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2007-06-26 06:32:03
PureFodder
Member
+225|6730
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6239918.stm

Finally someone has the decency to try to do something about this law dodging company that seems to have the entire British government eating out of their hands. Should Arms companies be allowed to bribe people because 'that's how this business works'? Should there be stricter punishments for companies that sell ground attack planes to places like Indonesia as long as they promise not to use them to violently repress civillians (BAE jets have been used to bomb the c**p out of villages in East Timor yet there have been no ramifications for BAE). They spy on other companies, break national and international laws and the British government respond by doing pretty much nothing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree … 51,00.html

(the last link contains swearing)
http://www.newstatesman.com/200501010002
2007-06-26 07:02:43
BVC
Member
+325|7140
I didn't think there was a war going on in East Timor?
2007-06-26 07:56:11
Dragonclaw
Member
+186|6749|Florida
Why did you censor "crap" in your post?
2007-06-26 09:58:22
PureFodder
Member
+225|6730

Pubic wrote:

I didn't think there was a war going on in East Timor?
It's not a war as such, just the Indonesian military committing 'gross human rights violations', torturing and killing political opponents etc.  Doing all this with military hardware supplied by places like the UK on the basis that this was exactly what it shouldn't be used for (yes, they actually got a note from the Indonesian government to say they won't use the stuff they sold for that purpose and actually believed them). Shouldn't there be more consequences for companies that sell this hardware that repeatably ends up being used to oppress and kill civilians?

http://www.etan.org/news/2007/06forops.htm
2007-06-26 10:12:57
jord
Member
+2,382|7122|The North, beyond the wall.
What does the Us department of justice have to do with a British company?

Could we not investigate it ourselves or something?
2007-06-26 10:21:42
PureFodder
Member
+225|6730

jord wrote:

What does the Us department of justice have to do with a British company?

Could we not investigate it ourselves or something?
Britain has a hopeless tendency to do things like tell BAE they're going to investigate them in a few weeks, including BAE in meeting about investigations into BAE and allows them to have the reports before releasing them and other stupid things that always let them get away with whatever they did.

In this case the money that was used for bribery went through the US banking system first so the US can investigate and unlike the UK, if BAE are found guilty it's good for US defence contractors and therefore the US government. When the UK government investigate BAE, finding them guilty is bad for the UK government.
2007-06-26 11:22:25
ELITE-UK
Scratching my back
+170|6918|SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND

jord wrote:

What does the Us department of justice have to do with a British company?

Could we not investigate it ourselves or something?
Because BAE are building bomb resistant trucks or something, vital for the war in iraq.
2007-06-26 17:39:53
BVC
Member
+325|7140

PureFodder wrote:

Pubic wrote:

I didn't think there was a war going on in East Timor?
It's not a war as such, just the Indonesian military committing 'gross human rights violations', torturing and killing political opponents etc.  Doing all this with military hardware supplied by places like the UK on the basis that this was exactly what it shouldn't be used for (yes, they actually got a note from the Indonesian government to say they won't use the stuff they sold for that purpose and actually believed them). Shouldn't there be more consequences for companies that sell this hardware that repeatably ends up being used to oppress and kill civilians?

http://www.etan.org/news/2007/06forops.htm
East Timor is an independent nation these days, has been since...1999 I think? when Indonesia pulled out...theres a bunch of UN peacekeepers there still.  In any case what could the UK government do?

 

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