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  1. #76
    Thailand Expat
    panama hat's Avatar
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    China . . . sooooooo sensitive of how others threat them

    China . . . sooooooo insensitive how they treat others.


    It's an ethnic trait, it seems, from the twenty+ years I've lived in Asia . . . .



  2. #77
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Everyone should post a picture of a chinky munching a bat on their social media.

    It's not like you have to fake them.

    Australian special forces soldiers committed up to 39 murders: ADF report-23773278-0-image-12_1579784331717-jpg

  3. #78
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    ‘We were fighting & in danger. To now say that’s a war crime makes me really angry’ – is Aussie SAS killer a hero or a villain?

    11 Jun, 2021 21:04

    "An Australian SAS war hero broke down in the witness box as he recalled the killings he carried out in Afghanistan that earned him the Victoria Cross. Newspapers also allege he brutally murdered six unarmed detainees. The defamation case involving Australia’s most decorated living war hero presents a curious spectacle – a celebrated SAS soldier breaking down in tears as he defends himself and the reputation of the country’s armed forces against a concerted attack by a woke media organisation, aided and abetted by a platoon of his former fellow soldiers.

    In his opening statement to what local media in Sydney have dubbed the trial of the century, the counsel for the newspaper defendants, Nicholas Owens SC, outlined his clients’ case against Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith. Put simply, the defendants allege that the war hero callously and brutally murdered six people in Afghanistan.

    Owens told the Federal Court that none of the six murders said to have been committed by Roberts-Smith occurred "in the heat of battle.” Rather, each of the victims had been securely under the control of Australian troops, and none posed a military threat. It was not certain whether some of the victims were members of the Taliban, but that was beside the point, said Owens.

    He stated that the defendants would be calling 21 current and former special forces soldiers – one of whom "who would himself confess to murder” – and four Afghan villagers to give evidence in support of the defendants’ case.

    He rejected suggestions that the soldiers’ evidence was fabricated or motivated by jealousy, and characterised Roberts-Smith’s account of the six incidents as "inherently implausible.” For good measure, he accused Roberts-Smith of threatening witnesses and destroying relevant evidence.

    The soldier himself commenced giving evidence in chief on Thursday.

    The war hero told the court: "I have spent my life fighting for my country, and I did everything to ensure I did it with honour.” He described the allegations made against him as "devastating… it breaks my heart, really.”


    He then gave evidence in relation to a number of specific incidents relied upon by the defendants.

    Roberts-Smith rejected claims that he had bullied or threatened fellow soldiers, and denied saying to one, "I don’t care about women and children. I just want to kill c***s.”

    He also denied that he had fired 10 to 15 rounds into the body of an insurgent, or that he took part in an incident in which a soldier was ordered to shoot a kneeling Afghan insurgent in the head as a way of "blooding the rookie.”

    When asked about the infamous incident in which Australian soldiers were photographed drinking from the prosthetic leg of a dead Taliban member, Roberts-Smith said that this was an example of "gallows humour” that enabled troops to "desensitise themselves to the horrors of seeing dead bodies every day”, adding: "We were out there doing a job you cannot explain to people… I don’t have a problem with it, it’s how people decompressed… it’s about people being able to let go of some of the demons that they deal with.”

    Roberts-Smith was scathingly critical of a number of the special services soldiers he served with – including one who he said had crashed a vehicle while trying to shoot a stray dog, and another who was more concerned about cooking his lunch than engaging with the enemy. There were some soldiers in his unit "who shouldn’t have been there,” he declared.

    Late on Thursday afternoon, when recounting the brutal battle at Tizak in 2010 where he won his Victoria Cross for storming two machine-gun posts and killing the gunners, (in all, 76 insurgents were killed in the action), Roberts-Smith became emotional. "We were all fighting, we were all in some form of danger,” he explained. "To have somebody tell you that that is now somehow some kind of criminal act, a war crime, it makes me angry, it makes me really angry.”

