ASIO Does Bush Regime's Bidding

Why was US peace activist Scott Parkin harassed, held in custody, and deported? Simply because that is what the Bush regime requested.
ASIO is no longer in need of funds, as it was during the period when it accidently bombed the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, using explosives made by the CSIRO, in 1978.
However it seems its mentality and B-class movie actions are as twisted and warped as they were back in 1978. In deporting Scott Parkin, it is mis-usuing its powers, declaring anyone it picks to be "a threat to Australia's National Securtiy". This needs no clarification, no explanation, and the victim can be detained and deported without being charged for any offense.
This is government sanctioned terrorism. In our so-called war against terrorism, anyone is fair game, and our defenders stoop so low, that they absollutely lose the plot.

ASIO detains US peace activist
The World Today - Monday, 12 September , 2005 12:14:00
Reporter: Alison Caldwell
ELEANOR HALL: Even without the new anti-terrorism laws being proposed by the Federal Government, action has been taken against a US peace activist, who's been deemed by ASIO to be a threat to Australia's national security.

The lawyers for Scott Parkin say the history teacher is likely to be deported later today. His visa has already been revoked by the Immigration Department and he's being held in police custody in Melbourne.

But Greens Senator Bob Brown has accused the Government of persecuting the man for his views, and a friend and colleague of Mr Parkin in the United States says she's shocked at the events here in Australia, as Alison Caldwell reports.

ALISON CALDWELL: American history teacher Scott Parkin has spent the past three days in the Melbourne Custody Centre, after the Immigration Department cancelled his Visitor's Visa.

Last Wednesday ASIO officers telephoned him and asked him if he would agree to be interviewed. His response was, do I have to?

ASIO didn't have a warrant, and Scott Parkin declined to be interviewed.

The next day ASIO declared him a threat to national security and contacted the Immigration Department.

Scott Parkin's lawyer is Marika Dias. She says her client is shocked.

MARIKA DIAS: He has been involved in a number of workshops with local activists, environmental activists and other groups, but they have all been around, and he is himself a staunch advocate of peaceful protests, and they've all been around non-violent strategies.

Certainly, he has strong views. With regards to the war in Iraq, for example, he's very much of an anti-war stance.

ALISON CALDWELL: Marika Dias says Scott Parkin is likely to seek deportation back to America. She says he'd rather go home than pay for another day in custody. When he's at home, Scott Parkin is a high-profile activist in Houston, Texas.

One of his main targets in recent years has been Halliburton, the American corporation which has secured several contracts in post-war Iraq.

Scott Parkin was in Sydney during the recent Forbes conference, where he took part in several Greenpeace protests, including one outside Halliburton's local office.

MARIKA DIAS: There are many, many people who do not support right-wing governments, and that doesn't necessarily make them a threat to national security. I mean, certainly, I'm sure that everyone would agree that there needs to be freedom of expression in that regard.

ALISON CALDWELL: The World Today asked the Attorney-General and the Immigration Minister for interviews, but both declined.

Speaking on Southern Cross Radio this morning, the Attorney-General Philip Ruddock was asked to explain why Scott Parkin was given a visitor's visa in the first place.

PHILIP RUDDOCK: People, people do come where information that may not be known to you at the time has come to notice later. I mean, those situations do arise, and you'd expect us to act.

ANDREA BUFFA: People in the States are starting to find out about this, activists, people that know Scott, and some people are out protesting in front of the Australian Embassy in Washington DC today.

ALISON CALDWELL: Andrea Buffa describes herself as a peace activist with the group Global Exchange. She's known Scott Parkin for 18 months.

ANDREA BUFFA: I do not know of Scott ever being involved in anything violent. He's a political activist. He has spoken at (inaudible), he's organised rallies and vigils.

He has participated in non-violent disobedience in the style of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther-King Jnr, but that is definitely not the same thing as any kind of violence or any kind of a terrorist threat. He justÖ he opposes US Government policies and he's a political activist.

ALISON CALDWELL: What did he tell you about his plans when he arrived here?

ANDREA BUFFA: He went to Australia and he was planning on travelling for six months just as a way of taking a break and figuring out what he wanted to do next in his life, and I think for the first part of the time that he was in Australia he was just hiking and camping and enjoying being there, and then he hooked up with Greenpeace in Australia, and I think he was doing some work with them, and then I read a newspaper report that lately he was participating in some protests, including a protest against Halliburton.

ALISON CALDWELL: Are you surprised that something like this could happen to Scott in Australia?

