STOLEN NEW ZEALAND WAR MEDALS RETURNED - BUT THE INTRIGUE CONTINUES...







Stolen NZ war medals returned - but the intrigue continues...

First published at Qassia:

While the stolen New Zealand war medals have been returned, and we as a society are extremely pleased about that, the intrigue continues.
There are a couple of questions doing the rounds here:

1/ Were the medals stolen knowing that New Zealanders were so irate and upset they would support a reward?

2/ Were criminal ethnic gangs involved in the burglary, or did they become involved once a reward was mentioned?

I'd like to comment on what the New Zealand media claims happened.

A former gang member was granted bail twice as part of a deal for the return of stolen war medals. He was first granted bail on January 18 from Mount Eden prison in Auckland City. He had been on remand on drugs charges.

It was allegedly part of an arrangement made for the return of the 96 war medals, stolen in a raid on the Waiouru Army Museum on December 2 2007.

The man reappeared in court on January 21 on another set of charges, and was bailed again on the same terms.

These revelations come after claims made by a named lawyer who stated he brokered the deal, using his contacts to find who had the medals and spending time getting their trust.

Police neither confirmed or denied what had been said yesterday, or revealed how long the man had been in jail before being bailed.

The man told a Sunday newspaper who will obviously be publishing a story soon,that he did it to be be with his "missus and kids" rather than receiving financial gain.

He said further that he was in prison waiting trial on charges of possession of methamphetamine for supply when he heard about the burglary of the army museum.

Through his contacts, the former gang member who has facial tattoos of the gang's name on his cheeks and its insignia on his forehead, has found out who is responsible. He has recently been linked with a another notorious gang,but claims he's finished with gang culture.

But other gang members had found out that this was an opportunity for monetary gain - after all they are opportunists like any other criminals.

The gang member did his part of the deal gaining the information for the lawyer who had brokered the deal with police and the Crown to get his bail.

Those responsible for the burglary and theft from the army museum have not been named, and the amount of the reward/ ransom also has not been disclosed.

The gang member involved will still face drug charges and could face a prison sentence for those crimes.



Contributor's Note
This is an intriguing story which still has one or two more twists to it before the truth is known.

THE CLANDESTINE NEGOTIATIONS SURROUNDING THE RETURN OF THE STOLEN NEW ZEALAND WAR MEDALS...

First published at Qassia:

The clandestine negotiations surrounding the return of the stolen NZ war medals...
While the missing war New Zealand war medals have been returned, what was paid to an unknown person or persons, was not a reward, but in reality a ransom.

The alleged NZ$300.000 put up as a reward has been paid into a bank account by the lawyer who conducted cloak and dagger type negotiations with criminals to get the medals back in one piece.The obvious risk was the thieves would destroy them if they felt the situation was getting too hot for them.

The lawyer has said he knew who was responsible for the burglary and theft of the medals within one week of the break-in at the Waiouru Army Camp Museum.

Using contacts within Auckland's maximum security prison at Paremoremo and Mount Eden Prison, the former policemen-cum - defence lawyer tracked down those who were involved within weeks of the theft. They were edgy and prone to mood swings, according to the lawyer, and at times disappeared into the criminal woodwork. It apparently took some time to build up their trust.

It was a prolonged process in which he alternated between meetings with the thieves and the police, all outside his business office hours. He doesn't know how many hours he was involved in the negotiating process - it just consumed him.

Days before the NZ$300,000 reward was offered, he arranged for the return of a set of medals, which included a George Cross, to be returned as a sign of good faith.

The lawyer said the reward was extremely helpful, but he always believed the medals would be returned without the reward. An amount of money has been paid, but not stated.

While he had kept things quiet, and would keep the thieves identity secret, he refused to supply any legal advice on how they should avoid detection.

After much negotiation and talking, the medals were returned by a third party last week. The lawyer claimed to have not had any personal benefit from the negotiations. It was now up to the police to make any future decisions, and for the NZ Army to ensure better security regarding those and other medals and valuables in the Army Museum.

NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY IS ECSTATIC AT THE RETURN OF STOLEN WAR MEDALS


FIRST PUBLISHED AT QASSIA






New Zealand society is ecstatic at the return of stolen war medals.

The news of a burglary at the Army Museum in the Waiouru Military Camp last December left most New Zealanders in shock - 96 valuable medals including 9 Victoria Crosses( the NZ and Commonwealth equivalent to the US Medals of Honor)had been stolen in a brazen and despicable burglary. They included the VC and Bar Of Captain Charles Upham, New Zealand's most decorated soldier, and the only serving soldier to earn the VC twice.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, and many community and business leaders publicly condemned the robbery and theft of the irreplaceable medals, which are regarded as national treasures,icons and taonga of the country and people. Many heroes have given their lives in service to their country.

