Corpse unclaimed

(via a commenter on Chris Sheil’s blog) This admirably detailed post on an American blog called Simply Appalling highlights and analyses the finding of the blond-haired body of an apparently executed man in the Tigris river just days after the “Horror Brigade of the Islamic Secret Army” claimed to have kidnapped two Australian security guards.

As the blogger argues, it’s remarkable that Australian media haven’t been more diligent in following up this story. Of course, it would have more credence and newsworthiness if any Australians had actually come forward to report a friend or relative missing or not heard from in Iraq.

About Ken Parish

Ken Parish is a legal academic, with research areas in public law (constitutional and administrative law), civil procedure and teaching & learning theory and practice. He has been a legal academic for almost 20 years. Before that he ran a legal practice in Darwin for 15 years and was a Member of the NT Legislative Assembly for almost 4 years in the early 1990s.
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Geoff Honnor
Geoff Honnor
2024 years ago

I think you’ve answered it: the fact that no Australian has been reported missing might indicate that it’s less likely that an Australian is missing. Not beyond the realms of possibility of course, but there is a lot of other news stuff going on at the moment etc. This might explain why the Australian media’s examination of the Tigris incident might have been less than forensic. It certainly stacks better with me than the cover-up and conspiracy scenario which Simply Appalling is tiptoe’ing around with a certain air of frustration.

Rex
Rex
2024 years ago

I agree with Geoff.

Howard and Downer wouldn’t have deliberatly played down an Australian hostage situation. More likely in fact for them to play it up. Whip up the outrage, be seen to take charge, which was exactly the point of sending the SAS / hostage negotiation team over in a blaze of publicity.

No doubt Howard was dissapointed that the facts on the ground didn’t allow him to give the full performance, and so he ended up opting instead for the pre-emtive strike statements of recent days, which have nicely blown up in his face.

Handy Fuse
2024 years ago

Thanks for reading my blog. Some points you discuss are covered in some of the earlier posts I did on the subject. And I will probably do a follow-up tomorrow because I think the SAS business, though murky, is worth some discussion, as is Howard’s “Why hasn’t anyone phoned in?”

I would point out, however, that the initial reaction of the government was not to send “the SAS / hostage negotiation team over in a blaze of publicity.” They initially issued a denial.

Rex
Rex
2024 years ago

Handy, I’m sure we’ll all be keeping an eye on your blog for further developments.

EvilPundit
2024 years ago

I would point out, however, that the initial reaction of the government was not to send “the SAS / hostage negotiation team over in a blaze of publicity.”

If they were sending over the SAS, keeping it quiet would make perfect sense. Why alert the enemy?

In this connection, the media should shut up when there are secret operations in which Australian lives are at risk.

Niall
Niall
2024 years ago

But are Australian lives at risk. Howard doesn’t believe so. With each passing day it’s less of an issue, according to him. There is more to this than meets the eye.

nardo
2024 years ago

the media is not really in a position to go fact-checking in Iraq… (altho I’d like to see Piers try it, he weighed in on the issue)

and apparently not even the embassy bods can get around much?

my mate’s first thought was that they’d got a couple of aussie spooks…

trackback
2024 years ago

floating to the surface

Some person called “Handy Fuse” runs Simply Appalling, mostly about American matters. But s/he has taken up the ‘Australian hostages in Iraq/ cripes a dead man in the river/ could it possibly be?/ run and hide right now’ story -…