Dear All,
I read through various comments abouts races - I do not think this is applicable in this case. This is NOT Australian case, but Indonesian. The crime happened there, and it is Indonesian turn to rule it the way it should be done in that country. You don't like - you don't travel.
The thing that makes me concern is total unwillingness (or inability, but in this case why do we vote and why do we pay our taxes for) of Australian government to assist its own citizen.
I agree with Corby's lawyer, who is "sick" of Australian government - it is a pure bureaucracy, nobody wants to take a responsibility, and tranfer this issue from one department to another. At possible cost of someone's life.
Government should take responsibility, should take steps (even if they are not always right), instead of hiding behind media and being "personally interested" in Corby case, as per PM. His personal interest does not make her any good. Just a bunch of words without any meaning, just to fill newspapers space.
And I suppose that it why USA is and will be the stronger country in the world - they turn everything upside down for 1 citizen, and Australian goverment says a lot of words like " we are deeply concerned, and monitor the case closely", and so on. I am ashamed (and worried) to be a citizen of Australia.

There is no doubt that racism exists in cultural melting pots like Australia, along with similar countries that have a diverse cultural make-up.

However the level of hypocrisy from east asian observers is becoming hard to accept without some form of comment, given how deeply racist and largely exclusively monoracial their own countries are <see China and Japan>.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1461261,00.html

Can you imagine how much self-righteous indignation there would be if the similarly racist and derogatory comments were to be made about a visiting Chinese dignitary?

This commentary goes some way to demonstrate how racism is a undeniable human condition and exists everywhere. No one group should have automatic claims on the moral high ground, but folks like Chek seem to think they do.

While I don't deny Chek Ling has a case, I think more focus should be afforded to racism in Asia itself. Just to even the 'playing field' so to speak. Chek may find he lives in a rather large glass house.

Dear all

It seems that Tanuki, Burns and others are not able to accept that I am Australian, even though I haved lived here continuously for 43 years.

Is it because I have a Chinese name, and have been critical of some aspects of our national character that I have therefore become the "other" in their eyes?

Of course we have Nelson and others who broadcast for whatever reason that those who do not like our Australian values should clear off. (Paulin Hanson never had that malice, nor the calculatedness.) So you can see why I am critical of our national leadership in the matter of race relations. What is the point of spouting about tolerance, etc, when their deeds are all about using race as a politcal trump card when the occasion beacons?

And what are our values? Or do our political leaders just leave it to the mob to tailor them to their needs so that they can have a go at the "other" amongst us, whenever it is profitable for them to do so?

If we are blind to our imperfections, how do we begin to improve our society, given that so many of us on this thread are agreed that no human society is perfect?

Cheers

che

Shapple is not often discussed now. No more media show? Probably better for everyone.
Apparently, Ellise Turnball saw Shapple in Who restaurant eating Satay Chicken with a guard last week.

Wow!