Being Humane in this World
Few days back when I caught two small boys aged around 15 stealing in Chennai. I took them to the nearby police kiosk. The duty officer there threatened the boys verbally to make them understand the seriousness and let them go home and we were smiling. It requires very simple common sense to make the boys understand the right from the wrong. When I read news about a boy in Indonesia, it reminded me of the incident that happened here few days back.
An Indonesian boy accused of stealing an old pair of sandals belonging to a policeman has appeared in court where he faces up to five years in prison.
Hundreds of people packed the court building in Central Sulawesi’s capital on Wednesday, many bringing pairs of used sandals and piling them outside the courtroom to express their frustration over uneven justice in the country. Some rallied outside the building to demand the boy’s acquittal.
The 15-year-old boy took the sandals in November 2010 near a boarding house used by police. Six months later he was interrogated and badly beaten by police officers who accused him of theft.
Indonesia has made tremendous strides since the ouster of dictator Suharto in 1998, but its judicial system remains a weak point.
Posted on January 4, 2012, in Editors Corner and tagged being humane, chennai, compassion, indonesia, theft, virtues. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
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Good story, I mean the first one. I really wonder why people lack level headedness? All it takes is just few minutes of thinking. It is a small boy and he has to get 5 years sentence, peak of stupidity.
5 years over theft of sandals is harsh, I’m sure there must of been a reason behind it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning theft but I hope the justice system gets a second look at 😦