from Alan Ramsey …..

‘Be careful of your friends.

And watch out if you see Kevin Andrews coming.

John Howard's Australia four months before an election is an absurdly melancholy place to be.

To watch Howard take his bottomless bucket of money to Tasmania this week is to know how absurd. To read the transcripts of 13 radio and TV interviews the hapless Andrews gave on Tuesday and Wednesday is to know the Immigration Minister is only doing his Prime Minister's bidding, however clumsily he is doing it.

Andrews has a "suspicion" about India's Mohamed Haneef. He insists he still has it. This "suspicion" is why he withdrew Haneef's work visa on "character grounds" and intended deporting him. Andrews told us so this week, many times over, even though the bungled charge of "recklessly" aiding a "terrorist organisation" had been dropped and Haneef allowed to return home to India last weekend.

On Tuesday Andrews set about selling his "suspicion" to justify himself and the Government's unsubtle campaign of fear and loathing.

Speaking to the ABC's Jon Faine, on Melbourne radio the next day: "The basis of [my decision] is that legislation provides that I should form a reasonable suspicion of an association between Haneef and those engaged in terrorism in the UK, namely the Ahmed brothers. Now, in forming a reasonable suspicion of that association, I was entitled to look at the fact that Haneef and the brothers knew each other, fraternised in the UK [a year ago], the material relating to the SIM card [Haneef had given to his relative a year ago], to the fact of a loan of money…"

Faine: "Are you aware anywhere, at any time, in any investigation in the world, of any suspect in terrorism calling the police even once, let alone four times, to provide his whereabouts and his contact details?"

Andrews: "Well Jon, firstly, the suspicion I've formed on the material at the time I made my decision, was to clearly raise a suspicion in my mind. And indeed, subsequent information provided to me be the federal police actually has confirmed that suspicion that I've had in in my mind."

Faine: "Could you answer my question?"

Andrews: "Sorry, what was the question?"

Faine: "The question you didn't answer is, are you aware of anywhere, anytime, in any investigation in any jurisdiction in the world, of a terrorist suspect ringing the police once, let alone four times, to provide information of their whereabouts, their identity, and to provide co-operation to the police investigating an act of terrorism?"

Andrews: "Well, that's a matter you'll need to take up with the federal police. I understand there was no actual contact made between Dr Haneef and [British police]."

Faine: "No, he phoned four times the number provided for a policeman in the UK [who had phoned Haneef's extended family in India. An aunt had then phoned Haneef in Australia to pass on the policeman's name and UK number]. Are you aware of any terrorist suspect anywhere in the world ever doing that?"

Andrews: "Well Jon, I'm not aware of every terrorist investigation in the world. I had material before me. I had to consider that material. I considered that material, and I believe in the national interest it was appropriate to cancel his visa … At the end of the day, it's a question of whether or not I had a reasonable suspicion."

Indeed. Like the "reasonable suspicion" some of us have of what the Government is really up to.

Haneef had tried to phone British police the day Australian police later detained him at Brisbane Airport. The number given to him had not answered his repeated calls. Tony Wright in The Age in Melbourne detailed the phone calls on the front page the morning Faine interviewed Andrews. Australian police had recorded the calls. They'd later questioned Haneef about them while they had him in custody.

They even had the British policeman's name. Andrews conveniently ignored the episode when, to support his "suspicion", he released highly selective excerpts from "translated" email chat recorded by police between Haneef and his brother. Andrews won't release the full transcript. It is "protected" information, he insists.

Suspicion is enough in a desperate election year.’

meanwhile, an update from the feral plod …..

‘Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty has vowed to track down "every lead and piece of evidence" against Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, warning that the terror investigation could take years to complete.

A defiant Mr Keelty has also strongly defended the AFP against mounting criticism of its handling of the case, saying most of the allegations have been "unfounded and unfair".

"Mistakes happen ... police are human," Mr Keelty said. "(But) the AFP in this matter have acted appropriately and in accordance with community expectations of us."’

We've Only Just Begun On Haneef

whilst over there …..

Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer has been found guilty of misconduct following the butchering of Jean Charles de Menezes. A counter-terror squad mistook the 27-year-old electrician for a potential suicide bomber, shooting the innocent man seven times in the head at Stockwell station.’

Andy Hayman, the head of counter-terrorism and intelligence at the Metropolitan Police, came under strong criticism for misleading senior police over the affair.

‘Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, was kept in the dark about the identity of Jean Charles de Menezes for almost 24 hours after the Brazilian's death, when almost everyone else in Scotland Yard, including off-duty officers at a cricket match, knew.

An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) into how the identity of the innocent Mr Menezes was released found that Sir Ian was among those not kept informed by Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman.

But just hours after the incident on 22 July, 2005, when Mr de Menezes was shot seven times in the head, junior officers enjoying a day off at Lord's cricket ground heard rumours that marksmen had made a "terrible mistake".

One detective at Marylebone police station was told at 5pm that there had been a "massive cock-up" and a "Brazilian tourist" had been shot.

Meanwhile, the police watchdog found Sir Ian was "almost totally uninformed".

The IPCC said Mr Hayman had "misled" senior officers by failing to tell them the dead man was not one of four failed suicide bombers on the run after botched attacks the day before.

The report highlighted inconsistencies between what Mr Hayman, the country's top counter-terrorism officer, had told a press briefing and a police authority management meeting on the day of the shooting.

He told reporters the dead man was not one of the four would-be bombers. But a Met press release issued later the same afternoon said it had not been clear whether he had been one of the four.

"He could not have believed both inconsistent statements were true," the IPCC said.

Mr Hayman faced calls to resign last night, after the IPCC recommended disciplinary action.

Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said Mr Hayman's position was "uniquely difficult to sustain".

The IPCC ruled that allegations of misconduct against Mr Hayman were "substantiated" by the evidence they heard.

It said his failure to keep the commissioner updated with information he had given to reporters was a "serious concern".

Sir Ian was cleared of lying, but questions were raised as to whether he should have made more effort to stay in the loop.

At a press conference nearly six hours after Mr de Menezes had been killed, Sir Ian released wrong information that the 27-year-old had been challenged by officers but refused to stop.

Wrong accounts by witnesses of Mr de Menezes wearing bulky clothing with wires protruding were also broadcast as fact.

Relatives of Mr de Menezes said it was "unbelievable" that Sir Ian did not know that an innocent man had been killed that day.

His cousin, Alessandro Pereira, said: "This report shows the police were a shambolic mess and senior officers should be held to account."

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said: "The commissioner and the Metropolitan Police are in the forefront of the fight against crime and terrorism in often very difficult circumstances.

"They have my full confidence and our thanks and support in the difficult job that they do."

Met Chief 'Kept In Dark On Menezes' Death

At least they had an enquiry …..

These are the folks that rattus wants to give more power; to put them beyond the reach & scrutiny of the courts …. our very own secret police.