Australia passes laws cracking down on foreign fighters

Friday, 31 October 2014 01:59 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Australia passed laws on Thursday aimed at preventing young people from becoming radicalised and going to fight in overseas conflicts such as those in Iraq and Syria, where scores of Australians have joined militant groups. Last month, the United Nations demanded that all states make it a serious criminal offence for their citizens to travel abroad to fight with militant groups, or to recruit and fund others to do so, in a move sparked by the rise of Islamic State. Security analysts have put the number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, travelling from scores of countries around the world, in the thousands. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told parliament at least 70 Australians were fighting in Iraq and Syria backed by about 100 Australia-based “facilitators”. The government had cancelled the passports of about 70 people, Abbott said. “It’s to protect other countries who shouldn’t have to host Australians intent on mayhem, and it’s to protect us, Madam Speaker, because Australians do have a right to come back to this country, and the last thing we should want is people on our streets who have been radicalised and brutalised by participation in terrorist activities overseas,” Abbott said. Australia is on high alert for attacks by radicalised Muslims or by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, having raised its threat level to high and undertaken a series of high-profile raids in major cities. The government, which recently warned that the balance between freedom and security “may have to shift”, is also introducing controversial data retention laws it says are needed to tackle security and criminal threats. Critics say the data laws go too far in compromising privacy, will be too costly and could open journalists and whistleblowers to hefty prison sentences.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.