Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region.

A lie by any other name does not make a truth, unless you’re the AFP

A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its adversaries but rather by the fact that these adversaries finally die, and a new generation grows up familiar with the…

26 Comments

August 22, 2012

Accountability / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / International Law / Law / Law Enforcement / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands

The good intent of RAMSI is built on the corrupt sub-soil of the AFP

Misery is manifold. The wretchedness of earth is multiform. Overreaching the wide horizon like the rainbow, its hues are as various as the hues of that arch, as distinct too,…

21 Comments

August 20, 2012

ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Discrimination / Discrimination/Racism / Ernst & Young / Former Commissioner / Government / Human Rights / Refugee Policy / Refugees / Respect / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands / Stolen Generation

Charity begins at home

Charity begins at home. Some agree, some do not. But the simple fact is that our treatment of those close to us sets the foundations for our behaviours toward others.…

22 Comments

August 12, 2012

Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua

The limits of Shiva’s dance: West Papua, Australia’s role in genocide

West Papua is being exploited for it's resources, environmentally polluted and it's people fail to benefit from the profits.

28 Comments

July 5, 2012

Asia-Pacific / Corruption / Genocide / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Indonesia / International Law / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / United Nations

West Papua the Guernica of the 21st Century sans outrage

We were about eighteen miles east of Guernica when Anton pulled to the side of the road jammed on the brakes and started shouting. He pointed wildly ahead, and my…

30 Comments

June 17, 2012

The assassination of Mako Tabuni: the AFP is the devil in everyone’s democratic aspirations!

West Papua Rally, Melbourne 2012

Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Justice / Law Enforcement / Rule of Law / United Nations

The assassination of Mako Tabuni: the AFP is the devil in everyone’s democratic aspirations!

Indonesia's Detachment 88 has killed West Papuan independence activist Mako Tabuni.

25 Comments

June 15, 2012

Asia-Pacific / Culture / Environment / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / Justice / Mining / Neo-Colonialism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua

300,000 dead West Papuan’s: a fair price for our golems?

Sydney: city of mystery, city of marvels. Sydney: its foreshores once teeming with Gadigal; now a captive city pregnant with memories, enveloped by memories of a Gadigal Atlantis. The traditional…

25 Comments

May 24, 2012

Asia-Pacific / Culture / Discrimination/Racism / Environment / Equality / Equality of opportunity / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Law / Mining / Neo-Colonialism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua

Beware there be Jinn in the forests: Indonesia and West Papua, a clash of cultures

Last weekend I took a stroll through the Mesopotamia exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. While reading the commentary attached to a number of the artefacts I realised, in a profound…

23 Comments

May 20, 2012

ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Government / International Law / Law / Law Enforcement / Pacific Neighbours / Racism / Rule of Law

Melanesia and Indigenous Australia: white privilege and the ‘rule of law’

Robinson Crusoe is an allegory for modern colonialism.

20 Comments

May 14, 2012

Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Human Rights / International Law / Julian Moti / Justice / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / Racism / Respect / Rule of Law

AFP racism sparks diplomatic row between Australia and Vanuatu

On 2nd May, 2012 the Vanuatu Daily Post reported that Private Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Clarence Marae had been arrested at Sydney International Airport by the Australian Federal…

18 Comments

May 10, 2012

Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Environment / Genocide / Human Rights / Indonesia / Mining / Pacific Neighbours / Shared humanity / West Papua

Portia’s Lament: Western greed and the death of the indigenous cultures of West Papua

Fragments from the Alfoxden Notebook There he would stand In the still covert of some [lonesome?] rock, Or gaze upon the moon until its light Fell like a strain of…

19 Comments

May 9, 2012

Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / Fred Martens / Human Rights / Law / Law Enforcement / Respect / Rule of Law

Fred Martens a political pawn on the checked board of fate and corruption

"Upon my feeble knee, I beg this boon, with tears, not lightly shed" of my regular readers for my tardiness in posting over the last few weeks. I have been…

19 Comments

April 13, 2012

Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Australian Labor Party / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Justice / Law Enforcement / Racism / RAMSI / Rule of Law / West Papua

