Whatever Australia gives of doesn't give is irrelevant to the trickery and waste of the United Nations. We should have nothing to do with it at all. No money. No country-shopping 'refugees'. The UN was a real hit in Rwanda, wasn't it! It is totally useless and uncessary, with nothing more to it than aspirations to world government.

SR,

For all the many $bns given to the UN, only a tiny fraction makes it to any refugee camp. It also supports many refugees that have never fled from any fighting and lines the pockets of those that have turned the camps into businesses.

Only a rampant simpleton such as yourself would think that virtue is determined by the $ value of donations to these corrupt organisations.

Dear Shadow Minister,

You wrote;

“For all the many $bns given to the UN, only a tiny fraction makes it to any refugee camp”

That is absolute rubbish.

Well you have made the claim now back it up and prove it isn't some unsubstantiated, vapid right whinge talking point.

Financial aid is like global taxes paid by governments instead of citizens.

Hi there STEELEREDUX...

I was given this account by an Oz Veteran of the failed Rwandan campaign that TTBN alluded too. We were in a 'Group' at the Repat. Hospital structured for Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. This particular bloke was with the Oz Army, the rest of us were Vietnam/Malaysian Veterans.

He'd never fired a shot in anger? He went on to describe Rwanda. He and a couple of platoons were 'standing easy', less the 50 - 60 yards from a couple of thousand (I've forgotten the names of the waring factions) men women and many many children. The people were all just milling around, cooking talking singing minding their own business, and it was daytime.

All of a sudden a large group of men emerged from the nearby scrub and without any warning, proceeded to literally butcher the men, women, & children (without distinction) with machetes and long knives in a frenzied attack on their victims. Naturally the Aussies were 'locked & loaded', and within minutes could've nullified the attack. However the order to 'fire' never came. Apparently the Aussies and other foreign peacekeepers, could only fire in instances of self-defence - orders from the UN.

This bloke was literally sobbing as he told us how the members of his platoon felt. He described the area as literally awash with blood. The attackers were like maniacs screaming and 'wild-eyed' like primitive, drunken, bloodlust natives.

Since that day he's never had an uninterrupted nights sleep. He said being well armed, yet not being able to do something, was unimaginable...the screams of literally, hundreds & hundreds, will resonate in his psyche for the rest of his life. He said, you're OK you could retaliate when you had a 'contact'. We never had a contact, we were part of it! Only as observers of mass murder nothing more. Someone in a far off country, in a UN office, were calling the shots!

Dear o sung wu,

Yes Rwanda was insanity. The massacre your soldier would be referring to was likely the Kibeho massacre in 1995.

This was essentially payback by the Tutsis for the original massacres done the previous year.

You write “All of a sudden a large group of men emerged from the nearby scrub and without any warning, proceeded to literally butcher the men, women, & children (without distinction) with machetes and long knives in a frenzied attack on their victims. Naturally the Aussies were 'locked & loaded', and within minutes could've nullified the attack.”

That was not quite the situation that is described here;

“Then, on April 22, 32 Australians witnessed a horror few can even imagine. Desperate to close down the camp, the RPF had opened fire. Over the course of the day, the Australians watched on, hands tied by the UN’s peacekeeping mandate, as the RPF unleashed machine gun fire and rocket propelled grenades on the captive refugees. All they could do was treat the injured.”

There were 600 Australian medical personnel deployed in various locations within Rwanda at the time with a rifle company for protection. And yes their mandate was very clear, force to be used only for self protection.

The only way they were able to operate was by maintaining neutrality. Had other countries been prepared to send appropriate resources and soldiers then they may have been able to react differently. However to have taken on the RPF then may well have seen many Australians lose their lives, especially once the word got out to other areas where they were deployed. These were not militias with machetes they were facing but fully armed soldiers.

There were many mistakes made, especially the tying of the hands of the UN by members of the Security Council, the US often being the biggest impediment.

This is a long read but worth it if you are interested;

http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/1999/1257

We can only hope some of the mistakes have been learnt.