Your luggage is missing -- but later found -- looted and torn.

Your tour guide kindly replaces the torn luggage and you are off to the next airport -- only to be arrested, tried and convicted for smuggling heroin in your replacement luggage!

Yes, if caught in Malaysia or Singapore, you would most likely be dead, even if you are really innocent. But even if your life gets to be spared in a country like Australia, would you want to spend 10 to 15 years in prison for something that you did not do, especially when you don't even speak the language and when your lawyers don't even make enough effort to communicate with you because of the language barriers?

That is what happened to 5 Japanese who have been wrongly imprisoned in Australia for drug charges for 10 to 13 years now. 4 have been released on parole back in Japan since Nov. 2002 while one still serves his term in Fulham Correctional Centre, Victoria. A group of Japanese laywers have brought this case to the U.N. High Commisioner of Human Rights, known as Communication 1154/2003, Katsuno and others v. Australia. Australia has responded by denying the allegations made against it. Documents submitted to and received from the U.N. are obtainable. For more information regarding this case, please go to ;

www.themelbournecase.com and www.mayu.com.au/chika

Katsuno, Masaharu -56 years old (to date) -15 years sentence -served 10 1/2 years, returned to Japan on parole since November, 2002	Katsuno, Mistuo -49 years old (to date) -15 years sentence - - served 10 1/2 years, returned to Japan on parole since November, 2002	Katsuno, Yoshio -47 years old ( to date) -25 years sentence later reduced to 20 years -still serves at Fulham Correctional Centre, Vic. -Due for parole in 2006	Asami, Kiichiro -73 years old (to date) - 15 years sentence - served 10 1/2 years, returned to Japan on parole since November, 2002	Honda, Chika -49 years old ( to date) -15 years sentence served 10 1/2 years, returned to Japan on parole since November, 2002