Is it the government's role to evacuate people from Lebanon? (3 Viewers)

[ujuphleg]

I'd say that yes, it definatley is the governments role to evacuate people from Lebanon. (where people in this case is defined as Australian citizens)

Why?

Because, in the front of every Australian Passport it states

The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia being the representative in Australkia of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth the Second, requests al those whom it may concern to allow the bearer, an Australian Citizen, to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford him or her every assistance and protection of which he or she may stand in need

As someone who had to fight for my citizenship, I take my rights and obligations that come with it very seriously. I would have no hesitation in defending the sovereignty of Australia in combat, as well as voting etc. Similarly though, I take the privelages which are accorded to me as a citizen very seriously. The Australian Citizens in Lebanon are clearly "in need" (as requisitioned by the above quote) and thus should be afforded the protection to leave the country as soon as possible.

 

[loquasagacious]

And going back to ancient times the origin of the passport is a guarantee of protection by its issuer. eg a holder of a french passport in germany was under the protection of the french crown....

 

[Raginsheep]

I was under the impression that when I obtained my Australian citizenship that the government(country) would do all it could to help me if I was in trouble and in return I would help the country in times of need.

 

[_dhj_]

I was under the impression that when I obtained my Australian citizenship that the government(country) would do all it could to help me if I was in trouble and in return I would help the country in times of need.

Nope sorry that's only for capital a Anglo Australians.

 

[Serius]

hmm save hot chicks eh?
Its lebanon, somehow i dont think there are going to be any hot chicks and even if there were one or two, chances are they dont put out because they are muslim or fundamentalist roman catholic.

 

[_dhj_]

hmm save hot chicks eh?
Its lebanon, somehow i dont think there are going to be any hot chicks and even if there were one or two, chances are they dont put out because they are muslim or fundamentalist roman catholic.

No way. Middle eastern chicks are totally hot dude.

 

[banco55]

This operation is going to cost 20 + million and I think the americans are making their evacuees pay the government back so the australian government hasn't abandoned anyone.

 

[banco55]

I hope the royal navy takes this guy up in one of their chinook helicopters and pushes him out when they reach a thousand feet or so:

"Omar Bakri Mohammed, the controversial Islamic preacher banned from returning to Britain, has begged the Royal Navy to rescue him from Beirut.

The Muslim cleric, who left Britain for Lebanon in August last year, has already tried and failed to board a British ship heading out of the region. He also wrote to the British embassy to plead for special treatment on "humanitarian grounds".


"I am appealing on behalf of my children who are worried and they want to see their own father", Bakri said on BBC Radio 4.
The preacher claimed he was not looking for a permission to live in Britain, only for a short visit. However, his hopes were dashed when John Reid, the Home Secretary, promised to enforce an exclusion order issued by predecessor Charles Clarke. Now Bakri is requesting British help to escape from the conflict zone to Cyprus, where he could meet up with his family.
He insists that despite being in a neighbourhood targetted by Israeli bombers, he's not concerned about his personal safety. His wife today urged the Government to take pity on her husband, saying that their six children- the youngest aged seven - miss their father.
Bakri spent more than 20 years in Britain but his activities with the now-disbanded radical Islamic group al-Muhajiroun that he founded brought him into conflict with the authorities. He was banned from Finsbury Park mosque because of his radical teachings."



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/21/ubakri.xml

 

[dilroy]

We should only help the Australian tourists who visit Lebanon, the other part of the 25,000 pricks who are claiming to be "Australian" can go into Israel and sing the Lebanese National Anthem for all I care. Of coarse I'm talking about the fools who live in Lebanon and carry around an Australian citizenship only for convenience, they deserve to pay their way out and Australian tax payers money should not go towards such filth.

I also hate how they are whinging about how the Australian government is not trying to help them fast enough when some of these buttload pricks have been living in Lebanon for who knows how long, they should also realise that it isn't easy to evacuate so many!

It makes me grumpy, tax money is going towards waste material! RaaaaH!

 

[*Minka*]

Hey. Watch what you are saying there.

I am Australian, however I am Croatian by birth and still visit the country a lot because I do still have a lot of family and friends there who are important to me. Just because you have dual citizenship doesn't make you filth, nor does visiting the country of your birth. It means that while you are an Australian, you still value the place you came from and the people there. The Government should help and protect its citizens because that is what they are there for in theory. Yes, I sometimes live in Split or Zagreb for a few weeks a year visiting family and friends and hanging around the places I grew up in, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate Australia or think my passport means nothing.

Having two passports doesn't make you a bad person.