While Captain Upham"s medals had been sold by the late war hero's family to the British War Museum in London, they had been loaned back to New Zealand for 999 years.

The medals were returned as a result of the $NZ 300,000 reward, put up by British medal collector Lord Michael Ashcroft, and a Nelson,NZ, businessman and former US marine in Vietnam,Tom Sturgess. The reward had encouraged somebody to come forward and return the medals. No immunity from prosecution was given.

Police were celebrating like the military community, but their job will not be completed until the culprits are arrested and prosecuted.The police are to be highly commended for their work involved in recovering the medals. The families of medal recipients are over the moon at the recovery. Fears had been expressed that the medals could have been discarded somewhere.

The medals are unlikely to be on public display again. Other countries display replicas, and store the real medals in bank vaults; New Zealand will undoubtably follow suit.But, however, it is a day to celebrate.

Visit Qassia Today

THE KORAN REQUIRES RESPECT FOR NON-MUSLIMS TOO...

The Koran requires respect for non-Muslims - and this means Jews and Christians too! Muslims need to read their Koran from cover to cover, not just a few selected passages taken out of context. They also need to learn what is meant by Jihad - it is not some holy war that Muslim pretenders claim. I know and I'm not a Muslim. There are a number of people within Islam who claim to be Muslim - but devout and true Muslims would never dream of becoming suicide bombers endangering the lives of men, women, the aged and infirm, children and little helpless babies. Murder has no place within Islam any more than it has a place within Christendom.

Just read the following post and you may be surprised at the truth!



Just who was that foolish Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, trying to impress with his inane and inflammatory statements in recent months questioning the Holocaust, attacking Zionism and established historical facts and seeking the destruction of Israel? Was it for domestic or international consumption? I think it will all backfire on him eventually!

If it was for international influence he failed if an article in the Dominion Post daily newspaper, Wellington, New Zealand, is any example.

A highly respected Muslim historian from Christchurch, New Zealand, Abdullah Drury, strongly criticised President Ahmadinejad for his blatant anti-Semetism which is actually forbidden in mainstream Islam.

From his article, " A history of respect", 22 December,2006, he included the following:

The Prophet Muhammed, the ultimate role model for all Muslims, had a Jewish wife - Safiyah bint Huyai bin Akhtab. Her father was a former chief of the Banu Nadir, a distinguished Jewish tribe that settled in central Arabia and adopted the Arabic language.The Holy Koran refers to Safiyah - a now popular name for girls - as the mother of the Believer, and after the death of the Prophet, she became a powerful figure in early history and politics.

Further, Islamic law specifically forbids persecution or harassment of either Jews or Christians, and all Muslim societies with Islamic law in place invariably have some sort of fixed representative agencies or parliamentary seats for their Jewish minorities".

Interesting comments in my opinion. I wonder also what Mr Jury thinks about the illegal usage of the term "jihad ". He has explained that Muslims do not have Koranic permission to verbally or physically attack non- Muslims in the manner that some sections of Islam have in recent times. The Roman Catholic Church has a great term to deal with their worst sinners - Excommunication! It would be an appropriate term for Islam to adopt, in my humble opinion.

There would be an incredible number of Muslims being excommunicated if that was the case in Islam too !

SHOULD THE NEW ZEALAND NAVY BE SENT TO ESCORT JAPANESE WHALERS FROM NEW ZEALAND WATERS IN THE ANTARCTIC ROSS SEA - SEND A FRIGATE WITH GUNS READY TO BLAZE PERHAPS...


A New Zealand Orion patrol aircraft spotted the Japanese whaling fleet heading for the Antarctic Ross sea, heightening concerns the Japanese will begin hunting in New Zealand's Antarctic territory.

The aircraft was on a routine surveillance of fishing activity in the Southern Ocean. Until previously the Japanese whaling fleet had confined its activities to Australian territorial waters. An Australian Federal court ruling last week declared the Japanese fleets activities as being illegal.

The New Zealand conservation Minister has said the New Zealand Government was concerned about the whaling fleets movements, particularly because NZ is responsible for search and rescue operations in the Ross Sea.

The Minister, Ms Steve Chadwick, said we are concerned for the risk to human life and the Antarctic's pristine environment if the Japanese fleet encounter's problems there. Just last year there was a fire aboard the factory ship, NISHIN MARU, stranding it in the Ross Sea. One crew member was killed and the stricken ship containing hundreds of tonnes of heavy fuel oil, posted a genuine environmental risk.

