Jeor Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 It's become quite cold here too. Massively windy too...branches coming down everywhere around my place in Sydney's north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brook Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 It's become quite cold here too.So no one is going to the GOT exhibition? We're going. Although it's highly likely that I'll get there, see long lines and get all grumbly so head to the pub instead :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh_wulff Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Massively windy too...branches coming down everywhere around my place in Sydney's north. We've been lucky so far, just feeling the wind chill factor!We're going. Although it's highly likely that I'll get there, see long lines and get all grumbly so head to the pub instead :pWe'll be there Wednesday if having company makes time go better. Baby- Wulff is salivating already! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brook Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Sadly I have to try my luck on the weekend, taking my kids would be a mistake of epic proportions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paxter Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Boycotting that abomination! Six things:1. Sydney is cold.2. I'll be escaping to warmer climes soon...3. Work is boring.4. Go Freo!5. I kinda enjoyed State of Origin (the veracity of that statement is open to interpretation).6. We have a new Senate! Oh f*ck. We have a new Senate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brook Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Enjoy your holiday! I'm not really looking forward to this years tour at all but I suspect my perspective would be very different if watching it there :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paxter Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 We're just watching one stage in the Pyrenees...most of the trip will be eating, drinking and beaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 This government is pushing awfully close to the line where I think there needs to be criminal investigations. If we have turned over Tamil asylum seekers to the Sri Lankan navy that's across the line. Lying about it and using our defence forces for their own political ends is not acceptable and this shit needs to be shut down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeppelin Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 So no one is going to the GOT exhibition? It's a 5 hour drive up to Sydney for me, then i'd have to face many more hours lining up to get in. So unless Pedro Pascal and Tom Wlaschiha are both going to personally escort me around the exhibition, i'll pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh_wulff Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Well going now. Will report back, maybe with piccies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brook Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Have fun! The talk of five hour lines has shifted me into thinking that spending the weekend in bed playing civ is a far better option :pPax that sounds like the perfect holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
north of the wall Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Well going now. Will report back, maybe with piccies.I am very jealous. I wanted to go but no one would fly to sydney with me :(Pics please!! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arya_underfoot Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 This government is pushing awfully close to the line where I think there needs to be criminal investigations. If we have turned over Tamil asylum seekers to the Sri Lankan navy that's across the line. Lying about it and using our defence forces for their own political ends is not acceptable and this shit needs to be shut down. Abbott and Rudd/Gillard have provided tacit support to the war criminals/mass murderers that make up the Sri Lankan dictatorship. I'm not sure which particular incident you're referring to but it sounds sadly reminiscent of successive governments' attitude to the Tamil survivors of Sri Lankan atrocities. We are grossly culpable when we hand or force back asylum seekers to a regime that tortures and kills them. Unfortunately, powerful government and conservative (Bolt etc) propaganda has labelled these vulnerable people as cheats/queue jumpers and the public is more than happy that they're getting what they deserve by being turned away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubby Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 All this talk of cold and wind prompts me to post about the weather as well. It is absolutely persisting down here today. And warm. It was over 20 yesterday, Is it winter or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Abbott and Rudd/Gillard have provided tacit support to the war criminals/mass murderers that make up the Sri Lankan dictatorship. I'm not sure which particular incident you're referring to but it sounds sadly reminiscent of successive governments' attitude to the Tamil survivors of Sri Lankan atrocities. We are grossly culpable when we hand or force back asylum seekers to a regime that tortures and kills them. Unfortunately, powerful government and conservative (Bolt etc) propaganda has labelled these vulnerable people as cheats/queue jumpers and the public is more than happy that they're getting what they deserve by being turned away. There were reports of a boat with 150 Tamil asylum seekers approaching Christmas Island and in trouble, it had come direct from Indian so the Government was not going to be able to turn it around to Indonesia. Both Fairfax and the ABC had contact with people on board and contact was lost on Saturday. There is some concern that the government had the navy intercept the vessel and turned the asylum seekers on board over to the Sri Lankan navy. If this is what has happened it's way across the line for me, this is straight up human trafficking and surely a breach of our own domestic law, not just International refugee obligations. It combines with the level of secrecy that was already more than I'm OK with, and is part of the Gov using the military for political ends in a very brazen way. Not enough Australians seem concerned about it though, which means it will become part of business as usual. ETA: Go away Stubby, even if it is warm there Sydney has something Perth lacks and that's all that counts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubby Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 ETA: Go away Stubby, even if it is warm there Sydney has something Perth lacks and that's all that counts!I think I would rather be colder than drenched as we are today. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paxter Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 Thanks a lot Stubby. The other day I was just thinking that maybe Sydney wasn't so bad after all, and then I realised that I AM FREEZING MY ASS OFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Drunkard Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Getting some Herbert Moon vibes from this Kalgoorlie mosque issue. Is that a common mindset? I've never had much experience with it, maybe I'm sheltered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhangel Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 There were reports of a boat with 150 Tamil asylum seekers approaching Christmas Island and in trouble, it had come direct from Indian so the Government was not going to be able to turn it around to Indonesia. Both Fairfax and the ABC had contact with people on board and contact was lost on Saturday. There is some concern that the government had the navy intercept the vessel and turned the asylum seekers on board over to the Sri Lankan navy. If this is what has happened it's way across the line for me, this is straight up human trafficking and surely a breach of our own domestic law, not just International refugee obligations. It combines with the level of secrecy that was already more than I'm OK with, and is part of the Gov using the military for political ends in a very brazen way. Not enough Australians seem concerned about it though, which means it will become part of business as usual. ETA: Go away Stubby, even if it is warm there Sydney has something Perth lacks and that's all that counts! I completely agree with the sentiment, but as morally reprehensible as it is, turning the boat back would in no sense be human trafficking and (I suspect, but I'm no lawyer) would not technically breach Australia's obligations under the 1951 Convention. That's precisely why they do it - if they turn the boat around before it makes it into the Australian migration zone and before the passengers can claim aslyum, they're not protected by refugee law, including the principle of non-refoulement which would have made turning the Tamil asylum seekers over to the Sri Lankan military illegal. It's horrendous and it makes me ashamed of our country to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Obviously the story is far from clear, but in this case I didn't think it was taking their boat back to Sri Lankan navy, I thought it was offloading them from their own boat, and loading them onto a Sri Lankan vessel. I had the impression that their vessel was no longer sea worthy. Turning the boat from India around so it went into Indonesian waters would be a violation of Indonesian sovereignty and presumably would result in a much much larger row which is why I say they couldn't do that, and potentially would could as people smuggling into Indonesia. Turning it around to India would have just been killing them as the vessel wasnt capable of the return trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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