15 June 2004

Illegal Immigrant Propped Up By IRD

“It is inconceivable that a dangerous illegal immigrant is still resident in New Zealand despite the Immigration Service and Police having full knowledge of his whereabouts”, said Rt Hon Winston Peters in the House today.

Mr Peters asked the Minister of Immigration for the second time this year how an Iranian illegal immigrant who has had a deportation order over him since June 2003, a Removal Order, trespass and protection orders imposed for violent, abusive and threatening behaviour, is an alleged P user, yet has not been picked up by the Immigration Service, and removed.

“Not only has this man proven he is a threat to society but he has conned the Inland Revenue Department into helping him with his book keeping for his illegal business activities and is evading child maintenance obligations to a child supported by our taxpayer funded Domestic Purposes Benefit.

“How can the Minister who has just boasted a $62 million dollar cash injection in the latest budget, ignore this outrageous situation by claiming a review of the Immigration Act will address the problem of such abuse when this swindler has been handed to the Immigration Service on a platter.

“This unsavoury character is one of many being allowed to blatantly rip off and abuse taxpayer funded services meant for New Zealanders”, said Mr Peters.

ENDS

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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>>