    He became visibly upset and broke down in the witness box – and the court adjourned.

    On Friday, he told the court that winning the Victoria Cross had "put a target on his back” and provoked acts of retribution from jealous soldiers serving with him. "As soon as you become a tall poppy, that becomes a chance to belittle you, and undermine you, and to use that award against you, out of pure spite,” he explained.

    He said about one of the soldiers scheduled to testify against him, "for some reason he could not get over the fact that I had a Victoria Cross.”

    He said he had been "white-anted” by other soldiers, especially during his final deployment in 2012. The court heard that on a noticeboard within the SAS compound at Tarin Kowt, he was ridiculed over night-time reconnaissance missions he led: "RS is trying to win another medal,” one note read.

    Roberts-Smith denied saying to one soldier, who is to give evidence, "Before this trip is over I’m going to choke a bloke to death and watch the life drain out of him.”


    ‘We were fighting & in danger. To now say that’s a war crime makes me really angry’ – is Aussie SAS killer a hero or a villain? — RT Op-ed


    Last edited by OhOh; 13-06-2021 at 10:05 PM.
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  4. #79
    Thailand Expat Backspin's Avatar
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    The tone of this story is similar to the story about the childrens graves in Canada.

  5. #80
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Everyone should post a picture of a chinky munching a bat on their social media.

    It's not like you have to fake them.

    Australian special forces soldiers committed up to 39 murders: ADF report-23773278-0-image-12_1579784331717-jpg


    Some media outlets, including Daily Mail and RT, promoted a video that showed a young Chinese woman eating a bat and suggested it was shot in Wuhan, but later it was confirmed that the footage was filmed by travel vlogger Wang Mengyun in the island country of Palau in 2016, to showcase local cuisine.[34][33] Footage of other Chinese nationals eating bat meat were also used to reinforce the belief that bat meat is popular in China, however these videos were largely found to be of Chinese tourists trying out Palau's local delicacies.[35] Instead, Chinese cuisine experts like Guansheng Ma of Peking University and William Chan Tat Chuen, a France-based Chinese culinary author,[36] agreed that bat meat is not especially popular in China.[35][34][37] Additionally, wildlife as a food product is seen as a luxury in China due to high costs and accessibility issues.[34] All wildlife trade in China, including bat meat, was banned in January 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which is assumed to have originated in Wuhan.[38][39][40]

    Bat as food - Wikipedia


    Enjoy that crow soup.

  6. #81
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Enjoy that crow soup.
    Nice one. You just posted a picture of a chinky eating a bat.



  7. #82
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    Would you prefer one of Ozzy Osbourne?


    Anyway, for shame Australia.

    After this latest, utterly humiliating military debacle in Afghanistan, common sense would dictate that now is an ideal time for the US to announce to the rest of the world that it is slashing it's ridiculously bloated military budget, and curtailing it's aggressive (and disastrous) foreign military adventurism and posturing. No more murder and mayhem please America. But don't hold your breath.

    It would also be an ideal time for Oz, and the UK, to grow some balls- and announce they will no longer be blindly lead into the USA's next murderous military fiasco, like whipped puppies. But don't hold your breath. Your partners in crime do not get a free leave pass. I too cringe to be an aussie, and pom, not to mention an ex-military officer.


    ‘A tragic and wasted opportunity’: Australia’s inglorious exit from Afghanistan (msn.com)

  8. #83
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    ‘Wrong morally’: Official photo of Roberts-Smith was altered to hide Crusader’s cross

    Former special forces soldier Ben Roberts-Smith displayed a contentious Crusader’s cross on his uniform while on duty in Afghanistan, with the symbol later digitally removed by the Department of Defence in a widely distributed photo of the decorated war veteran.
    The photo released by Defence at some time near January 2011 shows Mr Roberts-Smith wearing a blank patch on the front of his uniform after exiting a helicopter.


