Aussie reputation in the gutters!

Australia had always been known for its sense of fair play or so we all thought.but since the affair of Dr Haneef,that has been proven to be a lie in so many ways.first of all these anti terror laws are so reminiscent of the Red hunt days in the united states especially during the McCarthy era.anyway these anti terror laws are more directed against the ordinary citizens and they literally trample over a persons civil rights as well as spit on those.it is right that every country in the world must have anti terror laws so as to deal with terrorists but when one frames such laws one should also take into account the countries constitution and the civil liberties framed under such.
In the case of Dr Haneef,that certainly did not happen.his civil rights were trampled by the Australian federal police who seem to be only too eager to break laws in their eagerness to frame Haneef for a crime that WAS not a crime in any one's eyes.lending a SIM card to a friend so that the talktime should not go to waste is something we all have done and still do.to use that as a pretext and to label that person as a terrorist is taking things too far.Haneef had been jailed under such dubious charges for nearly a month and in 'solitary confinement'.imagine getting locked up for nearly 23 hrs everyday all because you had lent your SIM card to your friend.
And what is really disgusting is the way that the federal police tried to cover their tracks once they realised their mistake.they tried to make false entries into Haneef's diary or so it is alleged and pretty much went on a publicity blitz labelling him as a terrorist to all and sundry and gave advice to the minister to deport him.the Australian government as well as the Federal police will have to answer some very serious charges to both the Australian public and the world.if anyone had seen the movie'mississippi burning',this case of Dr Haneef,resembles the case of those civil right activists who were falsely charged and then killed by the racist cops.
And now we have this admission that Dr Haneef is innocent but will the trauma end there.if one is proven to be wrong then the right thing to do is to make restitution.so far i do not think that the federal police or the immigration minister has shown any remorse or have apologised in any form or manner to Dr Haneef and his family for the trauma that they have put them through.the so called fair reputation of Australia is indeed in the gutters and the sooner they address this fiasco and make restitution,the sooner this reputation will be restored but i feel that it is too little,too late.

haneef,australia,immigration,police,

Down Under's Rep in shreds!

The case of Dr Haneef gets murkier by the day,not the case itself but the actions of the current Australian government.We all know that Dr Haneef had loaned his SIM card which had some balance talktime on it to one of his friends in Glasgow.we have all done this.we have all loaned our SIM cards to our friends especially if we did not want the talktime to go to waste.the judge had ruled fairly in Dr Haneef's case telling the federal authorities that the case against Dr Haneef was flimsy at the best and therefore he was granted bail by the said judge.
But to the surprise of all,the federal authorities have now placed Dr Haneef under detention once again under the pretext that he had failed the character test as per his visa rules and have therefore cancelled his visa and have placed him under detention.I ask you,how can we know what purpose the SIM cards that we have loaned,would be used for.it is not like we all have a crystal ball in our heads,maybe John Howard does have one in his head but we sure do not.what is more the Aussie minister in charge of Immigration had beed heard mentioning that more serious charges may be filed against Dr Haneef soon.all this smells fishy and rotten at that.Australia had always stood for laidback attitudes,fun time and most of all fairplay.but now it is that very reputation fairness that stands in the docket.it is not wonder that this case in particular has got so many aussies riled up.it has all the handimarks of the British dominion when they ruled Australia with an iron fist.
But I do not think that mr Howard has thought this out thoroughly.normally India would not interfere in another countries judicial progress but when it is a Kangaroo court that is being held,well,India will surely react,it is just a matter of time.single handedly John Howard has managed to put a big damper on relations with India as well as other Indian oceanic countries of late.by the time the next elections come around i would not be too surprised if Australia was 'personna non grata' in many of these countries.already India has taken a serious note of goings on in Australia.Australia,the land of kangaroos is currently holding a 'kangaroo court' session!well done!now you have something you can actually be proud of!