This just in from the New Zealand Department of All Right. Come Out With Your Hands Up, Two Cups Of Coffee, An Auto Freshener That Says Capricorn, And Something With Coconut On It!
Three more men have been arrested for firearms offences in the Bay of Plenty area targeted in last year’s anti-terrorism raids. Police said the arrests involved two men aged 44 and 46 from Maketu and a 24-year-old Ruatoki man… (New Zealand Herald, February 18)
One of the three, a 24-year-old Ruatoki man, appeared in Whakatane District Court today facing nine charges related to the Ruatoki police raids in October last year. The man was remanded for a depositions hearing in Auckland District Court on March 5 and granted name suppression and bail… Raunatiri Hunt, a 44-year-old security guard, and Tekaumarua Wharepouri, 46, a nurse, both from Maketu, 30km southeast of Tauranga, each faced seven counts of unlawfully possessing a range of guns… (Waikato Times, February 19)
Ruatoki Arrests – No Mistake This Time
Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 8:33 am
Press Release: The Maori Party
Te Ururoa Flavell, MP for Waiariki 20 February 2008
“The outrage continues in Ruatoki and, second time round, people are not likely to accept that police behaviour was any sort of mistake.”
Raided for library card
Stephen Cook
Herald on Sunday
February 24, 2008
Police handling of the anti-terror raids is again under fire after officers stormed the home of an Auckland businessman in search of a library card, a Hawaiian shirt, a pair of khaki shorts and a copy of the leaked terror affidavit.
A dozen plainclothes detectives raided the Whangaparaoa property of Vince Siemer on Thursday morning looking for anything connecting him with those accused of taking part last year in IRA-style training camps in the foothills of the Urewera Ranges.
Siemer’s wife, Jane, and 13-year-old daughter, Stephanie, were home at the time of the raid and both had their cellphones confiscated.
Siemer claims to have never met any of the accused – who include high-profile Tuhoe activist Tame Iti – but has admitted circulating copies of the 156-page police affidavit to sections of the media and “a couple of political people”.
“It [the affidavit] was a bunch of crap. These people were not terrorists. That’s why I circulated the affidavit,” Siemer said.
“I’m one of probably 5000 people who have this affidavit. Are we all going to be targeted? I’m not a terrorist. This is just Nazi-ism.”
…
NB. FYI, the affidavit remains available at the NZCLU site, as well as elsewhere online…
- See also : ‘Get someone to assassinate the prime minister, the new one, next year’s one. Just been in office five days, bang … Yeah John Key … just drop a bomb.’ (November 15, 2007) | NZ Police “terror” affidavit published online (November 28, 2007) | NZ Police affidavit: Just gimme a Bl@ckmask (November 30, 2007) | “New Zealand Civil Liberties Union” site closed down (December 1, 2007) | October 15th Solidarity
