Abbott fawns over World War Two Japanese

Contributed article.

It was with some shock that I read that Prime Minister Tony Abbott had said of the Japanese in World War Two that “We admired the skill and the sense of honour that they brought to their task although we disagreed with what they did. Perhaps we grasped, even then, that with a change of heart the fiercest of opponents could be the best of friends”.

What? Really?

Does he think that the Japanese submariners who killed Australians in Sydney Harbour are worthy of admiration? For what? Torpedoing HMAS Kuttabul and killing 21 sailors (nineteen from the Australian Navy and two from the British Navy).

Or does he think that the Japanese who killed prisoners of war in the Sandakan death marches were showing “honour”? Thousands of prisoners, Australians and their allies, died in that example of “honour”.

Or does he think that the Japanese guards in the Prisoner Of War camps, who brutally treated our soldiers, bashing them, mistreating them, starving them to death, and murdering them, were full of “honour”? During World War Two 22,376 Australians were held as prisoners of war by the Japanese, and 8,031 of them died whilst in Japanese hands, as an example of Japanese “honour”. Over a third of Australian POWs died whilst “guests” of the Japanese. Compare that with the 7,289 Australian POWs captured by the Germans and Italians, of whom 234 died whilst in captivity; that’s 36% dead, compared to 3%.

Or does he think that the Japanese war criminals, who carried out so-called medical experiments on people, were examples of “honour”?

Or does he think that the Japanese soldiers who beheaded Australian soldiers were demonstrating “honour”? Heaven forbid that they should follow the Geneva Convention instead.

Or maybe, just maybe, Tony Abbott is a moron and an idiot who has no business being the Prime Minister of Australia? He might appear to be doing a better job than Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd, but then a drover’s dog could do a better job than them, so that’s hardly a great achievement.

It looks like we have swapped Tweedledum Rudd for Tweedledee Abbott. We have swapped one idiot, who fawned over the Chinese, for another idiot, who fawned over the Japanese. Both of them are an embarrassment to true blue Australians.

Tony Abbott lacks a proper respect for the sacrifices our fighting men made in the past to defend this great nation of ours.

What this country needs are leaders who will put Australia first and foremost before all else, who will not throw away national loyalty for the sake of grubbing for money or trade. We need leaders who will respect our national heritage and protect Australia.

References:
“China blasts ‘appalling and insensible’ Tony Abbott for showing admiration for Japan and its wartime aggression”, News.com.au, 9 July 09, 2014
“Tony Abbott’s praise of Japanese submariners delivers a blow to nation’s psyche”, The Age, 17 July 2014 (Julie Szego)
“Japanese midget submarine attacks on Sydney, 1942 – Fact sheet 192”, National Archives of Australia
“Sandakan ”, Australian War Memorial
“Sandakan Death Marches”, Wikipedia
“General information about Australian prisoners of the Japanese”, Australian War Memorial
Wray Vamplew (editor), Australians: Historical Statistics, Broadway, NSW: Fairfax, Syme & Wheldon Associates, 1987, p.416 (table WR 109-112 “Australian military forces prisoners of war, war against Germany and Italy 1939-1945”)