Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Will Sirul return, corroborate claims of Altantuya murder? By R Nadeswaran
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Malaysiakini : Both were convicted in the High Court but it was overturned by the
Court of Appeal and they were set free. The Federal Court subsequently
affirmed the High Court decision, and the two were sentenced to death.
Sirul had in the meantime, fled to Australia where his son resides.
The Malaysian government sought to extradite Sirul but that application was refused by Australia which has a policy of not deporting anybody facing the death penalty in the country of origin.
But from death row in Kajang Prison in 2019, Azilah made an explosive allegation
- the order to kill Altantuya came from former prime minister Najib
Abdul Razak and the latterās close associate Abdul Razak Baginda.
In
admitting for the first time that he and Sirul killed the Mongolian
national, Azilah claimed he was merely following an explicit āshoot to
killā order as a member of the elite Special Action Force (UTK) of the
police.
These details were contained in an application filed by
Azilah, who is seeking the Federal Court to review its decision in the
conviction and death sentence imposed on him and Sirul, who is also a
former UTK personnel, in 2015.
Former police officer Azilah Hadri
He also sought a retrial to provide full evidence of the clandestine operation in open court so that ājustice will be servedā.
However, all his applications were dismissed.
Death penalty preventing extradition
Sirul,
at the time, was not twiddling his thumbs in detention. A battery of
Malaysian lawyers landed at the gates of Villawood offering free advice
in a bid to secure his freedom.
A middleman, a former Penang
hockey player, was appointed ācaretaker and liaison manā but nothing
further happened despite large amounts of money being spent.
Sirulās bid for asylum was turned down in 2019 and he was kept in indefinite detention.
But after yesterday, he is still not exactly a free man. He may be
out of detention but he is a wanted man and a stateless person in the
eyes of the government because he has no valid documents, having
overstayed his tourist visa when he entered Australia.
The
extradition request is still on the table of the Australian Foreign
Office and with the death penalty not completely abolished in Malaysia,
he may not set foot on these shores.
Last year, then prime
minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the death penalty would remain and
would not be abolished, with the change only being that judges would be given discretion in sentencing.
Former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Australian
laws dictate that its attorney-general must refuse to provide
assistance where a person was arrested or detained having committed an
offence, or charged with, or convicted of a death penalty offence unless
there are special circumstances.
An example of a special
circumstance is when the foreign country provides an undertaking that
the death penalty will not be imposed, or if the death penalty is
imposed, it will not be carried out.
Another example of a special
circumstance is that the assistance provided would assist a defendant to
prove his or her innocence.
Staying Down Under
If
he intends to stay in Australia, Sirul would have to make a fresh
application for asylum and it would be a tricky situation for the
Australian authorities.
He previously claimed he took part in the
abduction of Altantuya - a Mongolian national who worked as a model and
translator - but not her murder.
Australian lawyers said Sirul will now have to apply for a āprotectionā visa pending his application for asylum.
They
said the previous extradition may no longer be valid because it was
made under different circumstances - when he was in detention.
Now
that he is a free man, a new application would have to be made and the
Australian Federal Police will have to track Sirul, arrest, and detain
him pending extradition to Malaysia.
But the lawyers said it
would be a long process especially if he, like Azilah, gives the same
grounds - that it was a āstate-ordered executionā and disobeying it
would amount to treason.
However, in an immediate response,
Australian Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Home Affairs Minister
Clare OāNeil said their government was āconsidering other measures that
may be appropriate to ensure community safetyā.
āIndividuals who
are required to be released as a result of the High Courtās order will
have appropriate visa conditions imposed on them in line with the need
to protect the community. Conditions will be based on individual
circumstances,ā they said in a joint statement.
