Posted on 10/22/2005 9:09:55 PM PDT by Fair Go
Laws will expose 80 Muslim suspects Cameron Stewart 22oct05
UP to 80 Australian Muslims could immediately be placed under effective house arrest under the Government's proposed anti-terror laws.
The laws mean they could each be required to wear tracking devices, or prevented from working, or using the telephone or internet, or communicating with certain people. For the first time, the laws will cover the estimated 80 Australians who have received or provided training with a listed terrorist organisation before 2002.
Previously, the Government has had no effective powers over these people, almost all of whom are Muslims, because laws prohibiting training with terrorist groups came into force only in July 2002 and were not retrospective.
However, under the proposed new laws, such people can be subjected to tough so-called control orders if authorities still believe they pose a security risk.
The provisions, which until now have escaped public scrutiny, are aimed at helping authorities monitor people who have trained with terror groups and are still deemed to pose a potential risk.
However, they will anger critics of the laws, who will argue they can be misused to "heavy" anyone purely on the basis that they have had past links with groups that are now illegal.
The Australian Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy Network slammed the proposed laws yesterday as "a backdoor way to limit the freedoms of people who can't be found guilty of a crime".
The laws will apply to anyone who has trained overseas with any of the 17 banned terror groups, including al-Qa'ida, Jemaah Islamiah, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Abu Sayyaf and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The intent of the law is that authorities leave these people alone if it is considered they no longer pose a security risk.
But if they are deemed to be a threat, the Government can impose a wide range of restrictions on their freedoms.
These include requiring that a person be fingerprinted and photographed and that they report to specific places at specific times. They may be fitted with a tracking device and banned from going to certain places or speaking with certain people or groups. They may also be banned from working or from using the internet or leaving Australia.
Authorities have long expressed frustration that they have no legal powers to more effectively monitor those Australians who trained with terrorist groups before 2002.
In March this year, the then head of ASIO, Dennis Richardson, said the great majority of people in Australia who trained with terrorist groups remained free because "amongst other reasons, the relevant laws did not come into force until July 2002".
"Probably less than 10 per cent of people in Australia who have, or have had, a substantive involvement with al-Qa'ida, JI and other like-minded groups will ever face a court of law," he said.
"In many cases, the capacity to obtain evidence sufficient to meet proper legal standards is beyond reach.
"But the community has an understandable expectation that the Government will lawfully protect it from the potential threat posed by those substantially involved with al-Qa'ida and other terrorist groups, and from those who have undertaken terrorist training. Equally, it is important that any action taken against such people - monitoring and otherwise - is within a proper legal framework."
GOOD ONYA!
"80 Australians who have received or provided training with a listed terrorist organization before 2002."
I'm big on civil rights but giving or receiving terrorist training merits being monitored. We could discuss what level of monitoring is appropriate... if the people have not committed a crime then a reasonable government needs to leave them enough room to earn a living and live their lives.
In the U.S. just getting Al Quadea training would be a crime since we are at war with Al Quaeda and they would belong in jail.
How about internment six feet under instead.
"Laws will expose 80 Muslim suspects"
Just 80? Try laws that would expose 2 Billion Muslim suspects.
Will it be too late before we realise the only solution is to just shoot the SOB's?
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