Antiwar.com in Malaysia: Photos

At the invitation of the Perdana Peace Foundation, Justin Raimondo and Eric Garris spent the week attending their Global Peace Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We had a wonderful time and were treated royally by the staff and volunteers of the foundation and the other participating organizations and companies. We’d especially like to thank Matthias Chang (conference organizer), Ooi Eng Hong (Garris’ liaison officer), Cathy Yong (Raimondo’s liaison officer), and Steve Peter H.S. Kok (parliamentary assistant). You can read a political report on our trip here.

Here are a selection of photos from our trip, more to come. Click on each photo for a larger version. Unless otherwise indicated, all photos by Ooi Eng Hong.


Eric Garris on War, Peace, and the Net

Justin Raimondo on Naming Names
     

Eric Garris on War, Peace, and the Net

Daniel Ellsberg on the Antiwar Movement
     
The main banquet hall

Ellsberg, Garris, Raimondo visit the Menara Telecommunications Tower
Photo by Cathy Yong
     

Garris interviewed by Islamic televsion network

Former Malaysian PM Tun Dr. Mahathir
Mohammad, Perdana Chairman
     

Last 100 Years of War Deaths, a Major Theme of the Conference

Poster listing the major speakers
 
Many more photos to come!

 

Mehlis Aforethought

From the AP:

    BERLIN – The U.N.’s lead investigator in the inquiry into the assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister said Wednesday he believes a spate of recent killings in the country are linked.

    “These are not isolated attacks,” Detlev Mehlis told reporters at a news conference after returning home to Berlin from the U.N. assignment. “It’s pretty clear that there are connections, even if I can’t prove it.”

    Mehlis did not elaborate on his comments, citing the ongoing investigation. He said he could not predict how long the probe would take.

This is a major self-inflicted blow to Mehlis’ credibility. Isn’t it the job of an investigator to put up or shut up? What is the purpose of such statements, other than the geopolitical equivalent of jury-tampering? And if Mehlis doesn’t feel the need to prove what he already deems “clear,” then why doesn’t he go ahead and tell us what those connections are? No need to observe formalities after a statement like that.

Rep. Kucinich vs. Pres. Bush

I don’t often agree with Democratic congressmen, but Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) had the right response after listening to Bush’s December 14th speech on Iraq:

“The President now says he is responsible for the war in Iraq. I agree with the President. He is responsible. He is responsible for attacking a nation that did not attack us. He is responsible for the 2,151 American troops killed in Iraq. He is responsible for the 15,881 U.S. troops injured in the war. He is responsible for at least 30,000 Iraqi civilians killed since the start of the war. He is responsible for draining $250 billion from U.S. taxpayers to pay for the war. And he is responsible for the failed reconstruction and for the continued occupation.”

Bush on Wiretaps

From a speech by George W. Bush on April 20, 2004 , more than two years after the illegal wiretapping of Americans commenced on his personal say so:

Secondly, there are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way, any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires — a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so. It’s important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think Patriot Act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution.

What? Wiretaps require a court order? Our Constitutional rights are guaranteed? Then how come ….

My Scary Return to the US

I had a wonderful trip to Malaysia to attend the Perdana Global Peace Forum. While in Malaysia, I had no snags or run-ins with any authorities.

This was not the case on my return to the US.

I don’t think I look much like a terrorist. Despite my utter contempt for them, I am always careful to be exceptionally courteous and cooperative with police and bureaucrats who can make decisions that affect my future.

I went through the main line at US customs at San Francisco International Airport. After scanning my passport, the first officer sent me to a different station than the others she was processing. I don’t know if this was a random check, or if I looked like a terrorist because I hadn’t shaved in a day, or if my name popped up when she scanned the passport.

At the next station, I was questioned about what I did for a living. I explained that I was a webmaster. That was not sufficient, so I had to mention Antiwar.com. That sent me to the next escalation and a third station.

At the third station, I was questioned about the nature of Antiwar.com, the forum I went to, and everything I did in Malaysia. The officer looked through all the literature in detail. He made me unfurl an 8-foot banner I had brought back with pictures of all the speakers. He asked me about each speaker in detail, asked me about my relationship with the former PM Tun Dr. Mahathir, who he explained was “very anti-American.” He didn’t just go through my luggage, he examined the political content of the books and papers I had. He made comments about much of it. He was alarmed by the copy of Helen Caldicott’s book because the cover has a photo of Bush, Cheney, and Powell smiling beneath a mushroom cloud. He found it “anti-American.” Then he saw that it was personally autographed to me, which he clearly didn’t like.

He asked me whether there were a lot of Muslims (Duh! It’s Malaysia!). Did I meet anyone I thought might be associated with terrorists? Were there any people from Thailand? (Not that I knew of.)

It didn’t seem to be going well for me, and I am pretty sure that the next “station” would have been “the room” for more intensive interrogation. However, all of a sudden he noticed a group photo with me standing next to a Buddhist Monk, Dr. Chin Kung, who was a speaker at the event. The officer claimed to know who he was and said he saw him on television and liked him. His attitude changed, and he let me go. I am pretty sure he was wrong, because Dr. Kung does not speak English, so I doubt he saw him on TV. But probably to the officer, all Buddhist monks look alike. I am very happy that I met Dr. Kung.

This was a pretty scary experience and in stark contrast to my friendly welcome in Malaysia. I think I came close to a detention/interrogation session that could have turned into something much more serious. With all the articles we run on the site about this sort of thing, it was really brought home to me in a personal way.