Mary Jane Veloso, who spent almost 15 years in an Indonesian prison for drug trafficking, was allowed to return home after Indonesia and the Philippines signed a “practical arrangement” deal on December 6, after a decade of pleading from Manila. In a tearful interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Veloso described the decision as being “like a miracle when I have lost all hope”. “For almost 15 years I was separated from my children and parents, and I could not see my children grow up,” she said.
“I wish to be given an opportunity to take care of my children and to be close to my parents.” Veloso, who will turn 40 next month, was arrested in 2010 at an airport in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, where officials discovered about 2.6 kilograms (5.
7 pounds) of heroin hidden in her luggage. The single mother of two sons was convicted and sentenced to death. Veloso has maintained her innocence throughout her 14 years of incarceration.
She has spent her time in prison designing Indonesian batik clothing, painting, tailoring and learning other skills. Just before midnight on Sunday, she was escorted through a crush of reporters outside a female prison in Yogyakarta into a waiting van that took her to Jakarta, about 460 kilometres (285 miles) away. Wearing a black T-shirt and dark pants, she made only a brief comment to reporters, saying, “I’m so happy.
Thank you so much and Merry Christmas!” from behind the vehicle’s window. Veloso’s case caused a .