ANDREA BUFFA: I'm very surprised. I am not surprised that in the United States the Bush administration since after the attacks of September 11 has been trying to paint anyone that opposes their policies as supporting terrorism, but I am shocked to hear that this is going on in other countries.

And Scott is just, he's just a regular guy, he's a very sweet guy, and it's just unimaginable that he's being held in jail and called a national security threat. It makes absolutely no sense at all.

You know, I think it should be of concern for everyone there, in terms of your right to express your opinions about US Government policy and Australian Government policy.

ELEANOR HALL: Andrea Buffa is a fellow peace activist and friend of Scott Parkin, and she was speaking there to Alison Caldwell.
from ABC radio national http://www.abc.net.au/news/
photo courtesy of independent media centre: http://sydney.indymedia.org/radio.php3

more info from AAP

An American peace activist facing deportation from Australia may have
been arrested for political reasons on orders from Washington, Greens
leader Bob Brown said tonight.

Scott Parkin, a teacher and activist who was once arrested in the
United States, was detained yesterday by Australian Federal Police on
the authority of the immigration department.

Mr Parkin's lawyer Marika Dias today said Mr Parkin was told he'd been
arrested, and had his visitor's visa cancelled, because he was
considered a threat to national security.

Mr Parkin - who had been teaching peace activism workshops in Melbourne
- is being held at the Melbourne Custody Centre, where protesters
rallied today against his detention and expected deportation.

Ms Dias said authorities had not told Mr Parkin why he was considered a
security risk in Australia.

Senator Brown said he had serious concerns about the reasons for Mr
Parkin's arrest given his history of activism against US military
contractor Halliburton, which has close ties to US Vice President Dick
Cheney.

"I think the big question here is whether it's a political arrest and
deportation," Senator Brown said.

"It seems to have nothing to do with terrorism.

"The Howard government will do whatever Washington asks of it and I am
very concerned the request for his arrest came in the wake of
information from Washington ... because he's an absolute thorn in the
side of Dick Cheney, Halliburton and profit making deals that apply in
Iraq."

Senator Brown said he doubted the order for Mr Parkin's arrest had come
from Australia's security services, given that he was cleared for a
visa months ago.

He said the government had been "very secretive" about Mr Parkin's
detention and would not say under what law he had been arrested and
held, nor why.

Ms Dias said Mr Parkin had been involved in one non-violent protest
against Halliburton in Sydney, but no arrests were made at that rally.

Her client was now considering whether to appeal the decision to cancel
his visa, Ms Dias said.

"Really it seems to be that there are simply no grounds for this
decision," she said.

"He certainly feels that a grave injustice has been perpetrated here.
He feels targeted. He feels, I suppose, that he's been treated very
unfairly."

Ms Dias said up to six AFP and immigration department officers took Mr
Parkin from a Melbourne cafe on Saturday.

He was now paying about $130 a day for his detention.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told the ABC that Immigration Minister
Amanda Vanstone had made the decision to detain the American after a
security check.

He said visas could be revoked for a number of reasons.

"I'm not going to comment on matters about which assessments are made
by competent agencies," he told the ABC.

"The only point I'd make is that in relation to those matters, there
are provisions by which the decision can be challenged if people are
inclined to do that."

National Anti-Deportation Alliance spokeswoman Liz Thompson said Mr
Parkin had done nothing wrong.

"He's a hippy giving workshops on peace, non-violent direct action,"
she told the ABC.

"I'm baffled. We'd love to know what the secret stash of information on
this guy is, that makes him a threat to national security."

Melbourne activist Rory Gutterson was among 30 people who protested
against Mr Parkin's detention outside the Melbourne Custody Centre.

He said he believed the detention was part of a wider government
campaign to silence Australian activists.

"Thousands of people have committed exactly the same 'offence' that's
not actually illegal, as Scott has done," Mr Gutterson said.

"We've spoken out against war, we've spoken out against detention and
now we feel threatened by this and this is the government's aim."

Mr Parkin arrived in Australia in early June and was planning to leave
Australia in September, Ms Dias said.

She said a number of "high-profile" Australian lawyers had offered to
act on his behalf, but that he would have to stay in detention if he
pursued an appeal.

Greenpeace spokesman Dan Cass confirmed Mr Parkin had been arrested in
America as part of a Greenpeace action, but said his treatment in
Australia was unwarranted.

He described Mr Parkin as Australia's first political prisoner, telling
the ABC: "This only encourages us to think that when the
Howard-controlled Senate looks at review of the ASIO laws, Australia
will be facing potentially police state powers." -- AAP
link HERE