APSNet 1 September 2010
- Afghanistan: Diggers may be charged over deaths of children
- Afghanistan: Toll adds to exit pressure
- Australia’s commitment in Afghanistan: moving to a more comprehensive approach
- Indonesia seeks $2.4bn oil spill compensation
- Detainee roof protest grows
- Defence flight contract cleared
1. Diggers may be charged over deaths of children, Rafael Epstein, Tom Hyland and Dan Oakes, Age, 2010-08-27
Australia’s top military prosecutor wants to lay criminal charges against a group of Defence Force commandos over the deaths of five children in Afghanistan last year. In an unprecedented move that has angered some senior military officers, Brigadier Lyn McDade has told the army she is preparing to lay charges in connection with a deadly raid involving Australian troops near the village of Surkh Morghab in Oruzgan province.
2. Toll adds to exit pressure, Dan Oakes and Tom Hyland, Age, 2010-08-26
The death of the 21st Australian soldier in Afghanistan will intensify pressure on the government to withdraw our troops, Defence Minister John Faulkner has admitted. Lance-Corporal Jared MacKinney, 28, from the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, was killed in a firefight while on patrol with Afghan troops in the southern province of Oruzgan.
- Casualties – ADF, Australia in Afghanistan, Nautilus Institute
- Chief of Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston speaks to Fran Kelly on Radio National Breakfast, Defence Speech, 2010-08-26
- Afghanistan intelligence flawed, says ex-CIA man, Natalie O’Brien, SMH, 2010-08-31
3. Australia’s commitment in Afghanistan: moving to a more comprehensive approach, Raspal Khosa, ASPI, 2010-08-31
The full implications of Australia’s new responsibility for leading the Uruzgan
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in addition to more onerous
security sector reform activity are still being realised. This paper discusses the implications of Australia’s new role in Uruzgan.
4. Indonesia seeks $2.4bn oil spill compensation, Anthony Deutsch, Financial Times, 2010-08-31
Indonesia is seeking $2.4bn in damages from a Thai drilling company alleging it is responsible for an oil spill in the Timor Sea that has severely hit the livelihoods of fishing communities along its southeast coast. The claim was handed to the Australian subsidiary of Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production PCL, late last week, said Masnellyarti Hilman, the Indonesian government official handling the Montara spill, one of the worst in Australia’s history.
- Oil spill team tells firm pay up or face court, Dion Bisara, Fidelis E Satriastanti & Eras Poke, Jakarta Globe, 2010-08-31
5. Detainee roof protest grows, Lindsay Murdoch, Age, 2010-08-31
More than 100 Indonesian detainees have protested for a second day at Darwin’s immigration detention centre, damaging property and refusing to leave rooftops. Almost all of them are poor fishermen, duped into steering asylum seeker boats into Australian waters by ruthless criminals who remain in Indonesia.
6. Defence flight contract cleared, Richard Baker, Age, 2010-08-28
A defence audit has found no irregularities in the awarding of a $90 million contract to fly troops to the Middle East. A complaint had been made about an aviation consultant working in the unit that awarded the contract, who had past ties to the winning bidder.
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