What Was Zaoui Doing Here To Begin With?

Wednesday 31 Mar 2004 Ken Shirley Press Releases -- Foreign Affairs & Defence

It is clear that the High Court had no alternative other than to stand down Inspector General of Intelligence and Security Laurie Greig for his comments showing apparent bias against Ahmed Zaoui, ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader Ken Shirley said today.

"Once a matter is before the courts, we must always follow due process and maintain high standards. But the real issue is: why was this matter before the courts in the first place?

"It is a privilege - not a right - for a foreigner to be granted refugee or residency status in New Zealand. There is sufficient doubt surrounding Zaoui to suggest he should have been denied entry in the first place. The courts should never have been placed in the position that they have been," Mr Shirley said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>