10 February 2003 ]
One in five reservists is resisting call-up for
war
UK: 'One in five of the military reservists called up in
preparation for a possible war in Iraq has asked to be excused from duty
or simply ignored the order'
( Independent )
�
See also this text of the Reserve
Forces Act 1996, and this blog entry
from last month.LINKS?
http://www.hullocentral.demon.co.uk/site/anfin.htm
Three crew of the HMAS Kanimbla headed to the Middle East have left the
ship after refusing to take an anthrax vaccination, one of them claimed
last night.
Able Seaman Simon Bond, an electrical engineer, said he and two others
had been airlifted from the Kanimbla after refusing to take the
vaccination.
After receiving information from a family member at home about Gulf War
syndrome, he decided against taking the vaccine.
The Kanimbla's crew were asked to sign a consent form and have the
vaccination a day after sailing from Darwin. Sent back to Sydney, Able
Seaman Bond (pictured) told ABC TV's 7:30 Report last night that
the ship's engineer had warned him he would be moved from his home port
to Perth and face further action if he refused the vaccine.
He said he took the engineer's comments as a direct threat against his
career in the navy.
"Bloody oath I did, if that's not saying if you don't take the
injection we're going to try and stuff you over then I don't know what
is," Able Seaman Bond said.
"If you walked into a doctor in civvy street and he gave you this
information, there is no way in hell you'd let him jab it into you."
The Kanimbla is now in the Indian Ocean. A defence force spokesman,
Brigadier Mike Hannan, said any crew failing to take the vaccine would be
removed for their own safety. He denied action would be taken against
those who refused the vaccine.
http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/12/1044927607793.html
Remember the Checko troops that took up the offer of a flight home from
kuwait
