26 jailed in Indonesia for smuggling drugs

There are 26 Papua New Guinean drug smugglers in Doyo prison in Indonesia, says PNG consul-general Col Geoffrey Wiri.
He said they had been imprisoned for smuggling drugs from PNG into Indonesia.
Wiri said five were serving jail terms ranging from three to eight years at the Doyo prison in Sentani, Papua Province.
“They will complete their terms in three to four years’ time,” he said.
“The rest (21) were caught recently and are now awaiting their trial to be sentenced.
“They were all caught by Indonesian police with drugs after crossing the border into Indonesian side.
“The courts have evidence to convict them. The minimum sentence one can get is three years.
“Most of them are from the West Coast villages in the Vanimo-Green electorate.”
Wiri, who is based in Jayapura, said this office doesn’t provide them any kind of legal aid.
“Under the Geneva Convention, we help to make sure they have good medical treatment and they don’t get harsh treatment from the prison officials,” he said.
“Out of my conveniences, my office usually provides them tooth brush, tooth paste and other basic needs quarterly in a year.”
Wiri said he had made awareness on Vanimo NBC radio for youths not to get involved in drug smuggling.
“In Indonesia, drugs are a big issue,” he said. “Indonesia does not tolerate drugs and we were lucky not to be slammed with serious penalties like death penalty.”
Wiri urged youths to get prepared to get employed by the Bewani oil palm project which would generate 3000 jobs for the locals.