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Australia backs arrest of nine citizens in Bali

Australian officials spent 10 weeks helping Indonesia mount a case against nine Australians who could now face the death penalty following their arrest for allegedly trying to smuggle heroin out of Bali, the government said yesterday.

"People have to know that trafficking in heroin and trafficking in drugs brings the death penalty in many countries, particularly in Asia," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told Australia's Nine TV network. "If people don't understand that, they certainly will now."

Prime Minister John Howard said he strongly endorsed the joint operation that netted the arrests -- in a government response that has been in stark contrast to its appeals to help Australian drug suspect Schapelle Corby.

The 27-year-old former beauty school student could be executed by a firing squad if she is convicted of attempting to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana into Bali last October.

Her trial has received widespread attention in Australia, with defense lawyers claiming she was the unwitting victim of a gang who used her luggage to transport the drugs on a domestic Australian flight but failed to remove it before she headed onward to Bali.

Australia's government has appealed to Indonesian prosecutors not to seek the death penalty in the Corby case, and also has worked to make available an Australian inmate with potentially helpful testimony for the defense. Howard said last month that the government was doing "everything we can" to help Corby's case.

The latest case involves eight men and one woman, aged 19 through 27, who were arrested in Bali this week while allegedly trying to smuggle nearly 11kg of heroin out of Indonesia.

Five of them, including the alleged ringleader, were arrested as they attempted to board a flight to Sydney with heroin strapped to their bodies with tape, The Australian daily reported yesterday.

Four others were detained with smaller quantities of the drug in Bali at a budget hotel, the newspaper and Indonesian officials said.

Australian officials had gathered information about the group for about 10 weeks, and handed it to Indonesian police two weeks ago, federal agent Mike Phelan said.

Downer said Australia would always seek clemency when its citizens faced possible death sentences, but could not guarantee a successful outcome.

"What we can't do and no Australian government could ever do is change the law in other countries. That is impossible," Downer said.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison said that the nine suspects remained in custody without charge and that arrangements were being made to get them lawyers. He said Australia would not approach Indonesia about the potential penalty before charges are filed.

"I think that talk of a firing squad is really at this stage rather premature," Ellison said.
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