Intake of Guantanamo Bay inmates to Australia (1 Viewer)

[chicky_pie]

KEVIN Rudd should immediately reverse a decision to allow former Guantanamo Bay inmates to resettle in Australia, the Opposition said today.

Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed that Australia, along with a number of other countries, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

"Any determination for an individual to come to Australia would be made on a case-by-case basis," she said.

"For anyone to be accepted they would have to meet Australia's strict legal requirement and go through normal rigorous assessment processes."

The Australian said today terror suspects held at Guantanamo could be secretly resettled in Australia within the year.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said on Macquarie Radio the situation was unacceptable.

"It's only in this morning's report in The Australian that the Rudd government has made clear that it will accept these inmates of Guantanamo Bay," he said.

"One of the things that is most troubling ... is whether the Government would do so, accept former inmates from Guantanamo Bay, without disclosing that they have done so.

"This is why we need Mr Rudd to immediately and categorically reverse this decision to accept inmates of Guantanamo Bay for resettlement in Australia."

Mr Turnbull said the inmates could arrive in Australia as refugees through existing migration processes.

"They cannot be accepted on the basis that they go into custody, because they haven't committed any crime under Australian law," he said.

"So what (Mr Rudd) has agreed to, with the Americans, is to accept Guantanamo Bay inmates for resettlement in Australia in our community as migrants and that is completely and utterly unacceptable to the Australian people and it's certainly unacceptable to the Coalition."

Intake of Guantanamo Bay inmates to Australia unacceptable - Malcolm Turnbull | National News | News.com.au

Kevin Rudd wants them to come into our country, Malcolm Turnbull opposes it. I mean, seriously? We're now more likely to have a terrorist attack in our own soil if these scumbags enter into our beautiful society.

 

[Jessica14]

I wouldn't be so sure. Al Qaeda and other terrorist networks including Abu Sayyaf (our friends from the North) are skilled enough to execute acts of terrorism with or without any of these suspected terrorists. Obviously if they were to enter the country, our own national security will be all over them. If ASIO or someone of the like picked up even a glint of an imminent attack, who do you think they would investigate first?

 

[Enteebee]

Abu Sayyaf (our friends from the North) are skilled enough to execute acts of terrorism with or without any of these suspected terrorists.

What are they waiting for?

 

[jb_nc]

Malcolm Turnbull is putting the US-Australian alliance in jeopardy.

He also has drifted into political irrelevance.

 

[spiny norman]

He also has drifted into political irrelevance.

God, he really has.

The complete lack of options in the Liberal ranks is quite startling. I'm very glad that I'm not a Coalition supporter right now.

 

[Enteebee]

Joe Hockey maybe?

 

[bigb0yjames]

umm, it would've been easier to say no if we wernt fucking involved with the war on terror.

on a srs note, one needs to also understand that most of those in detention are let off Scott free without charge.

however, i also do not wish to see any of these gitmo detainees in this county. they should return to their homeland as refugees.

 

[Jessica14]

What are they waiting for?

A very good question. It makes me wonder if Australia is high up enough on the food chain for them to care about attacking us. Clearly, Jemaah Islamiyah thought that we were. Perhaps our defence force is too effective or maybe they are just waiting for the opportune moment. I cannot say for sure.

 

[bigb0yjames]

guys, on the world stage and on the war or terror....no1 gives a shit about australia. stop making it out like these terrorists care. they are more busy making plots to bring down america and thanking allah for the global financial crisis.

 

[Lentern]

I think this might be a non-event, we are talking about Guantanamo inmates being guilty of crimes has nothing to do with it.

 

[MissSarajevo]

why dont they just execute them. they are terrorists after all.

 

[zstar]

This well be great for the Australian economy as it will encourage visitors.

Imagine the new slogan.

"The war on tourism you bet ya"

 

[Jessica14]

why dont they just execute them. they are terrorists after all.

They assume that the detainees are terrorists. Gitmo is already in breach of their human rights. Execution is merely an elevation of what they're already doing, and the international community will not buy into it. Amnesty'll pressure the UN into condemning any such action and where will that leave the US? They need to do something with these detainees, but killing them outright is not an option.

If they are terrorists, returning them to their homelands may not be such a wise idea, bearing in mind that they have lived on a secure Marine base for possibly a few years.

 

[katie tully]

I don't give a shit either way, to be perfectly honest.

 

[Trefoil]

It absolutely amazes me how totally impotent Malcolm Turnball has become in the span of just a few months as Opposition Leader.

 

[Trefoil]

I agree with you completely Trefoil

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm, but I was actually semi-excited when he replaced Nelson. I thought maybe we'd get a more modern Liberal party that was also less socially conservative and focused instead on being the economic conservative party they're supposed to be (without being extremists like America's Libertarians and Republicans). I'd probably still only vote for them as a boycott vote against Labour (e.g. if Internet censorship goes ahead), but at least I'd respect them again, since a healthy democracy needs healthy opposition parties.

But nah, instead he fades into obscurity by becoming the guy who just blindly says the opposite of whatever KRudd does.