Opinion: Travel tip for Australians in trouble overseas

Travel tip. If you are Australian and are detained overseas for alleged criminal activity, if you want the personal intervention of the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, make sure you are a 14 year old massage loving smart ass, arrested in the midst of an Australian leadership battle, who using mobile phones provided to him by Indonesian police so he could access Facebook in what Australian tabloids describe as a "hell hole," boasts "I wont be going to jail"

However, if the U.S. want to get their hands on you, then you might as well forget it. No phone calls from good old Julia for you Julian.

Personally, I have great concerns over the motives of any legitimately perceived, high level political and media interference in overseas judicial systems. It's not always "foreigners" to blame for the actions of another countries citizens.

© 2011 Mike Hitchen