Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region.

Accountability / ACT Government / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / International Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Racism / RAMSI / Respect / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands / Stanhope Government / United Nations

The wisdom of Miles Jordana: Hidden in plain sight

The following is a modified version of an article which first appeared in the Fiji Sun on 12 September, 2011 and which Blak and Black has linked to since publishing…

21 Comments
September 12, 2011
Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Equality of opportunity / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / International Law / Julian Moti / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands / United Nations

Beware the tolling bell

“Nunc Lento Sonitu Dicunt, Morieris” (Now this bell, tolling softly for another, says to me, Thou must die.) I have long loved John Donne’s Meditation XVII; it remains pause for…

12 Comments
September 10, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / First Nations/Indigenous / Fred Martens / Government / Human Rights / Indonesia / Julian Moti / Law Enforcement / Racism / Refugees / SIEV X / Solomon Islands / West Papua

A call for a Royal Commission into the AFP

“A State cannot claim to be operating under the rule of law unless laws are administered fairly, rationally, predictably, consistently and impartially.” (Chief Justice Spigelman, as he then was, in…

31 Comments
August 31, 2011
Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / Government / Law Enforcement / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Propaganda / RAMSI / Refugees / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands / Stanhope Government

Injustice within Justice

I have borrowed the title from Michael Stolleis' oxymoronically titled book Justice within Injustice which is about, oxymoronically, justice in the Third Reich. After having read Stolleis' essays, in which…

24 Comments
August 16, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Defence Force / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Democracy / Government / Human Rights / Law Enforcement / PNG / RAMSI / Respect / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands / Stanhope Government

AFP corruption and their per diem

In the 1960s Donald Horne observed, "Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck." This observation was followed in the 1990s by Paul Keating when…

22 Comments
August 13, 2011
Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / RAMSI / Rule of Law

Disguised extradition, Bennett, Tollman and Moti

In 1896 J. B. Moore, with what turned out to be prophetic insight, drew attention to the possibility of the immigration laws of the United States being utilised for the…

15 Comments
August 2, 2011
ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination / Discrimination/Racism / Education / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / India / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Racism / Respect / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Tertiary / White Australia

No amount of education will ever make us white

The following is a letter I received from a reader of Blak and Black and the Fiji Sun, talking about his experiences as a Pakistani/Australian living in Australia’s Capital, Canberra: Dear…

25 Comments
July 31, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Commonwealth Ombudsman / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Indonesia / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours

Gratuitous acts of racism in Australia’s capital, Canberra!

In fact, the worst offender of institutionalised discrimination and marginalisation of Aboriginal people is the government.—Neil Gillespie, head of the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement Inc, South Australia ('Poor health, racism…

3 Comments
July 6, 2011