BRIBE CLAIM IN THAI DRUG CASE

CORRUPT Thai police tried to solicit a $17,500 bribe for the release of a
Perth woman accused of trafficking heroin, according to the woman's sister.

Holly Deane-Johns, 29, was arrested on Thursday last week at Bangkok's
central post office after allegedly trying to post an envelope containing
15g of heroin to Australia. The post office is a known site for drug smuggling.

Drug trafficking carries the death penalty in Thailand, which is notorious
for its horrific jails and quick-fire legal system.

Ms Deane-Johns"Australian family were not told about the arrest until early
Wednesday morning despite the seriousness of the charges.

The accused woman's sister, Amy Deane-Johns, 27, was asleep in her Hocking
home about 2am when she was woken by a call from a man claiming to be a
Thai police officer.

In broken English, the man told Ms Deane-Johns he was holding her sister in
a room away from other police and without the knowledge of his superiors.

He said she had been caught with heroin and he would hand her to his
superiors and charge her if a bribe was not offered.

The man suggested the sum of US$10,000.

He said the woman would be charged with trafficking and would face the
death penalty if the money was not paid,

During the conversation, the officer ordered Ms Deane-Johns to call him
back from a public phone booth on another number.

He said Thai police would hold her sister in a hotel room for three days
and until the bribe money was paid.

But he said the drug trafficking charge would be formalised if Ms
Deane-Johns alerted authorities that a bribe had been suggested. After Ms
Deane-Johns spent 12 hours making frantic phone calls and racing to 24-hour
service stations looking for change for the public phone, the Thai police
officer increased the bribe figure to $35,000.

But the negotiations stopped when the officer realised Ms Deane-Johns did
not have a passport and would not be able to meet his demands.

On Wednesday night, officials in Canberra contacted Ms Deane-Johns to say
her sister was being held for drug trafficking.

They said she had been charged over 15g of heroin in the envelope and
another 15g found in her house. She also was charged over 110g of heroin
which was found in Victorian Robert Sydney Halliwell's house in Thailand.

Ms Deane-Johns said her sister had a serious stomach disease which required
urgent surgery and had had several operations to remove parts of her bowel
and intestine.

Ms Deane-Johns said the horrific conditions in the Thai prison would have a
severe effect on her sister's health.