Aussie Envoy Mum On His Role In Hakeem Arrest

[webfact]

Aussie Envoy Mum On His Role In Hakeem Arrest

By Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

 

Prison guards escort Bahraini football player Hakeem al-Araibi in December from a court in Bangkok. Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe / Associated Press

 

BANGKOK — The Australian Embassy gave no comment Thursday after the immigration police commander said that Ambassador Allen McKinnon admitted to alerting Thai authorities in November about an Interpol red notice for the Bahraini footballer.

 

Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn said Hakeem AlAraibi, to whom Australia had granted political asylum, was arrested as a consequence of that alert. He told media Wednesday that McKinnon expressed contrition and that explained Australia “doubling its pressure” on Thailand to release AlAraibi.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/bangkok/2019/02/07/aussie-envoy-mum-on-his-role-in-hakeem-arrest/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2019-02-08

[TopDeadSenter]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Ambassador Allen McKinnon admitted to alerting Thai authorities in November about an Interpol red notice for the Bahraini footballer.

Great. Can we finally put to rest the nonsense that Australia did not alert the Thais about this person. Every thread is infested with claims that the Thais acted alone and arrested this guy. Here it is clear that the Australians alerted them.

 This begs another question. Has this Al Araiby behaved since arriving in Australia? Did he commit any crimes in the 2 years he has been in Australia? This would make much sense and would account for the effort taken by Australian authorities to grab this guy and deport back to serve his 10 year sentence in Bahrain.

[NanLaew]

29 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

... This begs another question. Has this Al Araiby behaved since arriving in Australia? Did he commit any crimes in the 2 years he has been in Australia?

...or is Ambassador Allan McKinnon a clueless consular flunky, keen to impress the Thai government while the ink still hadn't dried on his Bangkok appointment or is he just another narrow-minded Antipodean bigot?

[robblok]

Everyone is blaming the Thais while its the Australians that started the mess. People would be calling for the heads of Thai officials.. why are they not doing so for the Australian guy. Seems a lot of bias on this forum.

[Lazybones]

3 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Great. Can we finally put to rest the nonsense that Australia did not alert the Thais about this person. Every thread is infested with claims that the Thais acted alone and arrested this guy. Here it is clear that the Australians alerted them.

 This begs another question. Has this Al Araiby behaved since arriving in Australia? Did he commit any crimes in the 2 years he has been in Australia? This would make much sense and would account for the effort taken by Australian authorities to grab this guy and deport back to serve his 10 year sentence in Bahrain.

Did you read the 'full story'? Nowhere is Australia admitting to alerting the Thais. This is the Thais saying that the Australian Ambassador notified them but this has not been acknowledged by Australia. Australia is saying that the red notice was issued illegally by Bahrain back in October. Read the story!

[Oziex1]

These threads have often included the comments on the Australian involvement on alerting the Thais this is common knowledge I have seen no denials of this. The red notice was subsequently withdrawn. now it is time for the Thais to withdraw the action and release him. 

[arithai12]

1 hour ago, car720 said:

In Australia, you can scream about public servants all you want but nothing will ever get done. (unless you are female of course)

Then you qualify as honorary members of the EU.

[evadgib]

Surely red notices become global as soon as they're published and nations have a responsibility to act without further prompting when someone enters or is otherwise found in their jurisdiction? 

[canopus1969]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

...or is Ambassador Allan McKinnon a clueless consular flunky, keen to impress the Thai government while the ink still hadn't dried on his Bangkok appointment or is he just another narrow-minded Antipodean bigot?

Or maybe both  ????

[nahkit]

4 hours ago, robblok said:

Everyone is blaming the Thais while its the Australians that started the mess. People would be calling for the heads of Thai officials.. why are they not doing so for the Australian guy. Seems a lot of bias on this forum.

The difference being that the Australians have acknowledged they made an error and are trying to put it right.

[Gramps]

Everyone seems to be ignoring the big red (notice) elephant in the room. The obvious questions are:

1. Why did Interpol issue the notice?, and

2. Do foreign governments have a responsibility to act on the notice?

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

Surely red notices become global as soon as they're published and nations have a responsibility to act without further prompting when someone enters or is otherwise found in their jurisdiction? 

UK seems somehow to be excluded from this.

[Russell17au]

Forget about this particular case

A country would have contacted Interpol informing them that there was a one of their citizens that has been convicted of criminal activity and that there is a current arrest warrant for this person who is lose in the international arena. This is where the "Red Notice" would be generated from, because this person has not committed a crime in another country, that other country cannot generate the "Red Notice" they can only advise the movements of this person.

Very few countries will not act on a notice from Interpol because it is in their own interests to be a member country and as a member country they are required to operate in accordance with the International rules. So Thailand is required under the rules to apprehend this criminal.

[White Christmas13]

3 hours ago, Lazybones said:

Did you read the 'full story'? Nowhere is Australia admitting to alerting the Thais. This is the Thais saying that the Australian Ambassador notified them but this has not been acknowledged by Australia. Australia is saying that the red notice was issued illegally by Bahrain back in October. Read the story!

You are correct that poster has an nasty answer to anything posted here on TVF no matter what country it applies to or what subject I don't know why he is still here and posting more nasty remarks without reading the original post

[samran]

Australia has been strong in its denials of issuing the red interpol arrest warrant, and that much is true as far as I can gather.

 

However yesterday or the day before there was an interview on Thai TV with Big Joke himself, who said he had met with the ambassador designate, who admitted it was the embassy forwarded a message to the Thai immigration to apprehend him due to the red notice.

