Article doesn't give much info but it seems this is retaliation for not releasing Meng Wanzhou. Meng Wanzhou was allowed to post bail for $7.5 mil on Dec 12th but got passports jacked and has to wear GPS. They only picked her up at the request of The United States, who has yet to submit a formal request for extradition.
But, it is common knowledge China puts people to death for drugs so it is hard for me to feel bad for Robert Lloyd Schellenberg if he was indeed drug smuggling.
It's very possible that the drugs where planted to have a political prisoner.
This. If the guy did smuggle drugs, it's sort of his own fault, and he was presumably well-aware of the risk he ran (Though death penalty on drug charges is always ridiculously excessive). However, knowing China, it's very likely he's just some dude who was at the wrong place and time and became a pawn in a political game.
I see China's been getting way too cocky lately..
The amount of people smuggling drugs(even normal everyday people) is a lot bigger than most people seem to think. It's an unfuck your economy quick scheme that a lot of pressured people get suckered into.
China is a hell state but presuming they planted the drugs is a bit much compared to the much more realistic scenario imo, not ruling it out of course.
other articles state he was going to smuggle 500 pounds of meth into australia hiding it in tyres.
Why does everyone immediately resort to conspiracy whenever china does something to foreigners? Its not like foreigners getting busted for drugs in asia is a novel thing, its a long history of arrogance and stupidity towards the laws and customs of countries people have chauvinistic attitudes towards. I've been in asia many years, I can't tell you how common it is to have foreigners treat it like a playground with no regard for the laws and regulations. Cambodia throughout the early 00s was full of retarded white cunts who thought they could LARP as a drug kingpin, because hey, cambodia right brown people are incompetent.
It should be noted that this is a re-sentencing - they were originally handed a 15 year term but they've now decided it was too lenient.
I've noticed this as well, particularly when it comes to Russia; like Putin is just sitting on the edge of his chair, waiting to benefit from some minor incidence of instability, or that he's had his hand in it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the governments of China and Russia are incapable of doing wrong, quite the contrary. It's just strange that the community here in general is so quick to harshly condemn conspiracy theorists, but then draw up their own theories when it involves their favorite bogeymen.
I'm not calling anyone out in this thread either per say, there's nothing wrong with saying that something could have happened. I don't think it's wrong to maintain an objective mind, and entertain certain notions; I just find it odd that there isn't the same level of consistent backlash that comes with other theoreticals.
He was sentenced to 15 years before this political drama started. Then he reappealed and well, this happened.
He was caught with 500 pounds of meth.
I seriously hope one day we can say that capital punishment is no longer practised anywhere. Even if this guy was planning to smuggle a bunch of drugs, killing him accomplishes nothing; the 'war on drugs' is not magically more just when the war is being fought by a non-Western government. I can't imagine what it's like being told that your 15-year prison sentence has been changed to a death penalty.
Executing the hostages is a going for broke tactic, they basically guarantee that Canada won't release their agent.
If it's not political, why else would they risk pissing off another country by killing one of it's citizens over petty drug charges?
Smuggling 500 fucking pounds of meth is a petty drug charge now?
Any drug charges are petty imo but I suppose that's irrelevant. Why not let Canada try him or something? I'm genuinely wondering if there isn't a better way of dealing with this situation because I don't know how these things work.
Petty drug charges? Did you even read the article? Its 222kg of methamphetamines. This isn't some dickhead who got caught with a baggie of eccies and weed. This guy was a drug trafficker.
"Chinese state television said in an earlier report that Schellenberg argued in court that he was a tourist visiting China and was framed by criminals." Aka the schapelle corby defense. The same defense every one of these idiots try to pull.
Still a bad move for China.
Executing foreigners (Even criminals), are definitely going to give negative ties with their home country.
There are a lot of variables that China is known to ignore; E.g. People with mental health problems who allegedly got tricked into being a package mule. And they aren't known for their human rights.
Still, their country their laws, same with Meng Wanzhou who got arrested in US.
This might be the 'unspecified consequences' that China warned Canada about. Loosing their semi-immunity for tourists.
Why is it hard to feel bad for him? Being executed because of a bullshit war on drugs is still terrible.
Not arguing for those particular foreigners you're griping about, but unfortunately Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as Laos (although I haven't been to Laos I assume it's similar) have rampant corruption problems that make it all too easy for that kind of behaviour to perpetuate itself.
Its a misconception that is popular in the minds of the retards who attempt to come here and do that shit then cry the big "how could this happen" when it inevitably does. Corruption makes it easy for organized crime to flourish in these relatively poor countries. Organized, as in, know what they are doing, have connections and more importantly have big money to fund those kinds of operations. It doesn't mean what retards take it to mean, which is that the police are incompetent or simply don't care when foreigners flagrantly violate the law. You can get away with a lot of stuff in Asia, its true, because the cultures of the region tend to not sweat the small stuff of day to day life, but what you can never get away with is being a drug trafficker, which every country in the region takes very very seriously and has done for many decades.
That's what i'm saying though. It's because you can simply bribe a cop if you get pulled over for unlicensed motorbike riding (or more you were pulled over for a bribe) that people believe they don't have to worry about the law. Weed is surprisingly plentiful in Vietnam and it's fucking everywhere in Cambodia, it's not surprising at all that they assume that no one gives a shit or they can just pay their way out of any situation they get into.
yes i see what you are saying now, that the small stuff being overlooked encourages a certain attitude overall. I don't really agree with that on the basis that there are plenty of expats who dont try to be scumbags over here and stay well clear of anyone involved with drugs on any level because of the widespread knowledge of how drug traffickers are treated. The difference is the group of people who thinks its all equivalent are actually idiots and thats why they end up in these situations. Its hard for me to feel any sympathy for these sorts even while acknowledging that the punishments are brutal.
People either come for your nature and culture or they come to take your money with petty drug schemes. Obviously they're going to be different calibers of people ^^
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