Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith rejects the contents of the recent released report by Fiji Human Rights Commission (FHRC) calling them "spurious suggestions". Undoubtedly, the Foreign Minister's reactions were simply obfuscated denials of the gross breach of International Law.
The rejections of Fiji Human Rights Commission(FHRC) released report, is obviously predictable belligerence from the MP representing Perth, Western Australia and also as a matter of curiosity, the Australia SAS is based in Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne, Perth according to Wikipedia.
Fiji Sun article excerpt:
Keep word, State told
Last updated 4/3/2008 8:28:40 AM
The report by the Fiji Human Rights Commission is another attempt to get the interim regime to avoid its commitment for a general election next year, says Australia’s Foreign Affairs minister Stephen Smith.
Speaking to the Fiji Sun yesterday, Mr Smith rejected the allegations made against Australian forces in the report saying it was another potential distraction from holding elections in 2009.
“This is just another device, another potential distraction to put the interim Fiji government, the military government, in the position of sliding out a faithful undertaking that it gave to Pacific nation states at the Pacific Island Forum in Tonga in 2007 that they would have an election by the end of March, next year,” he said.
Mr Smith said the interim regime needed to meet and fulfill its commitment to the Forum that a general election would be held as promised in early 2009.
“The best thing that can happen in Fiji is not spurious suggestions about Australian activity, but having an election, returning Fiji to democracy, respecting human rights and democracy and allowing a potentially very prosperous nation to get on with the job of providing for its citizens,” he said. Mr Smith said the allegations made were not new.
“We’ve seen these spurious allegations before from, effectively the interim regime which took power through military force, not through democratic means. They have been rejected in the past. We reject them again.”
He said the Australian military had previously pointed out that Australian military were effectively on stand-by in Fiji prior to the December, 2006 coup so as to ensure the safety and welfare of Australian nationals should it have become necessary.
Fiji Human Rights Commission director Dr Shaista Shameem said it was prompted to investigate Australia’s breach of international laws after the media’s failure to conduct an investigation into the matter. She pointed out the FHRC was an independent body that could publish investigation reports at any time.
“There is no mention of the takeover in the report, merely an Australian intervention in a sovereign nation before the Biketawa meeting took place.” She denied any military involvement in the compilation and preparation of the report pointing out that most of the information was from media reports in Australia, the region and Fiji.
Fiji Live(FL) article also covers the story.
The excerpt of FL article:
Australia rejects Fiji accusations
03 APR 2008
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says fresh accusations from Fiji about Australia are just an attempt to distract attention from the military Government, keeping democracy on hold.
His comment follows a report by the Fiji Human Rights Commission alleging that Australia had breached international law through its military activities before the December 5, 2006 coup.
According to the report, the Fiji military claimed at the time that Australia secretly sent SAS soldiers and weapons to Fiji and its navy ships entered Fiji waters in preparation for a potential intervention.
“We've seen these spurious allegations before,” Smith told ABC Radio yesterday.
“They've been rejected in the past, we reject them again.
“The Australian military were effectively on standby so as to ensure the safety and welfare of Australian nationals should that have become necessary,” Smith clarified.
He said the interim Government was using such methods to divert attention from its failure to prepare Fiji for elections next year as promised.
“This is just another device, another potential distraction to put the interim Fiji Government, the military Government, in the position of sliding out of a faithful undertaking that it gave to Pacific nation states.
“The best thing that can happen in Fiji is not spurious suggestions about Australian activity but having an election, returning Fiji to democracy, respecting human rights and democracy and allowing a potentially very prosperous nation to get on with the job of providing for its citizens,” Smith said.
Fijilive
Radio Fiji article also covers the denial by Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen
Allegations against Australia distraction
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Australia Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.
Australia Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says fresh accusations from Fiji about Australia are another attempt to distract attention from the Military Government here keeping democracy on hold.
Smith’s comment follows the Human Rights Commission report, which alleges Australia breached international law through its military activities ahead of the coups in 2006.
The report repeats claims by the Military at the time that Australia secretly sent SAS soldiers and weapons to Fiji and its navy ships entered Fiji waters in preparation for a potential intervention.
However, Smith told ABC Radio the allegations, which have been made before have been rejected.
Smith says the Australian military was on standby to ensure the safety and welfare of Australian nationals should that have become necessary.
He says the Military Government has used such methods to divert attention from its failure to prepare for elections next year as promised.
Smith says the best thing that can happen in Fiji is not spurious suggestions about Australian activity but having an election, returning Fiji to democracy and respecting human rights and democracy.
ABC article covers the initial story.
The transcript of ABC interview with FHRC Chair. Podcast of Pacific Beat.
Australia has been accused of helping spark the December 2006 coup in Fiji by sending military forces to the country. The allegation is made in a report by Fiji's Human Rights Commission. The report looks at events which led up to the December 5th coup, focusing on Australia's deployment of ships to nearby waters and an alleged contingent of Special Air Service soldiers who flew in on a commercial flight.
