Government asked to stop funding NZDF's Hit & Run cover up
Government asked to stop public resources going into NZDF's Hit & Run cover up
A protest letter has
been sent to the prime minister Jacinda Ardern
asking her
to stop the Defence Force being allowed to set up a
special
unit and spend large sums of public money to try
to influence the
Government Inquiry into Operation
Burnham and Related Matters. Operation
Burnham is the
ill-fated 2010 SAS raid that led to 21 dead and
injured
civilians.
Hit and Run Inquiry Campaign
spokesperson Tim Webb said the government
has allocated
two million dollars of public money to an
independent
inquiry and it should be left to them to
establish the truth. "All the
Defence Force should be
doing is handing over information and
providing
witnesses. They should not be spening millions
more on a special unit,
PR people and expensive lawyers.
This is simply a continuation of seven
years of Defence
Force denial and cover up."
The Defence Force revealed
recently that it is setting up a 12-person
unit that will
be supported by additional staff as well. An
organisation
plan shows about 20 staff in total assigned
to trying to put the NZDF's
case to the inquiry.
"The
point is that NZDF is not a neutral party in this inquiry.
It is
being investigated not only for wrongdoing but
years of trying to hide
the wrongdoing."
"If there were
allegations of misconduct in the Ministry of Housing
or
Department of Corrections, no one would think it was
appropriate for
that organisation to pour public
resources into trying to defend its
staff. It should all
be left to the government inquiry. It is exactly
the same
with the Defence Force. It should quietly cooperate
and
otherwise leave it to the commissioners to do the
job."
Links:
http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/news/media-releases/2018/nzdf-special-inquiry-office-established.htm
http://nzdf.mil.nz/downloads/pdf/public-docs/2018/CDF-Directive-23-2018-Establishment-of-the-NZDF-Special-Inquiry-Office_Redacted.pdf