'Prabhakaran's daughter's 20th birthday bash in London quite unusual
and bizarre' - Australian MP, Don Randall
ADDRESS: Don Randall, a senior member of the Federal Parliament of
Australia and Chairman of the Australia-Sri Lankan Friendship Group MP
told Parliament last week that Prabhakaran's daughter's lavish 20th
birthday bash in Britain is rather "unusual and bizarre" because "the
British listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation was supposed to
stop travel and flow of money to terrorist organizations."
He said: "I am concerned about the fact that, while the British may
have listed the LTTE, their sanctions do not seem to be as strong as
they could be, because I understand that this weekend in Britain the
Tamil terrorist leader Prabhakaran will be in London celebrating his
daughter's 20th birthday.
I find this quite unusual. He is putting on a lavish function for her
birthday in London, yet this listing is supposed to do something about
stopping travel and the flow of money to terrorist organizations.
As a result I find this quite unusual, quite bizarre, and I would be
surprised that the British would be very supportive of this. Here he is
living a lavish lifestyle, yet the child soldiers that he forcibly
recruits to act on his behalf have to carry cyanide pills around their
neck in case they are caught. So I find that quite disappointing as
well."
He also vowed in his latest speech in Parliament to pressure both the
Attorney-General and the Foreign Minister "to consider proscribing the
LTTE as a terrorist group."
He added: "I find it quite unusual. In December 2001, the Foreign
Minister listed the LTTE; however the listing of the LTTE does not have
the same definition and the same sanctions as does the proscribed
listing of a terrorist organization. So I will be writing to those two
Ministers, asking that we take that on board, as has been done by the
United States, Britain and Canada.
Can I say that I will be suggesting to the Foreign Minister and the
Attorney-General that they list the LTTE using the same model as the
Canadian model, which has variations from the US model and variations
from the British model."
Here is the full text of Randall's speech:
In the limited time that I have, I would like to speak briefly on two
subjects in this debate on the appropriation bills. The first one is
following on a debate which I had in the House last week regarding the
Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. As I said, I am the chair of the
Parliamentary friendship group with Sri Lanka. Since that debate, I have
had an enormous amount of e-mail from and contact with the Sri Lankan
community.
Even this Monday, there were some 400 members of the Tamil community
demonstrating outside this place because they are concerned about the
listing of the LTTE, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, by the
European Union.
As a result, quite rightly, a number of people from the Tamil
community in Australia demonstrated, as they did all over the world,
about this potential listing by the European Union. Three members of
that protest group came to my office to talk to me about my speech in
this House, and I was very happy to talk with them and I have undertaken
to talk with them further, because I need to be balanced in terms of the
position I hold.
However, what I am telling the House today is that I intend, as an
addition to my speech last week, to write to both the Foreign Minister
and the Attorney-General to ask that Australia consider proscribing the
LTTE as a terrorist group. I find it quite unusual.
In December 2001, the Foreign Minister listed the LTTE; however, the
listing of the LTTE does not have the same definition and the same
sanctions as does the proscribed listing of a terrorist organization.
So I will be writing to those two ministers, asking that we take that
on board, as had been done by the United States, Britain and Canada. Can
I say that I will be suggesting to the Foreign Minister and the
Attorney-General that they list the LTTE using the same model as the
Canadian model, which has variations from the US model and variations
from the British model.
I am concerned about the fact that, while the British may have listed
the LTTE, their sanctions do not seem to be as strong as they could be,
because I understand that this weekend in Britain the Tamil terrorist
leader Prabhakaran will be in London celebrating his daughter's 20th
birthday. I find this quite unusual.
He is putting on a lavish function for her birthday in London, yet
this listing is supposed to do something about stopping travel and the
flow of money to terrorist organizations. As a result I find this quite
unusual, quite bizarre, and I would be surprised that the British would
be very supportive of this.
