Two of the Bali nine executed - what Howard said after their arrest

Firstly, thoughts and sympathies to the families and friends of the two ringleaders executed last night in Bali for heroin trafficking. As far as it goes though, that's about as far as my personal sympathies extend.

Secondly, now that the media circus is coming to an end, with all the pleads and demands for the Abbott gov to FFS do something to save the traffickers lives, I'd say take a look back at the Howard years after the 9 were arrested and the comments he made about Australians going to Bali to import heroin into Australia.

JOHN Howard last night delivered a blunt warning to Australians who get caught with drugs in Asian countries — don't expect the Government to bail you out. ............................. 

..."it's beyond belief that any Australian could be so stupid as to carry drugs into any country in Asia" He said the laws in these countries were — "ferociously precise". 

"That's been the case for decades. We have told Australians, young Australians, again and again, don't take drugs out of this country, don't take them into Asian countries because you can't expect any mercy." 

The Government would keep pushing the message. "But people have to understand that if they defy that, and they get caught with drugs, they can't expect the Government to bail them out. 

"If foreigners come to this country and break our laws, our people don't think we should hand them back to the countries from whence they came. They think they should be punished in this country and jailed in this country, and Australians have got to understand that." more

Bali has the death penalty for drug trafficking; no if's, buts, maybe's. You will be be facing the firing squad if you're caught. Let's not forget what the Bali 9 were caught with:

So what if this heroin had of gotten into Australia? How many Australians might it have killed? It's not the first time either Australians have been killed in Bali. Why all the hoopla this time?