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Showing posts with label Australian Federal Police. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australian Federal Police. Show all posts
In what is a chilling reminder of conditions in armed forces in the Stalinist era, claims have emerged from Russia that Russian Interior Ministry troops were fed dog food to cut costs.
The (rare) whistle-blower, who was a former major in the ministry, Igor Matveyev, said officers tried to cover up the scandal and other wrongdoings at the Interior Ministry troops base where he had been based in the far eastern city of Vladivostok
"Its embarrasing to say but soldiers were fed dog food. It was fed to them in stew." Matveyev said.
Adding, " dog food labels were covered up by other labels reading" premium quality beef."
Just how far up the Russian military foodchain does this scandal go? Some officials are bound to lose their heads over this, but fortunately won't end up in some gulag in Siberia like thousands of their predecessors in decades past.
Image via WikipediaThe Australian Rebels motor-cycle gang moves into New Zealand...
Gang's NZ offsiders have notched up 170 years' jail time. Largest membership in Australasia.
Police Minister Judith Collins at Palmerston North press conference, Detective Inspector Chris Bensemann (left) and Central Police District Commander Russell Gibson. Members and prospects of the recently formed New Zealand branch of the Rebels motorcycle gang have more than 200 criminal convictions between them and have spent nearly 170 years in jail.
Police intelligence has identified 17 patched members of Australia's largest gang here in New Zealand, with nearly 100 convictions for serious drug and violence offences between them.
Prison sentences for those patched members total 77 years, a figure topped by the 90 years of jail time for a further 14 identified Rebel prospects or associates.
Detective Superintendent Brett Kane, of the Organised and Financial Crime Agency, released the information yesterday after a major police operation arrested 30 people accused of running a methamphetamine ring across the North Island.
Vehicles were seized during the armed raids in Manawatu, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Northland, as well as $120,000 cash, drugs, guns and gang patches. Four Rebels were arrested in Operation Stamp as the police target the expansion of the major Australian criminal group before it gets a foothold here.
Mr Kane said police had been working with Australian law enforcement agencies since late last year after learning of the Rebels' plans to expand in New Zealand.
Mr Kane said the Rebels' expansion in New Zealand stemmed from a number of expat Kiwis joining the Australian gang and rising to senior leadership positions.
The Rebels still have family links to New Zealand - and can fly back and forth on their passports - and were already taking over local gang the Tribesmen in a rebranding process known as "patching over".
The Tribesmen have been weakened by successful police operations targeting the drug dealing of the gang and feeder gang the Killer Beez.
Many of the Tribesmen are also heavy users of P, which Police Association president Greg O'Connor said had damaged the organisation and contributed to their loss of influence and power in the underworld.
He referred to the gang as "The Friedsmen" and said it made sense for them to reach out to a stronger gang such as the Rebels.
The Weekend Herald has also learned that some of the Nomads, who have been in turmoil since the death of their founder Dennis "Mossie" Hines in 2009, are also "patching over" to the Rebels.
The Nomads are based in Horowhenua.
The Lost Breed gang in Nelson has also been mentioned as possibly aligning with the Rebels.
"This is all about business and to expand business," said Mr O'Connor. "The Rebels are like the McDonald's of the criminal world. There is strength in numbers and economies of scale. But with a criminal bent."
Mr Kane said New Zealand would need strong ties with Australian law enforcement agencies to keep the Rebels in check, and a former head of the Auckland drug squad was to be embedded with the Australian Federal Police in Canberra.
Rebel prospects- Local gangs who could "patch over" to the Australians:
Tribesmen: Weakened by the jailing of key members and too much P use (nicknamed "Friedsmen").
Nomads: Lower North Island gang in turmoil since the death of their leader Dennis "Mossie" Hines.
Lost Breed: Nelson gang whose rivals are backed by the Hell's Angels.
The Balibo Five as they have become known were a group of journalists working on assignment for an Australian television channel, Channel Seven. There were five in the initial group who were shot, gunned down, executed by Indonesian troops, or caught in a crossfire between them and rebels. Just who were the insurgents has ben a matter of opinion for decades. There was another journalist who came to investigate the missing journalists, who was also killed in the area. It has been claimed also that Indonesian troops responsible for the deaths were special forces troops whose role was to prepare the ground for the actual invasion forces. President Suharto allegedly did not want flags or identification markings on these particular troops.That has to be treated as hearsay evidence at this stage until the current enquiry proves otherwise.
The Balibo Five comprised two Australian and two British journalists and a New Zealnd cameraman, Gary Cunningham. It has been claimed the five men were killed to prevent them from reporting to the outside world the prevalent abuse of local Timorese citizens by Indonesian special forces troops.
What has followed for the family of Gary Cunningham has been three decades of injustice, lack of information, and a shameful lack of action by the New Zealand Government. The latter has, for reasons of their own, failed to give a satisfactory account of the Balibo Five massacre. Successive administrations apparently just shelved all information concerning the late Gary Cunningham and his colleagues over many years. Australians were also denied the facts starting with former Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam's denial. An existing Australian investigation should soon make these facts available. The Indonesians are also bemused by the apparent inaction over the years.
Gary Cunningham's family has been frustrated over many years by the failure of apparent gutless New Zealand Government administrations to reveal the truth they were, undoubtably, well aware of. A memorial to the late Gary Cunningham will be installed at Charles Plimmer Park, Mount Victoria, in the New Zealand capital, Wellington City. Mr Cunningham lived in Wellington until he ws 21 years old. A commemorative plaque, park bench and tree will comprise the memorial at the park. Gary's late father Jim, died in 2001 and would undoubtably be pleased with the memorial.
An Indonesian Committee for Human Rights, Maire Leadbeater, who organised the memorial with the Media Freedom Committee secretary, reportedly called Gary Cunningham a "true hero". To the East TImorese people he is a martyr.
A war crimes investigation was carried out by the Australian Federal police last year and what has been described as a "powerful film", Balibo, was released on Feb 18 2010, this year.
It is hoped the local memorial would provoke some action from the so-far gutless New Zealand government, which has not been any better than its predecessors and has turned its back on this incident, and should at least give some public recognition, something shared by Wellington City mayor, Kerry Prentergast - but as they say, don't hold your breath!
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
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