Here he is living a lavish lifestyle, yet the child soldiers that he
forcibly recruits to act on his behalf have to carry cyanide pills
around their neck in case they are caught. So I find that quite
disappointing as well.
Secondly, with all the e-mails that I have received in response to my
speech last week, as I said, obviously the overwhelming amount support
me in my statements regarding the LTTE. However, of course, there have
been several e-mails which have not. I have received an interesting one
from one Wilson Mervin Reynold. I will read what he says to me
regarding, 'Australian MP blasts LTTE in federal Parliament speech.' It
says:
Don Randall, the Liberal Party MP for Canning, and Chairman of the
Australia-Sri Lanka Friendship Group in Parliament, blasted the LTTE's
spokesperson in the Australian Federal Parliament, John Murphy (Labour-MP
for Lowe) for making allegations against the democratically elected Sri
Lankan government and aligning himself with a terrorist organisation.
Those are his words. This is a man that is having a go at me and who
has listed Murphy as the spokesman in this place for the LTTE! I put
that on the record because, if that is the way the supporters of the
LTTE seem, he has a problem.
At the end of the day, can I make it very clear that in general the
Tamils in this country, as I have said before, are harmonious,
peace-loving people who integrate well, as they do in Sri Lanka.
However, there is no way in the world that Australia can support a
terrorist group and fund a terrorist group and that is why I am calling
for the proscription of this group by our government. I could say more,
but I will move on.
The other issue I wish to speak briefly to is the development of
Preston Beach in my electorate. Since I spoke about the environmental
concerns for the development of Preston Beach I have found further
information. I am looking at the proposal to the Waroona shire council,
which says that when the Department of Environment was asked to comment
it returned the letter with no comment on it.
The Department of Health was also asked for comment bur declined to
do so. I find this very unusual. As I have said, the BioMAX system that
is being proposed for these 135 units is basically being ignored by the
two State government departments, which should be very concerned about
the treatment of sewage in a very pristine environmental site, a fragile
Ramsar wetland site.
I want to ask why these two State government departments have
basically washed their hands of this issue. As I have said before, I
have written to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator
Ian Campbell, to see what issues can be raised as part of his federal
responsibilities for the environment. I understand the department is
still looking at that.
The other issue I want to raise is this. I do not mind people making
money; I think enterprise is good, but under this proposal 135 shacks in
a beachside hamlet of 400 will be under a timeshare arrangement. No-one
will be a allowed to live there for more than three months. In other
words, the owners cannot stay there for more than three months.
The timeshare units will place into a small backside community a
transient population for the rest of the year. This does nothing for the
community and does nothing for amenity. I have some grave concerns about
the fact that this development has gotten under the guard of the Preston
Beach Townsite Strategy.
As part of that strategy there is meant to be a contribution to
infill sewerage, transport and all other infrastructure, such as gas and
roads et cetera. Potentially, there is $ 41 million to be made from this
project. I understand that 30 of them have already been presold at $
309,000 each. I think it is a grave injustice that these people can be
given a walk-up start before the Preston Beach Townsite Strategy is in
place, and I will continue to raise this point.
The last thing I will say in the time left concerns the public open
space requirement for this development. The council have given them the
land. When I say they have given them land, they have not actually given
it over to them but have signed over a piece of council land
approximately 25 by 40 square metres in size.
To start off with, I think public open space which is only half the
size of an Olympic swimming pool for 135 dwellings in inadequate, but
for the council to give this land as such to the developers means that
they do not have to develop the public open space on the land that they
own.
It gives a huge commercial advantage. Why would a council give away
this sort of land to a developer? I think there is something quite wrong
about all of this. In fact, to me, it smells somewhat. I am going to
continue to dig and expose where I can the issues that are involved
there.
I will be meeting the developers from Preston Beach next week and I
will say that to them. I think the people of Preston Beach and that area
deserve far better governance by their local authorities, and I will be
raising that wherever I can.
Courtesy Asian Tribune |