    The original photo (left) of Ben Roberts-Smith displaying a Crusader’s cross on his uniform while on duty in Afghanistan. The evidence was later edited out (right) in the official photo released by Defence.CREDIT:ADF
    But The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has obtained the original photo, which was taken on April 6, 2010, revealing Mr Roberts-Smith was in fact bearing the Crusader’s Cross.
    Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said displaying the symbol was “wrong morally” and “counterproductive”.


    The symbol dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries when the Crusaders captured parts of the Middle East from Muslim control. Many Muslims find the cross to be offensive, particularly when displayed by western soldiers in their country.
    A spokesperson for Defence said it “does not condone or permit the use, display or adoption of symbols, emblems and iconography that are at odds with Defence values”.


    Ben Roberts-Smith is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over the reports.CREDIT:EDWINA PICKLES
    Mr James said wearing a Crusader’s cross was “simply unprofessional” and part of the poor cultural standards that were unearthed by the long-running Brereton inquiry.
    “We know from the Brereton report that a lot of the things that were allegedly done were due to unprofessional actions,” he said.




    “You’re fighting people motivated by Islamist extremism, and you’re in effect kicking an own goal by providing them with propaganda. That’s exceptionally dumb to do in a counter-insurgency war.”


    The cross is associated with the Crusades, a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims.CREDIT:ISTOCK
    Displaying symbols such as the Crusader’s cross or Spartan-style insignia was widespread within the ADF at the time the photo was taken. In 2018, then-Chief of Army General Angus Campbell issued a directive to commanders that they should stamp out all instances of “death symbology and iconography”.
    Under Defence policy, the department can make minor alterations to images for reasons related to operational security or privacy concerns. According to Defence, it has been unable to identify at what stage in the approval process the image was modified and whether this occurred in Afghanistan or Australia.
    Australian Federation of Islamic Councils executive member Mohammed Berjauoi said Western forces should not invoke the Crusades when conducting military activity in the Middle East.


    “Whoever uses that symbol provokes Muslims and increases anger against the West. It is the wrong thing to do,” he said.
    “It undermines the Australian policy, which calls for peace in the world. We know it’s not the policy of the Australian government – but one mistake like this upsets a lot of people and makes them really think about the role of the Australian government in the Middle East.”
    RELATED ARTICLE





    Roberts-Smith case


    ‘Big soldier’ involved in killing of Afghan farmer, Ben Roberts-Smith trial told




    The altered image of the former SAS corporal was among several that were publicly released to coincide with the presentation of the Victoria Cross to Mr Roberts-Smith in 2011 and was published on the Defence image gallery. It has been published by multiple media outlets over the past decade, including News Corp papers and The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, as well as the Australian War Memorial.
    A spokesperson for the AWM said the image with the blank patch was “supplied by the Department of Defence to the Australian War Memorial and is the only version held by the Australian War Memorial”.


    “The photo was available to view on the Memorial webpage soon after the accession date in February 2011 and remained online until it was removed on 01/04/2021 when its status was changed as part of an internal collection management process,” the AWM spokesperson said.
    RELATED ARTICLE





    Ben Roberts-Smith


    Two worlds collide as defamation lawyers quiz Afghan farmer




    The Australian Federal Police is currently investigating Mr Roberts-Smith over allegations he committed war crimes and intimidated war crimes witnesses. Mr Roberts-Smith has denied all wrongdoing and launched a defamation action against The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports that he allegedly committed murder on deployments to Afghanistan.
    The Brereton inquiry, which last year found credible evidence of 39 unlawful killings of Afghan civilians or prisoners by Australian soldiers who were not named, raised the alarm about a “warrior culture” within Australia’s special forces and “the clique of non-commissioned officers who propagated it”.
    “Special Forces operators should pride themselves on being model professional soldiers, not on being ‘warrior heroes’,” Justice Paul Brereton said.


    https://www.theage.com.au/politics/f...26-p58cvu.html





  9. #84
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    the 11th and 12th centuries when the Crusaders captured parts of the Middle East from Muslim control.
    Same outcome, too.

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