As one of the very last acts of the Howard Government, Brendan Nelson bought $14 million worth of cluster bombs - weapons that contain mini-bombs, some of which remain unexploded on the ground for years awaiting innocent civilians. It's the first time Australia has bought such a weapon, and one we would hope the new Government would categorically reject.
But right now, as the international community meets in Dublin to ban them, the new Australian Government is going out of its way to frustrate the process. They're calling for their 'SMART 155' bomb to be excluded, and for rogue nations who persist in using cluster bombs to be permitted to do so. We've got just a few scarce days left before the fragile international agreement is drafted. Sign the petition today telling Kevin Rudd to ban the bomb: no loopholes, no exceptions.
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/BanTheBombs
Thousands of civilians have lost their lives and limbs, mainly children from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon. So much so that the international symbol of the campaign is a limb. Just last week the Pope took the unusual step of calling on the international community to outlaw the deadly weapons.
But our government has refused to accept that a total ban on cluster munitions has to prohibit countries from assisting other nations who use cluster bombs. They are also arguing that the Smart 155 is not a cluster munition, despite having no independent tests on its safety and refusing to provide any evidence to back up that claim.
The UK Prime Minister yesterday reversed his decision to exempt his own weapons, leaving Australia increasingly isolated. We should be encouraging positive international agreements to save lives, not hindering them. Tell the PM today - as this decision is being made right now - to ban the bombs.
I've already voted, click the link and add yours. Whatever Nelson gets now, he's got it coming after ordering these.
I've cut and pasted the post directly from the GETUP email and I hate landmines and clusterbombs so go and vote NOW.
ReplyDeleteThere was a great doco on 2 Aussie Vietnam Vets who fund raise to get landmine detectors to take over to Vietnam and who physically put themselves in danger, with a sole Vietnamese bloke, to eradicate the millions of landmines and bombs still killing and maiming innocent people in Vietnam.
ReplyDeleteThis Vietnamese bloke also runs an orphanage for many maimed children who are missing limbs from these same bombs.
Bombs are bombs, nothing makes them SMART.
They kill old, young, black and white just the same the world over.
Bloody Nelson had no damn right buying these horrible things.
Well we don't need them for defence so it was to deploy them in another country and I'd like to know where.
ReplyDeleteNow Kevvie better do something about this or I'm going to start disliking him.
Sounds like the populace is geting a governmental clusterf**k.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right River. I watched 'Question time' yesterday and all I could think of was this order every time Nelson got picky about spending. Hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jahteh - have clicked and will send on
ReplyDeleteDidn't like Howard and like Rudd just as much - they're just show ponies something really cold about Rudd - almost reptilian - reminds me of a bland looking toad sory folks
ReplyDeletelast time whe Labor came in, pre election they said they'd get rid of Pine Gap or make it accessible to Government to go into - once in Bomber Beazley as defence minister toadied up to the Yanks and arms manufacturers big time
libs labour - left and right wings - same birdie