This poses a real question: Considering the Japanese fleet is illegally entering New Zealand Antarctic waters, should a New Zealand naval frigate be sent to escort the fleet from NZ waters?

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INTO E-CIGARETTES MAY BENEFIT ANTI-SMOKING PROGRAMS...

An electronic cigarette which could give smokers their nicotine hit without all those harmful ingredients which presently exist in cigarette smoke might actually help them to beat their addiction, New Zealand scientists claim.

Auckland University researchers are recruiting 48 smokers who want to quit, to take part in the world’s first trial of the “e-cigarette“. Hayden McRobbie, from the university’s clinical trials research unit, said the e-cigarette which is presently sold by a Chinese company over the internet for $200 each, is marketed as an alternative to smoking rather than a tool to stop smoking.

Doctor McRobbie said they think it might actually prove more effective than current nicotine replacement treatments, such as patches and gum, because smoking is not just a chemical addiction, it is also behavioural.

The device is “smoked” like a conventional cigarette, and even glows at the tip when the smoker draws on it. A vaporiser device delivers a measured dose of nicotine in a mist.

Ex-smokers have often said they miss the ritual of smoking: the e-cigarette gives them something to do with their hands - as an ex-smoker myself, it was something I missed as I successfully withdrew from my smoking habit through the aid of patches, back in 1991.

Alternatives need to be looked at to help smoking addicts. While nicotine is the active ingredient in cigarettes - it is the tars, carbon monoxide and the other chemicals that make up the over 200 poisons that exist in cigarettes. These cause the heart and lung diseases that kill 4500 New Zealanders a year - out of a population of 4.25 million.

Researchers hope the New Zealand study will be completed by March of 2008. This will benefit those involved in anti - smoking programs worldwide.

The “quit or die” message was not working for many smokers, especially younger ones, who knew the dangers but were powerless against their craving. The craving was as psychological as it was physical.

NEW ZEALAND RESEARCH INTO E-CIGARETTES MAY PROVIDE SOME BENEFITS FOR THOSE WANTING TO QUIT SMOKING:

An electronic cigarette which could give smokers their nicotine hit without all those harmful ingredients which presently exist in cigarette smoke might actually help them to beat their addiction, New Zealand scientists claim.

Auckland University researchers are recruiting 48 smokers who want to quit, to take part in the world’s first trial of the “e-cigarette“. Hayden McRobbie, from the university’s clinical trials research unit, said the e-cigarette which is presently sold by a Chinese company over the internet for $200 each, is marketed as an alternative to smoking rather than a tool to stop smoking.

Doctor McRobbie said they think it might actually prove more effective than current nicotine replacement treatments, such as patches and gum, because smoking is not just a chemical addiction, it is also behavioural.

The device is “smoked” like a conventional cigarette, and even glows at the tip when the smoker draws on it. A vaporiser device delivers a measured dose of nicotine in a mist.

Ex-smokers have often said they miss the ritual of smoking: the e-cigarette gives them something to do with their hands - as an ex-smoker myself, it was something I missed as I successfully withdrew from my smoking habit through the aid of patches, back in 1991.

Alternatives need to be looked at to help smoking addicts. While nicotine is the active ingredient in cigarettes - it is the tars, carbon monoxide and the other chemicals that make up the over 200 poisons that exist in cigarettes. These cause the heart and lung diseases that kill 4500 New Zealanders a year - out of a population of 4.25 million.

Researchers hope the New Zealand study will be completed by March of 2008. This will benefit those involved in anti - smoking programs worldwide.

The “quit or die” message was not working for many smokers, especially younger ones, who knew the dangers but were powerless against their craving. The craving was as psychological as it was physical.

STINGRAYS ARE NOT SOME HARMLESS SEA CREATURES - THEY CAN KILL HUMANS...

We keep reading about these sea creatures who have attacked a number of humans, some fatally over the years.

The latest occurred in recent days in New Zealand. A Dannevirke, North Island, man in his 40's was dragging a net at Herbertville Beach in the southern Hawkes Bay, when he was attacked.

One of the stings went into one side of his leg and out the other, breaking off the barb.

He was treated at the scene by ambulance officers and then taken by rescue helicopter to Palmerston North hospital. An ambulance spokesman said he had been in considerable pain.

It is well over a year since since Australian television celebrity and iconic crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin, was fatally stabbed in the heart by a stingray barb.

His death was similar to that of an 18 year old New Zealand woman in 1939, who was at first believed to have been a victim of a sexual attack, but a post mortem later discovered that her heart wounds were caused by a stingray barb.



Comment:*
Read