The Australian Defence Force confirmed at the time that Defence Supplementation staff were sent to assist the High Commission in Suva with communications, as part of what was described as routine precautionary measures. Commission chair, Doctor Shaista Shameem, says the presence of the SAS troops was detected by the Fiji Military Forces, whose commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, was at the time threatening to take over the government from the elected prime minister, Laisenia Qarase.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: Doctor Shaista Shameem, Chair Fiji Human Rights Commission
SHAMEEM: The mixed messages that were being reported in the press in Brisbane I think it was, but also in Canberra, prior to the vessels being sent out.; In fact, I think Kevin Rudd was the first person who introduced the idea of invoking or activating as he called it, the Biketawa agreement, and he kept saying let's get on with it, let's get on with it. He said that phrase twice in two different interviews. And it was the same evening that one of the ships, I think it was the Newcastle, actually left for Fiji waters and it was joined later on by the Kanimbla and the Success. So there are a lot of things being said which were quite different from the official position that the Australian Government was maintaining throughout, that it was in relation to the evacuation of Australian nationals. But that was in relation just to the sending of the ships.
The other problem was the presence of the SAS forces in Fiji that had arrived quite clandestinely and not having gone through customs procedures and so on and of course the RFMF new about them a little while later, because they were with the police tactical response team.
HILL: How were the SAS soldiers detected? Do you know how many of them there were and what their mission was?
SHAMEEM: Well, the official report is that they denied, the Australians have denied the SAS forces were there, but there were, our Army here obviously has its own intelligence sources. So they found them out and then the Australian defence advisory and the Australian High Commission here denied the presence of those forces and so the RFMF commander said that he would treat them as mercenaries. And it was at that point that the chief of defence in Australia rang him up and said no, they are SAS forces, they're mine and they then withdrew to the Australian embassy.
HILL: What were the SAS soldiers from Australia doing in Fiji?
SHAMEEM: No idea, you need to ask the Australians that. But what we do know is that they had bought with them more than 400 kilograms of something in big, sealed boxes, in silver boxes and which Downer said was communication equipment, but the RFMF said were weapons and ammunition.
HILL: Now the official story from Canberra was that ships were sent and they were outside Fiji waters in case there needed to be an emergency evacuation of Australian citizens. Is that what the report says? That they stayed outside Fiji waters?
SHAMEEM: Yes, that's what they said officially, because they were outside, they were going to stay outside Fiji territory. I think there was a lot of insistence on that point. But in fact when the civilian aircraft were sent to find them, they were found within Fiji waters.
HILL: How far inside Fiji waters?
SHAMEEM: Eh, off one of the islands actually.
HILL: Which one?
SHAMEEM: Vatulele.
HILL: Do you think that Australia was actually seriously planning to invade Fiji with some SAS troops and some ships?
SHAMEEM: Look, I think the evidence is all there and people can put a different light on that. What we're really looking at is the inconsistencies and the statements and exactly the fact situation. So if it was consistent with evacuation, we would have said yes, it looked like they were evacuating. But right from the beginning, in fact from November 3rd, there were a whole lot of inconsistent statements that were given by the Australian forces, politicians, Downer, Brendan Nelson, I think his name is, Mark Vaile, presumably was the acting prime minister at the time I think.
HILL: If this plan which your suggesting the Australians had to somehow intervene militarily in Fiji had gone ahead, what would the consequences of that have been do you think?
SHAMEEM: Well, I think, are we talking about a kind of an Iraq type situation, would we have been like Iraq in the Pacific or would it have been something a little bit low key? I mean really the horror of it is just unimaginable. So first of all of course the Australians would probably tell you that they had no intention of doing etc. etc. etc. but that's not the impression that everyone got, including the RFMF. But that's not the interesting question. Of course the interesting question is if the Australians had not been there, and if this had not been a threat as the RFMF thought, would December 5th happened anyway? Well how did it instigate? What happened on December the 5th, that is really the important question I think.
Fiji TV article.
Sydney Morning Herald article.
Australia Network news article.
Australian news article on Smith's denial.
Smith's furious rejections simply sends a message to other nations that, Australia does not respect the UN Charter and will single out and lecture others of human rights, democracy when they themselves, aside from the U.S, are colossal violators. Case in point the documented reports of Australian violations of Human Rights.
The only deflection of attention is definitely on Australia's part. Despite the newly elected Government led by Kevin Rudd, Australia's foreign policy may resume the trajectory set by John Howard's Government, which according to the Australian Review of Public Affairs(ARPA) article, Howard's Government had shown little interest in the U.N. However, the current Australian P.M Kevin Rudd has indicated the intention of seeking a seat in the U.N Security Council in 2013, according to VOA news article and that bid is probably Australia's way entering the big boys league, after languishing at the Kid's table for years.
A column in the Australian, suggests Rudd's honeymoon is coming to an end. Rudd is currently making the rounds in Washington as covered by Wall Street Journal, in reality, Rudd's Washington stop over was a signet ring kissing ceremony.
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