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| Southeast Asia |
| How the smiling assassin will die |
| 2003-08-12 |
| Under Indonesian law, Bali bomber Amrozi will be given three days’ notice of his execution by firing squad, which will occur at night in a secluded forest or on a beach. His family will not be allowed to attend but, if he wishes to do so, he will be granted permission to pray one last time and to clutch Islam’s holy book, the Koran. If Amrozi’s appeal against his death sentence is denied, he will be led to the place of execution wearing a white shirt with a red target marked over his heart. A hood will be placed over his head before 14 sharpshooters, who have practised on dummies, fire at the order of their commander. In order to soothe their consciences - so they never know who fired the fatal shot - only two of the 14 rifles available for them to choose will be loaded with live rounds. The reporter may have this wrong, it most likely is that two rifles are loaded with blanks and the other 12 have live rounds. After the shots are fired, a doctor will check Amrozi for any sign of life. The law allows for a final shot in the head, fired by the commander, if the condemned man is not dead. The coup de grace. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #13 The only thing the blanks do is disguise from the others whose gun wasn't doing the killing. The difference in the recoil from a real bullet and a blank make it obvious to the shooter that they had the blank. Many WWI and WWII firing squads were actually more gruesome when the target was a (former) comrade as opposed to a spy/attrocity victim. Frequently many of the shooters, thinking the others would shoot straight either shot in non-fatal areas, or over the condemned's shoulder. Either way the result was a harrowing mock/semi execution followed by a bullet in back of the ear by a grumbling non-com. Best to say all but one rifle has blanks, but load them all, and steel yourself to administer a coup-de-grace anyway. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-8-12 9:42:16 PM |
| #12 Sorry, is that 'culturally insensitive'? yes, and....that's bad, why? my only question is why put it on blocks. Every time I see this puke smiling I wonder why he's still alive... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-12 9:11:16 PM |
| #11 How about something more modern, like that nice romantic walk down the beach that they describe? Attach some jumper cables to his gonads, connect the other leads to a battery powered a Cutlass 442 sitting on blocks (for the wheel spin), douse him with a nice 6 foot wave while I rev the piss out of the motor to 7,000 RPM. Sorry, is that 'culturally insensitive'? |
| Posted by: Raj 2003-8-12 7:30:02 PM |
| #10 Yeah, I like it, too! Has potential to please the environmentalists (feeding the wildlife) and the anthropologists (feeding the natives), although PETA will bitch about the pig roast. Plus, there's a chance we can watch it all next year on the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week"! "Is he still smiling about his death sentence?" "I can't tell--does ululating sound anything like shrieking?" |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-8-12 7:11:48 PM |
| #9 OP - interesting - has a "win win" feel to it! ;-> |
| Posted by: ·com 2003-8-12 6:52:11 PM |
| #8 You know, I think Indonesia has this "death by firing squad" bit all wrong. I think it would be far more "humane" to paint these pieces of walking fecal matter with fresh pig's blood, and give them the option of swimming from Jakarta, on Java, to the island of Borneo, to the north. Escort them with a naval patrol boat, to make sure they don't turn back. Heck, even if they make it alive (it's a long swim through shark-infested waters), there are still headhunters and cannibals alive and well in Borneo. Saves the cost of convening a firing squad, the guys sending the vermin off can have a roast pig feast while the 'victim' is making his swim, and the inhabitants of Borneo get some much-needed protein. Of course, if, somehow, the scumbag manages to survive, it just means 'it was the will of Allah'. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-8-12 6:38:13 PM |
| #7 Given all the "gang that couldn't shoot straight" examples I've seen - so-called major gunbattles lasting hours - with NO casualties - I'd say, to be on the safe side, they need 200-300 in the firing squad, all using 50 cal weapons and all firing live rounds. Okay, ONE can be firing blanks - just to maintain the |
| Posted by: ·com 2003-8-12 6:26:05 PM |
| #6 Yep--that's why if I were on this firing squad, I'd aim for the groin or a knee so I could be sure. The uncertainty would otherwise torment me for the rest of my life. |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-8-12 5:55:05 PM |
| #5 "The reporter may have this wrong, it most likely is that two rifles are loaded with blanks and the other 12 have live rounds." Actually I find your version more unlikely - I've heard it before that firing squads often have *most* of the rifles filled with the blanks, so that the men involved can atleast think to themselves that most likely they weren't the ones whose bullets killed the convict in question. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2003-8-12 5:10:27 PM |
| #4 They didn't mention the cigarette. I guess the appeal was approved! |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-8-12 4:40:37 PM |
| #3 3 days eh? Not much notice for buyin' tickets. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-8-12 4:40:22 PM |
| #2 aim low boys.... |
| Posted by: ----------<<<<- 2003-8-12 4:20:05 PM |
| #1 what about the burial in a pig hide? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-12 4:18:16 PM |