Monday 25th of November 2024
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them & us .....

them & us .....

‘I share the outrage expressed in the British press over the treatment of our naval personnel accused by Iran of illegally entering their waters. It is a disgrace. We would never dream of treating captives like this - allowing them to smoke cigarettes, for example, even though it has been proven that smoking kills. And as for compelling poor servicewoman Faye Turney to wear a black headscarf, and then allowing the picture to be posted around the world - have the Iranians no concept of civilised behaviour?

For God's sake, what's wrong with putting a bag over her head? That's what we do with the Muslims we capture: we put bags over their heads, so it's hard to breathe. Then it's perfectly acceptable to take photographs of them and circulate them to the press because the captives can't be recognised and humiliated in the way these unfortunate British service people are.

It is also unacceptable that these British captives should be made to talk on television and say things that they may regret later. If the Iranians put duct tape over their mouths, like we do to our captives, they wouldn't be able to talk at all. Of course they'd probably find it even harder to breathe - especially with a bag over their head - but at least they wouldn't be humiliated.’

Call that humiliation?

round pegs into square holes

Lovely John

This article above shows what's what in the civilized worlds...

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From the Guardian

Iran outlines conditions for release of UK sailors

Julian Borger and Ian Black
Tuesday April 3, 2007
The Guardian

Iran's most senior diplomat, Ali Larijani, called for a "delegation" to rule on whether a British naval patrol entered Iranian waters last month before his government would release the 15 marines and sailors it is holding captive.

Laying out what appeared to be a vague road map for the freeing of the British personnel, Mr Larijani said that if it was found they had crossed into Iranian territory, there should be an apology and they would then be released.

He gave some conciliatory signals in an interview with Channel Four News, saying the Iranian government was not interested in putting the detainees on trial, but warned that might change if Britain attempted to impose more international pressure on Tehran. "We are not interested in this issue getting more complicated," said Mr Larijani, the secretary-general of Iran's national security council.

"Our interest is in solving this problem as soon as possible. This issue can be resolved, and there is no need for any trial. There should be a delegation to review the case ... to clarify whether they have been in our territorial waters or not."

Mr Larijani did not specify whether the delegation he was requesting should be British or international, but he did say the issue should be solved "bilaterally".

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Gus: One thing so far not mentioned by the forces at play (I have not seen this mentioned yet may be it has) is that if the British were not in Iranians waters then the Iranians were in Iraqi waters... This little subtlety of course would not have escaped the Iranians who could have been the "trespassers". Thus, the solution to this little fracas is to accept that the waters were the Brits were picked up are in dispute or at least not defined enough to conclude either way... And this incident then can be the start of negotiations to define where the various countries territorial waters start and end... Seeing the way Australia and East Timor have gone about it, we're in for another 50 to 100 years of palabra. But at least the negotiators all can enjoy endless cups of tea around a square table — trying to fit round pegs into square holes.

They beat me to it

From our ABC

Iran shows new footage of British captives 'relaxing'

Iran has broadcast new footage of the British sailors it held for a fortnight, saying the pictures of them playing table tennis and watching football belied assertions of maltreatment.

Several of the 15 sailors and marines said on their return to Britain last week that they had been maltreated and subjected to psychological pressure during their detention.

In a clear bid to counter the reports from Britain, Iran's Arabic language channel Al-Alam broadcast fresh footage that showed some sailors playing table tennis and a larger group playing chess on a Persian carpet.

Other pictures showed them watching a football game between Liverpool and Arsenal, laughing while sitting barefoot in tracksuits on a rug and tucking into a meal of kebabs and soup.

"These pictures show the relaxation and freedom they enjoyed during their detention period," the channel's newsreader said.

"This contradicts what they said when they arrived home in Britain. Tehran opened its arms and offered hospitality to the 15 British sailors."

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Gus: I was too busy today, but in the back of my mind I was going to say sumpthin' about the British sailors selling their stories to the media for mighty big bucks... Good on yar, bosun' of the rubber duckies...

So why would the English government bend the rules of Armed forces not to tell anything about anything in the armed forces.... Hum?

Well a bit of propaganda against the big bad wolf Iran might not go astray, as well as line the coffers  of cash strapped able seapersons... So the Brits can really spread the 14 day ordeal over several years to put pressure on Iran...

So I was there, free of spirit, thinking either the Iranians should have held one of the sailors for another two months to stop the others from badmouthing their country, ... or the Iranian in the age of video and small still-cameras taking decent movies, would have a fair collection of funny home videos of the sailors falling on thier backside... 

"they forced us to play table tennis."

"We had no choice but to eat the best tucker ever." 

"They told us some really good jokes to make us laugh against our will."

"They said they would kill us if we did not have a good time."

etc... You get my gist... Propaganda, propaganda, all is propaganda... Especially from Pommyland...

 

"Loot is the foe of truth"

By letting the captives take money to talk, the MoD sullies their stories and sets a bad precedent

Peter Preston
Monday April 9, 2007
The Guardian

After kiss and tell, it seems, we now have surrender and tell (as in, pick up a couple of years' worth of service pay for telling the Daily Bugle and Independent Sensational News how 13 days in Iranian custody seemed to you). These are "exceptional circumstances", says the MoD, granting exceptional rights to the Shatt al-Arab 15. They can sell their tales to the highest bidder: and Faye Turney - the lady with the drooping fag - will probably make more than the rest put together. It may not always be a woman's life in Her Majesty's Navy, but Fleet Street certainly knows what shifts copies across newsagents' counters.

Exceptional shooting oneself in the foot averted

Military banned from selling stories

Staff and agencies
Monday April 9, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
 
Military personnel have been banned from selling their stories to the media, the defence secretary, Des Browne, announced tonight, amid a growing row over the returned captives from Iran.