Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region.

What values do we want to bequeath to our children?
Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Australian Labor Party / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Racism / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands / Xenophobia

What values do we want to bequeath to our children?

Do we want to bequeath the next generation a society where those with money and influence are exempted from the legal accountability?

18 Comments
November 7, 2011
Accountability / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Hypocrisy / International Law / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / Racism / RAMSI / Rule of Law

AusAIDing and Abetting Corruption

Since writing my article Australia in the Solomons: A case study in 21st Century Gunboat Diplomacy I have had the opportunity to do some more research into AusAID and its…

9 Comments
October 26, 2011
Accountability / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / International Law / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / Racism / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands

Australia in the Solomons: A case study in 21st Century Gunboat Diplomacy

Update: Subsequent to writing this post the Solomon Start has published an article which confirms much of what Blak and Black has been arguing concerning RAMSI's role in the Solomon…

11 Comments
October 19, 2011
Accountability / ACT Government / Asia-Pacific / Australian Federal Police / Australian Labor Party / Commonwealth Ombudsman / Corruption / Discrimination/Racism / Government / Human Rights / Justice / Law / Law Enforcement / PNG / Police / Racism / Rule of Law

ALP corruption, a suicide in the AFP and death threats made against a three year old – Human Rights Australian style

The following post has been written by a colleague of mine from Papua New Guinea (PNG). I first met Pius in 1996 when I was working for the Papua New…

4 Comments
October 15, 2011
Asia-Pacific / Assimilation / Culture / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Environment / Equality / Equality of opportunity / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide / Globalisation / Human Rights / Indonesia / International Law / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Rule of Law / United Nations

You can’t preach the moral high ground and walk in the gutter: Australia and West Papua

Recurrent themes in Australian politics since the events of 9/11 and the beginning of the euphemistically though erroneously named ‘war on terror’ have been national security, border protection and exporting…

4 Comments
October 8, 2011
Complicity, obligation and mutual respect
Accountability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Defence Force / Australian Federal Police / Corruption / Culture / Discrimination/Racism / Environment / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide by stealth / Globalisation / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / International Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Racism / RAMSI / Respect / Rule of Law

Complicity, obligation and mutual respect

White privilege operates on a system complicity in which the beneficiaries, consciously or otherwise, accept the genocide of Indigenous peoples around the world.

15 Comments
September 27, 2011
Asia-Pacific / Corporate profit / Corruption / Culture / Democracy / First Nations/Indigenous / Genocide by stealth / Human Rights / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / RAMSI / Rule of Law / Solomon Islands / United Nations

Has the Pacific Islands Forum (“PIF”) become a tool for white neo-colonial interests?

The progress of human society, has in different ages, presented abundance of horrors and abundance of vices, which in treating history properly, we are obliged to pass over gently, and…

26 Comments
September 19, 2011
Accountability / Arc of instability / Asia-Pacific / Australian Defence Force / Australian Federal Police / Commonwealth Government / Corporate profit / Corruption / Democracy / Discrimination/Racism / Equality / First Nations/Indigenous / Government / Human Rights / Hypocrisy / Indonesia / International Law / Law Enforcement / Neo-Colonialism / Pacific Neighbours / PNG / Racism / Rule of Law / Shared humanity / Solomon Islands

Fear and Trembling – Australia’s gutless approach to the genocide in Papua

The following article appeared in Friday’s Jakarta Post: Maj. Gen. Wisnu Bawatenaya has been appointed to become commander of the Indonesian Army Special Forces (Kopassus) replacing Maj. Gen. Lodewijk F…

21 Comments
September 13, 2011
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
Beware the tolling bell
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

Across the world the common factor in regional conflicts is inequality and no-one is immune to the consequences.

12 Comments
September 10, 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