Australian outrage over drug sentence in Bali sparks racism concerns

Australia risks reviving Asian concerns that it is a racist nation because of a growing backlash over the 20-year jail sentence given to an Australian woman by an Indonesian court.

Analysts and commentators said on Monday that public outrage over the sentencing of Schapelle Corby on Friday for allegedly smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into the resort island of Bali could hurt Australia's reputation and relationships in Asia.

An editorial in Malaysia's New Straits Times expressed shock at the Australian reaction to Corby's plight.

"The public outrage has not only been astounding in its intensity but also shocking in the glimpses it has revealed of the depths of racism and xenophobia," the editorial read.

"Hurling racist slurs at the Indonesian judiciary and casting aspersions on its integrity simply because the Bali court has not endorsed the popular Australian belief ... is unacceptable."

Since Corby was sentenced, the staff at the Indonesian embassy in Canberra has received threatening phone calls, some Australians have demanded the return of donations made to tsunami appeals and calls were made for Australians to boycott Bali.

Many Australians believe that Corby did not receive a fair trial and are angry that the judges dismissed much of her defence.

"The impression is that Australia has collectively thrown a tantrum," Deakin University analyst Greg Barton told Reuters.

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer spoke to his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda by telephone on Sunday to reassure him that the Australian government respected the court's decision and again appealed on Monday for public calm.

"Just because the court is in Indonesia isn't a reason to conclude the courts are corrupt and unacceptable," Downer told Australian Radio. Nevertheless, Corby's supporters are planning a national day of protest on July 8 - Corby's 28th birthday.