 

[withoutaface]

I was under the impression that when I obtained my Australian citizenship that the government(country) would do all it could to help me if I was in trouble and in return I would help the country in times of need.

Depends, can you be conscripted for the Australian army if you're living overseas?

 

[Raginsheep]

I know of people who have returned to Korea to serve their conscription in the army. If conscription was still in force in Australia, I'd assume it would be a condition of citizenship unless you qualify for exemptions.

 

[Enlightened_One]

There was a debate on Insiders last Sunday about citizenship. As was pointed out being a citizen is more than just having citizenship papers. It seems like a lot of people get Australian papers only for emergencies, but otherwise want nothing to do with the country. As one of the presenters stated, he used to have Dutch citizenship but they revoked it because he did not return there often enough to really be a citizen. Perhaps Australia should consider a similar test.

Anyway, what does everybody exxpect the Australian government to do? In East Timor and Indonesia there were no opposing armies which might accidently (or in the case of Hezzbollah, intentionally) shoot down our military aircraft. And East Timor and Indonesia are both on our doorstep. We have the forces, man power and nearby assets to mount successful evactuations. Lebanon is on the other side of the world.

The Lebanese government does have a duty to them. They are not at war with Israel. It is a terrorist organisation beyond the reach of the government that is causing the problems, not the Lebanese government. Lebanon could not fulfil their duty to protect their citizens by bringing this radical element to heal so it is upto them to try and remove their citizens from the line of fire and reduce collateral damage. Whether or not they actually have a hope of doing this is another question.

 

[banco55]

There was a debate on Insiders last Sunday about citizenship. As was pointed out being a citizen is more than just having citizenship papers. It seems like a lot of people get Australian papers only for emergencies, but otherwise want nothing to do with the country. As one of the presenters stated, he used to have Dutch citizenship but they revoked it because he did not return there often enough to really be a citizen. Perhaps Australia should consider a similar test..

I personally hope they end dual citizenship.

 

[SashatheMan]

i think our government is doing plenty to help those people, i dont see why people complain they dont.

 

[Nesty]

yes it is. cos they are aussies as well. a country has responibility to protect its citizens. no matter where they came from before they become citizen.

 

[ujuphleg]

As one of the presenters stated, he used to have Dutch citizenship but they revoked it because he did not return there often enough to really be a citizen. Perhaps Australia should consider a similar test.

They do. Sort of.

To maintain Permanent Resident status in Australia, you must live here for 3 out of 5 years at a time. There are certain exemptions, for example, the last 5 years before I got my citizenship I was only here for a year, but because I was an Australian expatriate (ie. a dependent accompanying an Australian citizen) it didn't count.

You usually have to be a Permanent Resident for 10 years before being able to apply for citizenship status. I will concede though that once you have citizenship you don't have to stay here anymore.

There needs to be more comprehensive testing for citizenship. The "general knowledge" question I was asked was "Who is the Prime Minister?" - uh, like duh?!

I personally hope they end dual citizenship.

Why?

Depends, can you be conscripted for the Australian army if you're living overseas?

Its a condition of your citizenship that you must serve if conscripted UNLESS you can provide a valid excuse. (the only usually exceptable ones would be studying overseas or caring for elderly/sick relatives overseas)

Even then, once your obligations are fufilled you'd have to come back and serve ASAP.

 

[Raginsheep]

Actually dual citizenship is not recognised in Lebanon afaik. Australia recognises dual citizenship to the extent that you do not automatically forfeit your Australian passport if you take up the citizenship of another country. If you however entered a country on your non-Australian passport, then officially the government has no obligation to assist you.

 

[HotShot]

to be honest wiht u i didnt like wen the lebanesse flashed out their aus citizenship to be rescued - it just looked as if they were using us.

to answer the question directly: yes it is the government roles- you have seen other countries evacuate their citizens in numerous situtations.

why? thats part of the definition of citizenship when you become a citizen of australia - the first question they ask you is basicall if you are trouble in an other country where do you go? to the australian embassy.

but this was a more desperate situation - war, these ppl were very desperate they being bombed and in dnot like a lot of u understand thatbeing bombed isnt pretty.
wiht little suppllies 0 you would want to leave anyway possible.

The australian government to behonest has done very little tohelp these ppl, and they were far too slow. they should have been evacuated as soon it started especially if you are expecting 25000 ppl i mean srs.

 

[Raginsheep]

But what exactally do you expect them to do when you say "they should've evacuated them faster"? We're are literally on the other side of the world, we don't have sufficient military assets in the region like the UK. Its easy wish that things moved faster but in reality I think the government's actions so far have been resonable.