donQTake on some manDownUnder

Aussie rights group blasts arrests in Bali
in The Star World (page) 49
graps desiderata's attention enough to wonder if some of these humanrights groups stretch logicalthinking a bit too far?
The AFP report reads:

SYDNEY: A rights group yesterady challenged Australia to say whether it is "exporting the death penalty" after Australian police assisted in the arrest of nine young Australian drug suspects in Indonesia, where they could face a firing squad.
Australian federal police had been tracking the eight men and a woman since February and tipped off Indonesian counterparts about a fortnight ago that the group planned to smuggle drugs via the resort island of Bali.
Five of the nine were detained at Bali's airport as they were about to fly here on Sunday. The four others were arrested at nearby hotels and a total of 11.25kg of heroin was recovered.
Terry O'Gorman, president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, said he could not undestand why Federal police did not wait to arrest the gang in Australia, which aabolished the death penalty in 1985. The last hanging was in 1065.
"What has to be answered by the Justice Minister Chris Ellison is why were these people arrested in Indonesia where it's already been said quite categorically that if found guilty, they will be executed," he said.
"If we're in effect exporting the death penalty of Australians to other countries, and if there has in effect been a change in government policy, then let's hear about it," O'Gorman said.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downder said the alleged offences were committed in Indonesia and its police had to be involved.
"People have to know though that trafficking drugs brings the death penalty in many countries, aprticularly in Asia," he said on Nine Network.
"If people don't understand that, they certainly will now."
However, Downer said Canberra would appeal for clemency whenever an Australian faced the death penalty overseas.
Ellison defended the decision taken by federal police. "You have to deal withthe situation at hand and when you're engaged in the fight against trafficking in illicit drugs ... of course yoyu can't think of what might happen -- you have to work on an operational basis."

Desiderata: If O'Gorman's line reflects the thinking of NGOs, it reinforces my hesitant acceptance of many of these humanrights NGOs' approaches to social-political issues, within and outside their countries of operations.

How does Austrlia export its death penalty when it has none in the first place?
How is there a change in government policy if Australia co-operates with other countries in crime prevention via the Interpol?

Maybe O'Gorman has critical faculties that work rings around my eyes?
He says he doesnot understand why the Aussie police could not wait; I also don't understand the manDownUnder either saying this. Wait, wait till the cows ( or is it 'roos?) come home with the drugs in their bellies?

If O'Gorman tells me that he prefers to wait for nine of his fellowkind to bring back the 11.25kg of drugs before acting, then I ask him does he want more of his mates (maybe thousands of young Australians dying slowly or instantly through quick fixes or overdose) before putting the nine behind bars for a number of years and then send them out onto the streets again on account of "good behaviour" in prison? Meanwhile, more young Australians continue to fall victim to drugloards and live a life of Walking Dead until they Fall Dead in King's Cross?

I cross my heart I can't accept thy logic, man from Down Under, or from Up Above!

As a Asian-born-and-bred, now I can see more clearly (I may not agree) why the Singapore Government barred a certain Timothy Barritt (of Amnesty International) from speaking at a public forum recently debating the death penalty in the isalnd republic. (Read desiderata's South of the Border, April 19, 2005.)

With due respect to cases like Barlow and Chambers (see desiderata's Two lucky countries, April 16, 2005), the cause of human rights aren't helped by the likes of O'Gorman's flawed arguments. I'm sorry I'm now more CONvinced that certain NGOS are merely echo-chambers of unsound minds and unsound songs.

To Downer's and Ellison's words, I say: Hear, hear to common sense. G'Day mates, just give it straight and strong to all the likes of O'Gorman of the world.