Hu a man of mystery yet to show his hand
By Joseph Kahn in Beijing
November 16 2002
With a low profile even by the hermetic standards of China's one-party
system, Hu Jintao took over the most important political position in the
world's most populous nation yesterday by appealing to the one constituency
that counts: elite party insiders.
Hu, a merchant's son, survived a decade-long leadership trial by persuading
elders that he was the perfect party mandarin, pragmatic and flexible, yet
discreet and fiercely loyal.
That he rose to the top while scarcely showing his face even as China
opened its economy to the world is testimony to the unresolved
contradictions of the Chinese experiment with a one-party market economy.
Mr Hu, 59, is the enforcer who as China's top official in Tibet imposed
martial law in 1989 to quell unrest. He is the nationalist who supported
anti-United States protesters after a US bomb destroyed the Chinese embassy
in Yugoslavia in 1999.
MORE ON
http://smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/15/1037080913835.html
Three Chinese generals recently have been named to the Central
Committee of the Communist Party, a sure sign that they will take the
lead in Beijing's military planning over the next decade. A brief look
at these generals shows that military modernization -- particularly
in aerospace and naval technology -- will accelerate
ANOTHER POLICE SCANDAL?
...another sunny day in OZ; you seek perpetual motion young grasshopper?
Seek out police corruption in australia.
Whistleblower warns from the grave: investigate if I'm found dead
By Malcolm Brown
November 16 2002
Australian Federal Police and NSW Police are investigating the mysterious
death of an Australian Protective Service (APS) whistleblower, Gary
Lee-Rogers, who claimed four months before he died that a police officer
had pushed a pistol into his mouth.
Mr Lee-Rogers was found dead in his Queanbeyan flat on October 1, five days
after claiming to his landlady that federal police had beaten him up.
According to documents obtained by the Herald, he had been in fear of his
life for some time.
In a May 18 email, he complained of serious harassment. "My case will call
the Prime Minister and other high-profile people to answer. I am in fear of
my life and make it known through the WBA [Whistleblowers Australia] if I
suicide that there is someone behind my demise.
"I have already had a gun placed in my mouth and WBA should know it was
[name given] of the ACT police who did it. Make it known he is a corrupt
police officer acting under instructions ... I am expecting an accident at
any time."
A coroner's inquest has been ordered into his death.
Dr Jean Lennane, national president of WBA, said her organisation was
calling for proper protocols for situations where people suspected of foul
play were within the very organisations doing the investigation.
Michael Kennedy, a former NSW police officer turned academic, said it was
apparent that already certain protocols had been breached. There had been
shortcomings in communication.
"People are standing on ceremony saying they don't know if it has been
breached," he said. "But the political nature of this required everyone to
be told."
The head of the homicide squad, Detective Superintendent Nick Kaldas, said
the squad was aware of the case but at present the investigation was being
handled by Queanbeyan detectives, who were doing it well.
"Everything hangs on the cause of death being determined," he said. "If it
is found that he was murdered, the investigation will be conducted to the
nth degree."
Beryl Janz, national media officer for the federal police, confirmed
yesterday that there was an internal inquiry into the assault alleged by Mr
Lee-Rogers.
Mr Lee-Rogers, who had been acting assistant inspector for the APS, claimed
to have become mired in bureaucratic harassment for reporting another
officer for assault. In January 2000 he broadened his complaints to include
more general claims of corruption and maladministration.
He said that when no action was taken, he had threatened to take the
matters to the Attorney-General's Department. On April 4, 2000, he was
arrested and charged with a series of offences he claimed were bogus.
He claimed that after that, the harassment increased, and included police
officers driving past his home and pointing pistols in his direction. He
found that without his knowledge, he had been subscribed to 400 internet
pornography sites.
He complained to the Ombudsman and as a result got a trial date for
November 4 this year. "I am in fear of my life and know I will die
'accidentally' of 'my own hand' within the next few months."
http://smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/15/1037080914098.html
The AFP and the Victoria Police are the ones most overdue for an
Inquiry/comission.
