true - White's are the majority in this country, and it is those who dominate media sales, so the media aims at the majority of course. True fact of life for you, sales and more sales b*gger the truth of a story

It is not the same as coming up with a silly little racist jibe as you have just done without thinking first.

It was on the TV in March 2004, and yes Ive seen about as much on that one as I have on the Bali 9, and both cases seem similar, they had drugs strapped to them, and knew what they were doing, without doubt. I had no need to google search on the recent one as it is recent, whereas the other one is older.
Your memory may be better than mine to recall his full name without googling
<<...>>
Yes, she has been found guilty, but with two appeals processes left, the Indonesian law states that she can appeal, so Indonesian law is being followed.

The question of yours that I was answering was Your reason was Hasn't got the Anglo face to sell papers to the Aus public" My reason has nothing to do with the race of the person, and I wanted to put my reason forward, that the cases are actually different.


Another reason for the excess of media coverage of the Bali9 is actually due to the Corby case. Without Corby, that would not have had the same attention.

I feel that one contribution to the way that the Australian public feels, is the "doubt over guilt".
In Australia, and other countries, we have a system where the prosecution has to prove "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" that the person is guilty, otherwise they are to be found innocent. Whether Indonesia does the same or not, is up to the Indonesians, as it is THEIR judicial system, not ours.
On this Corby case, many people feel that there is "Reasonable doubt", and now question a system that is different to the Australian system, and do not like it.

Unfortunately the only aswer is: If you go to a Different County, you MUST accept everything about it, and NOT COMPLAIN about it.
But as we all know, it can be so easy to complain if we don't like the way things are done in a country whether it is our own or not.

I take it from your comments that you feel that when a person goes to a different country they should not complain about the rules etc of that country ?

Where have I stated that I believe in the death penalty on this point ?

Who says I wasn't there? Growing up in the ME I heard all the usual stories. There's generally little truth behind them or not the all the facts are known.