Mr Turnbull is rushing again - this time on the detention of Mr Hu and on international affairs

Comments on the news report “China accuses Rio Tinto's Hu of bribery during iron ore negotiations”, 10/07/2009, http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Hu-accused-of-bribery-during-negotiation-TT7D5?OpenDocument

Mr Turnbull is acting irresponsibly now. He says “Mr Hu deserves to be protected, he deserves the protection and the intervention of the Australian prime minister.” What if Mr Hu really violated Chinese laws? If that is the case, why should he deserve protection and protection of Australian prime minister? Isn’t it a ridiculer argument? What nonsense is that?

You say that “It is completely unacceptable”. What is acceptable to you? Do you want China not to prosecute any person who breaches its laws? Do you also want that to be applied in Australia?

Mr Turnbull says “He (Mr Hu) was arrested by the Chinese secret police, taken to an unknown location, and is being held there without access to his family, his employers, to a lawyer or to consular officials ... an extraordinary denial of human rights”. Mr Hu was arrested in China presumably according to Chinese laws. There are agreements between Australia and China on reporting of detetion of each other’s citizen and the time within which consular access must be given, as the Australian foreign minister has said. So far it has not been reported that China has breached those agreements. So why was the matter an extraordinary denial of human rights, Mr Turnbull? Doesn’t it show you violate the rights of others by wrongfully accusing China, by asking for special favour for an accused person without knowing if those accusations are correct or not? Isn’t this another of your acting in a rushed, emotional and unchecked and unbalanced manner as you did in accusing Rudd misleading the parliament for that you have been burnt severely?

As the opposition leader of this country, you should act responsibly and reasonably. Political opportunistic actions are unlikely to earn you the respect you seek. If you continue act like this, your position as the opposition leader is unlikely to last long. You shouldn’t be hypocritical in talking about human rights by denying the rights of a nation!