Australias Amnesia on Chan and Sukumaran

By Paul White
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed this week for attempting to
smuggle 8.3 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia. Australia has protested over the drug
smugglers executions. I am Australian, but I have a different take on the executions
after living in Indonesia for some years. My concerns relate to Australias amnesia
on two great injustices.
Indonesias drug epidemic
Firstly, I am bemused by Australias almost total refusal to consider the terrible impact
of Chan and Sukumarans crime on Indonesias youth. Let me put this into context.
Indonesia is currently plagued by an epidemic of drug abuse. In 2014 Indonesian
Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi admitted: We have 330,000 young people who are
injecting drugs. The Government admits that to at least 1.3 million drug addicts in
Indonesia mostly between the ages of 13 and 25. Ratna Mardiata, a former director
of the Drug Dependence Hospital in East Jakarta, estimates that between seventy and
eighty per cent of female injecting drug users are involved in informal prostitution.
Anyone who provides heroin to vulnerable young people is the vilest type of criminal.
Australias execution of an innocent man
Secondly, over fifty years after it occurred, I remember and continue to be appalled by
Australias unjust execution of an innocent man. On 3 February 1967, Ronald Joseph
Ryan was the last person to suffer capital punishment in Australia. Ryan had escaped
from Pentridge Prison and a prison warder, George Hodson, was shot dead during the
escape.
At Ryans trial, it was testified that prison officers were seen aiming their rifles in the
direction of Hodson and the escapees, who had gathered on Sydney Road, in front of
Pentridge. Hodson fell dead after a single shot rang out. The bullet that felled him
exited through his back, 2.54 centimetres lower than its entry point suggestive of a
shot from an elevated position. No witness noticed a bullet casing eject from Ryans

rifle. Ryan had twice demonstrated his ignorance of the carbine he had earlier seized
from a prison guard, by first ejecting bullets from the rifle and then losing the entire
magazine. In court, prison officer Hulmut Lange denied seeing the first mishap occur,
after Ryan seized his carbine. Lange later committed suicide at Pentridge. Another
warder, Doug Pascoe, has confessed to having fired during the escape, adding that his
shot might have accidentally killed Hodson. Forensic experts never scientifically
examined any of the prison officers rifles (nor Ryans), for evidence that their rifles
had fired a shot.
When interrogated by detectives, Ryan adamantly refused to make any signed
statements. The prosecution claimed that, immediately after doing this, he made
several detailed statements admitting to shooting Hodson. In fact, Ryan never
admitted to shooting the warder and maintained his innocence till the end. His
supposed unsigned hearsay statements have no legal value in law, but this did not
prevent his conviction and execution. Ryan had no previous police record of violence.
Police sought no forensic evidence. The casing of the bullet that killed Hodson was
never produced although warder Lange claimed to have found it and been ordered
to suppress this evidence. Eight prisoners affidavits testified to seeing a warder shoot
from a prison watchtower. The prisoners evidence was not presented in court.
Supposed eyewitnesses significantly contradicted each other on Ryans position in the
street and on whether he was standing, walking or squatting.
After Ryans two appeals failed, Premier Henry Bolte announced that he would not
commute Ryans sentence and cut all funding for Ryans barrister, Dr. Philip Opas
QC, who was planning to appeal to the Privy Council. To prevent Privy Council
intervention, Bolte scheduled Ryans execution for seven days before the Council
delivered its decision.
On 29 April 1967 Premier Bolte was returned to power in a State election. Barry
Jones later remarked: Ryans hanging was an attempt by the then Victorian Premier
Henry Bolte, to push his law and order political agenda. Bolte had a manic
determination to hang someone and it just happened to be Ronald Ryan. Opas later

wrote: Ryan was the unfortunate victim of the Premiers determination to have a
hanging.
On 26 March 2003 Ryans prison chaplain, Father John Brosnan, told ABC Radio
National that Ryan had heroic qualities. The Melbourne Catholic Archdiocese
published an article in February 2003 by Bishop Greg OKelly stating: Brosnan was
convinced and always believed that Ryan was innocent.
Politically motivated executions of innocents and amnesia on great evils? Let those
who are without sin cast the first stone.

Dr Paul White is a private consultant in Indonesia. He is the author of two books on

the Kurds: Primitive Rebels or Revolutionary Modernizers? The Kurdish National
Movement in Turkey (Zed Books, 2000) and The PKK: Coming Down from the
Mountains, (Zed Books, 2015). He conducted field research in a PKK guerrilla
training camp, interviewing the PKK leader Abdullah calan and other Kurdish
leaders and guerrillas. He lectured at Australian universities for some years, in the
fields of political science and Middle Eastern studies.