DESPITE warnings and appeals of the government, another Filipina was arrested for carrying 1.193 kilograms of heroin in Indonesia.

Reports reaching the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Filipina was apprehended by the Indonesian Customs and Excise Officers at the Adi Sumarmo Airport in Solo, Central Java on April 3.

The woman, who took an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said she was paid $8,000 to carry the illegal substance. She said a Filipino member of an international drug syndicate recruited her for the job.

The Philippine Embassy in Jakarta is providing assistance to the Filipina to ensure that her rights are respected.

The Philippine Government has a strong anti-illegal drug policy, and is closely cooperating with law enforcement agencies in other countries on efforts against anti-drugs trafficking. The DFA is also aiding other Filipinos facing drug charges in other countries.

China put to death three Filipino drug couriers on March 30.

There are 73 Filipinos in China given death penalties with two year reprieves, which in Philippine legal parlance is equivalent to life imprisonment.   In China, drug trafficking of 50 grams or more of illegal drugs is punishable by 15 years in prison, life imprisonment or death.

In most Muslim countries, drug trafficking is punishable by death.