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Indonesian authorities moved a step closer to criminalising snogging this week, as 10,000 protestors gathered at an anti-pornography rally to support the ban. The kissing bill first emerged two years ago and sought to also outlaw topless sunbathing, erotic dancing and attending sex parties, and now has a good chance of becoming law, news agency Scandasia reported this week. “The average western couple travelling in Indonesia could be looking at jail-time if they kiss each other in public,” Scandasia said, “The bill would make organising erotic dancing punishable by up to 10 years in prison and public kissing on the mouth punishable by five years or a fine.” In more bad news for Bali’s much troubled tourist industry, yet another Australian woman appeared in court on drugs charges this week, which could see her facing execution by firing squad. Barbara Kathleen Higgs, 43, was allegedly caught with 49.7 grams of cannabis at the guest house she owns on Lombok Beach, The New Moon, after neighbours reportedly grassed her up and faces charges of personal use and trafficking (despite the fact she reportedly paid just Aus$73 for the small amount). Fellow Australian Schapelle Corby is currently one year into a 20 year sentence for marijuana offences she continues to deny, while Aussie model Michelle Leslie also spent six months in jail, after police claimed they found two ecstasy pills in her bag as she entered a rave party in Bali. Mrs Higgs’ plight coincides with the retirement of civil liberties lawyer Stephen Jakobi who sent up prisoners’ rights organisation Fair Trials Abroad in 1990 when he was horrified by the case of two English girls arrested with 30kg of heroin in Thailand. Gaining their release three years later, Mr Jakobi went on to create a hugely influential global organisation that currently works on around 200 trials at any one time and told the Guardian this week that Portugal is the European country he’d least like to be arrested in. “But that would be a close call with Spain and Greece,” he said, and outside Europe? “the obvious places like Burma, the Latin American countries . . . Japan is, surprisingly, not good,” he added. Article by Jonty Skrufff (JontySkrufff.com) Subscribe to Skrufff music newsletter at www.skrufff.com
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