Chika Honda was born in Japan in 1956. In 1992 she joined a tour group to holiday in Australia. During a stop over in Malaysia, her suitcase was stolen, and was replaced by a local tour guide. When she arrived in Melbourne airport, customs found her suitcase lined with heroin. This case later became known as 'The Melbourne Case.'
Chika Honda has maintained her innocence of the crime she was convicted of. Chika Honda currently lives and works as a waitress in Japan. Her lawyers have written to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and are preparing an application for pardon.
This is the story of Chika Honda.
Chika is a real person. She is a Japanese woman who
spent a decade in Australian jails for a crime she has always insisted
she did not commit. She was one of a Japanese tour group who were
arrested for importation of heroin in 1992. She was released on parole
in November 2002 and is now living in Japan.
CHIKA is a multi-layered production
and contemporary story telling, crossing genres of journalism, visual
and performing arts, incorporating original live music, dance and
narration, documentary images, archival video and recorded interviews.
Cite/attribute Resource.
clearchika. (2008, February 02). CHIKA: A Documentary Performance - an excerpt. Retrieved February 11, 2012, from EngageMedia Web site: http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/clearchika/videos/chika.mov.