We repeat ,when is anybody in Territory politics and the local media going to raise in depth the fact that the French energy company ,Total , a partner in the proposed INPEX project, deals with the brutal Burmese military regime? There are Burmese refugees in the Darwin detention centre , some even staged a demonstration on the roof . Burmese were found drifting in a large ice box off the coast.
There are Burmese refugee camps on the Thai border . Burmese refugees were discussed at a weekend conference in Darwin and a Burmese resident got a short run on TV.
A recent TV report about Australia’s new refugee exchange deal with Malaysia showed large buildings in that country where refugees are housed,one said to be mainly filled with Burmese who have fled the murderous military junta in their homeland. In an ABC interview just this week, highly respected businessman, public servant and diplomat , John Menadue, who worked for PMs Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, once general manager of News Limited, made an informed comment about refugees and boat people.
A recent TV report about Australia’s new refugee exchange deal with Malaysia showed large buildings in that country where refugees are housed,one said to be mainly filled with Burmese who have fled the murderous military junta in their homeland. In an ABC interview just this week, highly respected businessman, public servant and diplomat , John Menadue, who worked for PMs Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, once general manager of News Limited, made an informed comment about refugees and boat people.
A former head of the Immigration Department, he said most of the refugees Australia would take from Malaysia would probably be Burmese . He also convincingly demolished the misleading and vicious,divisive hogwash being trumpeted about boat people by Tony Abbott and the Conservatives.
A short time ago , during the early stages of the uprising in Libya, the NT News ran an obviously syndicated feature about the world’s dictators which described the head of the Burmese junta as a superstitious wacko with millions from exploitation of the nation’s resources in his pocket.
A short time ago , during the early stages of the uprising in Libya, the NT News ran an obviously syndicated feature about the world’s dictators which described the head of the Burmese junta as a superstitious wacko with millions from exploitation of the nation’s resources in his pocket.
So here in Lotus Land , salivating over the megabucks to be made from the INPEX project,it could be said blood money from the oppression of the Burmese nation is contributing to that perceived bonanza and nobody in government or the media here is asking valid ,in depth questions or making any statement on this important moral issue. President Sarkozy of France is on record as having been unhappy with Total's involvement with the Burmese crooks, allegations made that "slave labour " had been used to build pipelines .
On TV last night Aung San Suu Kyi,denied the right to legally lead the Burmese government , locked up for 23 years , appealed to Australia for help and said the recent sham election in Burma had achieved nothing , saying hundreds of political prisoners were locked up. The report went on to urge Australia not to invest in any more oil and gas ventures in her country.
On TV last night Aung San Suu Kyi,denied the right to legally lead the Burmese government , locked up for 23 years , appealed to Australia for help and said the recent sham election in Burma had achieved nothing , saying hundreds of political prisoners were locked up. The report went on to urge Australia not to invest in any more oil and gas ventures in her country.
As the global community is increasingly taking collective action against dictators and human rights are raised between the Australian PM and China on official visits , is the Territory government,in its close association with the Inpex parties, using its influence to try and improve the plight of the Burmese populace? If not , why not ? The silence is deafening and the Burmese torture and plunder continues.
STOP PRESS: Since posting the above, it has been announced that Chief Minister Paul Henderson is off to Aberdeen,Scotland,to learn about what is involved in becoming an oil and gas service centre , as planned for Darwin, and then going to Singapore to have talks with Total. Now is surely the time for local reporters to ask the Chief Minister if he is going to raise the plight of the Burmese with Total.
Cheeky Little Darwin, suspecting the local media would be too timid to follow up this issue, had prepared a list of questions to ask Total, the Chief Minister and INPEX about the Burmese situation. We are happy to make that list available to any reporter unable to frame meaningful questions unless it deals with what you would do in the event that your pet goldfish dies or if you wear shoes made from crocodile skin.
Cheeky Little Darwin, suspecting the local media would be too timid to follow up this issue, had prepared a list of questions to ask Total, the Chief Minister and INPEX about the Burmese situation. We are happy to make that list available to any reporter unable to frame meaningful questions unless it deals with what you would do in the event that your pet goldfish dies or if you wear shoes made from crocodile skin.
