The SIS has been causing grief to some foreign students by delaying or denying visas on the grounds that their research could help produce weapons of mass destruction. It has been happening for years but we have never been told publicly how any New Zealand course of study is making it easier to produce WMDs, or what students are involved.
It seems the secrecy around all this is protecting some far-fetched SIS determinations, which are then implemented by NZ Immigration’s visa section.
This is illustrated by a case that has come to light this week of a student doing a Ph.D. on improving New Zealand’s water quality whose application for a renewal of his student visa was held up because it is deemed to be related to the production of WMDs. Currently the student is in limbo, on an interim visitor’s visa, unable to continue his Ph.D and employment related to it.
The student’s research was funded by a Bill Gates foundation and a Crown Research Institute. Such useful environmental research is apparently very dangerous. His lawyer, Alastair McClymont, said “his employer described him to me as being in the top 0.1% of this particular area of expertise in the world.”
A Stuff article indicates that Iranian students are the prime target of attention from NZ Immigration. This is odd because Immigration NZ Manager Peter Elms told Stuff that targeting factors included whether countries had nuclear weapons programmes and whether they were signatories to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Iran has signed the treaty, and the world (minus Donald Trump) accepts that Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapons programme.
And therein lies the problem. The SIS (and NZ Immigration) are marching to Donald Trump’s anti-Iranian drum, contrary to the declared position of the New Zealand government. New Zealand is supposed to have removed sanctions on Iran, and this would include any sanctions on its students.
There are four countries that have nuclear weapons programmes and have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty: North Korea, India, Pakistan and Israel. North Korean students probably don’t come here. And I also doubt that Indian, Pakistani and Israeli students are being targeted.
It’s probably all about Iran, as viewed from Donald Trump’s standpoint. An Iranian student told Stuff that he felt the world had changed: “My feeling is that the New Zealand government is being pressurised by another country.”
Meanwhile, some Iranian students are suffering, and not told exactly why they are being persecuted. It is all quite Kafkaresque.
The New Zealand public is being kept in the dark as well, mainly because it would be embarrassing for the SIS and NZ Immigration to admit that they are implementing Donald Trump’s policy towards Iran.
Mmm, it isn’t entirely without reason – something you conveniently don’t mention in your article (I assume you are aware of it, which makes your blog somewhat disingenuous imo): There is precedent for exactly this happening in The Netherlands, by Pakistani student Abdul Qadeer Khan. Indeed, the only reason Pakistan (and later North Korea) have nuclear weapons at this time is because of a PhD student studying isotope enrichment in The Netherlands (needless to say, the Netherlands have no nukes of their own and the research wasn’t geared toward WMDs production, yet that is what happened). Do we want to be the next Netherlands and be forever tarred with proliferating WMDs?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Qadeer_Khan#Research_in_Europe
Nitrium – could you please explain the similarity of studying isotope enrichment and improving water quality?
I think the WMD thing is utterly risible in this case.
Well, what are they actually studying, does it involve some chemical and physical research that may be somewhat sensitive, in many ways?
I am intrigued by this and do not know what to think of it.
But remember, after 9/11, news came out about certain ones involved, who got their first flying lessons in aviation schools in the US and some other places.
Sometimes normal and constructive study and training on apparently peaceful, useful ordinary subjects or disciplines can also be used for less benign purposes.
And subjects like nuclear research may be used for peaceful energy generation, but can also be used for learning how nuclear fission works and how weapons may be constructed.
Then though, where do we draw the line?
So how do you think research into improving the quality of New Zealand’s fresh water relates to nuclear research Marc? Furthermore I understand this student’s PHD topic was suggested by the university.
We do not have the details, do we? So how can we argue either way, I only raised some thoughts. We are neither here nor there, and Keith takes a stand also, without enough evidence.
So how do you think research into improving the quality of New Zealand’s fresh water relates to nuclear research Marc? Furthermore I understand this student’s PHD topic was suggested by the university.
Dumb comment, I only mentioned the nuclear research as an example.
Unless you can justify the comparison, it is your example that is dumb.
Love how somebody ‘leaked’ it to the media.
Also helps that the SIS can have a cause to justify all that extra funding they got under the Natz at the detriment of other government departments funding like police and defence, even though they have constantly been in the spot light for questionable actions like lying about Phil Goff and helping the Natz in elections.
Absolutely a con. Those creeps gave to justify their existence and the fabulous amount of money they got.
Great post keith.
It reminds me of how the Americans tried to manipulate the last Labour government to be a part of a worldwide American security programme prior to war/regime change in Iraq.
The method used then was some threat to a visiting American Tiger Woods (most likely a false flag) and soon media were reporting how police were visiting New Zealanders critical of American foreign policy. The implication was those critical of American foreign policy were anti-American and that meant being profiled as a threat to the lives of Americans (in the USA at this time they were puting POTUS critics on no fly lists).
It’s about demonstrating some required buy in to their pre war paranoia.
In this case sanctions by nationality for Iranians seeking to study or work here. So to placate the Americans those seeking to come here get screened out, and those here get placed under a freeze/review that is a form of economic sanction to force them out, whatever their actual threat.
Fact is that the GCSB, SIS, military and police value their connection to international associates more than they do justice here, or our sovereignty. At least the East European had the excuse that they were not democratic nor free of military occupation. This lot just want the part on the head from big brother for being part of their team. Putin would call it psychological dependence.
Good comment SPC:, especially
“At least the East European had the excuse that they were not democratic nor free of military occupation. This lot just want the pat on the head from big brother for being part of their team.”
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