 

Now you can accuse the Thai authorities of alot of things, but falsifying a quote on national TV with a diplomat they have just spoken with isn't probably one of them, and yes the Aust government is being VERY quiet about that.

 

I know enough that the Australian authorities do inform the Thai immigration authorities regularly with pedo's, druggies  and other undesirables to have them arrested and turned back, and there is good co-operation on that front. No doubt they were using the same of very similar channels.

 

 

 

 

[evadgib]

33 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

UK seems somehow to be excluded from this.

Suggesting the red notice in question either hasn't been issued or that they wont return anyone to a military dictatorship.

[Psimbo]

Now the Envoy's Mum is involved? Is there no end to this? ????

[samran]

6 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Great. Can we finally put to rest the nonsense that Australia did not alert the Thais about this person. Every thread is infested with claims that the Thais acted alone and arrested this guy. Here it is clear that the Australians alerted them.

 This begs another question. Has this Al Araiby behaved since arriving in Australia? Did he commit any crimes in the 2 years he has been in Australia? This would make much sense and would account for the effort taken by Australian authorities to grab this guy and deport back to serve his 10 year sentence in Bahrain.

The Australian minister in charge of immigration has the right to cancel someone's visa on 'character' grounds. He could have easily done that if what you state was true.

 

 

[chainarong]

Just to put everyone in the picture, Bahrain issued the red notice, as Hakeem is a refugee living in OZ, Interpol shouldn't under international law have issue a red notice from the country this young man is seeking or is a refugee from.

[samran]

19 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

You are correct that poster has an nasty answer to anything posted here on TVF no matter what country it applies to or what subject I don't know why he is still here and posting more nasty remarks without reading the original post

Indeed, I think he is in the running to be the head of the 'hang 'em high' keyboard warriors brigade.

[Ulic]

The Australian numb-scull should be named and shamed, then put into the Australian equivalent of the Thai inactive post. As I understand it Hakeem did check with Australian authorities to see if he would have any troubles traveling to Thailand and he was assured he would not. Then Australian authorities sent Thailand a red notice, leading to this total cluster-<deleted>>. The employee responsible is truly and utterly incompetent. You would think that they would have learned after the Indonesian drug smuggling case.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, evadgib said:

Surely red notices become global as soon as they're published and nations have a responsibility to act without further prompting when someone enters or is otherwise found in their jurisdiction? 

 

Kind of bizarre that Interpol (apparently) can issue a red notice for a guy like this and have him arrested, while on asylum status in Australia, in Thailand.....

 

But no one can seem to get the correct notices issued and arrests made for either of the Thaksins, the Red Bull heir or any number of other "fled from Thailand" corruption criminals, even the "non-political" ones.

 

Recall back a few months ago when a Russian guy was a possible nominee to head Interpol, there was all kinds of public gnashing (rightly so) about the potential for Interpol to use the Red Notice system in a non-professional law enforcement way to arrest activists, human rights advocates, political dissidents, etc at the behest of, let's say, less than democratic regimes.

 

So the Russian guy doesn't get chosen, a South Korean guy gets chosen instead, and now we have this mess.  And along the way, the Chinese guy who was head of Interpol suddenly disappears and ends up under arrest, supposedly for "corruption," back in China where he's remained incommunicado for months.

 

Overall, I'd say it kind of suggests Interpol still hasn't figured out how to tell the difference between legit international criminals and those being unjustly targeted by scuzzy regimes.

 

[TopDeadSenter]

30 minutes ago, samran said:

51 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

You are correct that poster has an nasty answer to anything posted here on TVF no matter what country it applies to or what subject I don't know why he is still here and posting more nasty remarks without reading the original post

Indeed, I think he is in the running to be the head of the 'hang 'em high' keyboard warriors brigade.

I dearly wish I was able to defend myself from your flames and off-topic personal insults. Seeing as my hands are tied here, any more of this stalking I will use the report button. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

41 minutes ago, chainarong said:

Just to put everyone in the picture, Bahrain issued the red notice, as Hakeem is a refugee living in OZ, Interpol shouldn't under international law have issue a red notice from the country this young man is seeking or is a refugee from.

 

Assuming your version is correct, I appreciate the clarification.

 

In reading the various Thai articles on this case, just who was really the moving party behind all this has been very unclear. A lot of the Thai coverage seems to be pointing the finger at Australia, which would have absolutely no reason to want this guy arrested. Bahrain, on the other hand, would...

[newatthis]

Some more news:

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-denies-issuing-interpol-red-notice-against-hakeem-al-araibi

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/australia-never-issued-a-red-notice-canberra-fires-back-at-bangkok-over-hakeem-al-araibi-20190207-p50wf0.html

[samran]

7 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

 

 This begs another question. Has this Al Araiby behaved since arriving in Australia? Did he commit any crimes in the 2 years he has been in Australia? This would make much sense and would account for the effort taken by Australian authorities to grab this guy and deport back to serve his 10 year sentence in Bahrain.

 

40 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

I dearly wish I was able to defend myself from your flames and off-topic personal insults. Seeing as my hands are tied here, any more of this stalking I will use the report button. 

I think this is the first post I’ve ever responded to you, so how that qualifies as stalking is beyond me.

 

Needless to say, what is good for the goose is apparently not good for the gander. 

 

Clearly you love casting aspersions about Hakim - someone genuinely unable to defend himself from innuendo you and you ilk throw around -  but have issues being called out upon it. 

 

Report away.