Vice-regal corruption: Australia and the UNSC

The Samoan Government has announced that Australian Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, will visit the country next week as part of a Pacific tour that also includes Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Solomon…

10 Comments

March 21, 2012

Asia-Pacific / Culture / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Human Rights / Justice / Law / Neo-Colonialism / Racism / Respect / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua

West Papua and the United Nations

July of 1969 was a big month. Whilst the ‘civilized’ world was focused on the deployment of three men to the moon, Indonesia was finalizing steps to wrest control of…

11 Comments

March 20, 2012

Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / PNG / Refugee Policy / Refugees / West Papua

Arma virumque cano

The more classically minded among Blak and Black’s readers will recognise the title of this post as being the opening words of Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid, "... sing of…

14 Comments

March 17, 2012

Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Democracy / Ernst & Young / Genocide / Globalisation / Human Rights / Indonesia / Mining / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / West Papua

Silence no longer so golden

Complicity takes many forms, as discussed in posts by both Bakchos and me. Many believe that silent complicity is the least culpable, but to my mind if the silence enables…

21 Comments

March 14, 2012

Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Equality / Government / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / PNG / Rule of Law

Corruption and accountability: the AFP in the Asia/Pacific region

The criminal justice system consists of three main parts: (1) Legislative (create laws); (2) adjudication (courts); and (3) corrections (prisons, probation, parole, fines, community service). In a criminal justice system,…

20 Comments

March 12, 2012

Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Fred Martens / Government / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / PNG / Racism / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands

An ‘Ethics Commissioner’ without ethics: welcome to Australia

Yesterday, Thursday I received a phone call from Captain Fred Martens, the man who spent a 1,000 days in jail, having been wrongly convicted of an offence under Australia’s Child…

20 Comments

March 9, 2012

Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Australian Labor Party / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Fred Martens / Government / Julian Moti / Justice / Law Enforcement / PNG / Racism / Rule of Law

Martens, Moti and the ‘rule of law’ in Australia

Captain Fred Martens, whom I have written extensively about on Blak and Black in the past, was employed as a commercial pilot flying light aircraft within PNG and between PNG…

16 Comments

March 6, 2012

Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corporate responsibility / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Ernst & Young / Government / Human Rights / Indonesia / Mining / Racism / West Papua

Copper and gold: the blood diamonds of West Papua

Ernst & Young has its fingers in projects that disadvantage Indigenous people across the world, including in West Papua.

11 Comments

February 22, 2012

Asia-Pacific

A lie by any other name does not make a truth, unless you’re the AFP

The good intent of RAMSI is built on the corrupt sub-soil of the AFP

Charity begins at home

The limits of Shiva’s dance: West Papua, Australia’s role in genocide

West Papua the Guernica of the 21st Century sans outrage

The assassination of Mako Tabuni: the AFP is the devil in everyone’s democratic aspirations!

300,000 dead West Papuan’s: a fair price for our golems?

Beware there be Jinn in the forests: Indonesia and West Papua, a clash of cultures

Melanesia and Indigenous Australia: white privilege and the ‘rule of law’

AFP racism sparks diplomatic row between Australia and Vanuatu

Portia’s Lament: Western greed and the death of the indigenous cultures of West Papua

Fred Martens a political pawn on the checked board of fate and corruption

Vice-regal corruption: Australia and the UNSC

West Papua and the United Nations

Arma virumque cano

Silence no longer so golden

Corruption and accountability: the AFP in the Asia/Pacific region

An ‘Ethics Commissioner’ without ethics: welcome to Australia

Martens, Moti and the ‘rule of law’ in Australia

Copper and gold: the blood diamonds of West Papua

RAMSI - the scion of the juggernaut of greed

AFP accused of fabricating evidence, yet again!

Moti affair

Moti affair

Moti appeal exposes mixed loyalties and judicial corruption

Moti end game

Letters to the editor: Article by Bakchos

Co-operate or else! AFP thuggery for a white Australia

The strange case of Bill Johnson, a study in neo-colonial hypocrisy

Neo-colonialism in the Torres Strait

Moti and other affairs

Comment: Excellent Read