The Queensland Government has pledged to set up a counter-terrorism unit
after the discovery of a suspected plot to blow up a dam near Brisbane.
A local farmer, 35, found a map, clothes and other items in a plastic
bucket beside the Brisbane Valley Highway near Wivenhoe Dam on Tuesday. The
two-kilometre-long dam, about 80 kilometres west of Brisbane, supplies the
city and surrounding areas.
Police and State Emergency Service workers searched the dam and dam wall
yesterday while forensic officers studied the items to trace their owner.
The crudely drawn map included information about the dam, escape routes,
the local police station and reference to "C4", a plastic explosive.
Police closed off picnic areas near the dam wall and police boats cruised
the lake.
Premier Peter Beattie said the matter was being treated seriously, and if
it was a hoax those responsible faced up to seven years' jail.
He said a proposal for a security and planning unit, involving his office
and the Queensland Police Service, would go to cabinet soon. The unit would
offer strategic advice on terrorism and safety measures.
Ipswich police district's Inspector Dominic McHugh said the discovery
probably was a hoax, "but in this day and age we can't just dismiss things
like this," he said.
Opposition Leader Mike Horan said the government had been slow to set up a
counter-terrorism unit.
"There's been . . . just this ad hoc approach where a handful of police are
cobbled together," he said.
http://theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/22/1042911436693.html
Further evidence of gross incompetence and stupidity above the call of duty
from this govt involves the vicious assault on some peaceful demonstrators
recently and this...
Queensland bulldozes bush to Third World levels
Clearing of bushland in Queensland has accelerated, with 1.1 million
hectares bulldozed in two years, a rate exceeded only by a handful of Third
World developing nations such as Zambia and the Congo, satellite imagery
shows. more
http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/22/1042911440915.html
