Topic 1: Validity of Government
Date submitted: 14th May 2011
The basis for the integration of cocos with Australia was based on a plebiscite (community vote).
The choices presented to the community were independence, close association, and integration.
The basis of integration is “total equality” with the accepting state.
Talk at the time was the “empowerment” of the community.
The colonial administration of non representative Singapore law was ceased.
Singapore law was replaced with laws copied from WA.
The authority for the passing of these laws does not come from the community.
The rubber stamping of WA law by the Commonwealth, does not satisfy Cocos islanders rights either as Australian citizens or the Commonwealth’s responsibilities under the plebiscite.
(Kepantasan Government)
Cocos bersatu degan Australia mengikut secara undian masharakat.
Masharakat di beri pilihan untuk merdeka, sobat bebas atau bersatu dengan Australia.
Secara persatuan itu adalah semua diangap sama dengan rakyat negara yang terimakan Cocos.
Masa itu, omongan termasuk masharakat membanguankan diri sendiri. Undang undang Singapore yang di ikut sebelumnya telah di putuskan.
Undang undang Singapore di tukar dengan undang undang WA.
Yang sahkan undang undang ini bukan dari pada masharakat.
Commonwealth yang memakai undang undang WA itu tidak memuaskan sebab bukan pilihan
Reply Comment/s:
Email your comments to cocoscommunity@gmail.com
Topic 2: Cocos Shark Fin Soup
Date submitted: 15th May 2011
This is for all those bright ideas out there, that to legalize the culling of black tip sharks on Cocos would rapidly affect the species. That includes shark fin and cartilage, more info from WA Fisheries in their new report due out sometime within the next 50 years.
Read this extract from USA if you are not convinced...
"California is one of the largest sources of demand for shark fin outside Asia and this bill would represent a major step towards reducing pressure on shark populations. Furthermore the bill complements the ban introduced in both Hawaii and the Commonwealth of North Mariana Islands as well as restrictions established by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
Every year fins from 70 – 100 million sharks are used for shark fin soup, which is contributing to the decimation of shark populations worldwide so that now one third of all shark species are threatened with extinction. As sharks play a vital role in the oceans, their depletion could cause irreparable damage to marine ecosystems.
Shark fin soup is widely available from Chinese restaurants in the U.S. A survey found one third of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco serving the dish priced from $6.95 to $85 a bowl. Fins used for shark fin soup are often removed from a living shark with the bodies of the animal dumped overboard alive. Given the high price that shark fin soup commands, shark poaching is widespread in marine protected areas, such as the Galapagos and Cocos Islands. There have been seizures of up to 10,000 fins at a time and most recently sniffer dogs uncovered an illegal cache of fins in the Galapagos.
In a recent study the world's top shark scientists reported that of 64 species of pelagic open ocean sharks and rays, 32% are “threatened with extinction,” primarily due to overfishing. In addition, 24% were “near threatened,” while another 25% could not be assessed due to lack of data. Sharks are highly vulnerable to overfishing due to their late maturity and slow reproduction. Globally shark catches are unregulated or unsustainable and the shark fin trade is unregulated worldwide.
In China, there is a growing groundswell of opposition to shark finning. Chinese business leaders joined the pledge and Alibaba now prohibits the sale of shark fin through their site.
Sharks have been around for nearly 400 million years, but at the current rate of overfishing they could be wiped out in a single human generation".
For more info: http://www.melaniebeckemeyer.com
This is for all those bright ideas out there, that to legalize the culling of black tip sharks on Cocos would rapidly affect the species. That includes shark fin and cartilage, more info from WA Fisheries in their new report due out sometime within the next 50 years.
Read this extract from USA if you are not convinced...
"California is one of the largest sources of demand for shark fin outside Asia and this bill would represent a major step towards reducing pressure on shark populations. Furthermore the bill complements the ban introduced in both Hawaii and the Commonwealth of North Mariana Islands as well as restrictions established by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
Every year fins from 70 – 100 million sharks are used for shark fin soup, which is contributing to the decimation of shark populations worldwide so that now one third of all shark species are threatened with extinction. As sharks play a vital role in the oceans, their depletion could cause irreparable damage to marine ecosystems.
Shark fin soup is widely available from Chinese restaurants in the U.S. A survey found one third of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco serving the dish priced from $6.95 to $85 a bowl. Fins used for shark fin soup are often removed from a living shark with the bodies of the animal dumped overboard alive. Given the high price that shark fin soup commands, shark poaching is widespread in marine protected areas, such as the Galapagos and Cocos Islands. There have been seizures of up to 10,000 fins at a time and most recently sniffer dogs uncovered an illegal cache of fins in the Galapagos.
In a recent study the world's top shark scientists reported that of 64 species of pelagic open ocean sharks and rays, 32% are “threatened with extinction,” primarily due to overfishing. In addition, 24% were “near threatened,” while another 25% could not be assessed due to lack of data. Sharks are highly vulnerable to overfishing due to their late maturity and slow reproduction. Globally shark catches are unregulated or unsustainable and the shark fin trade is unregulated worldwide.
In China, there is a growing groundswell of opposition to shark finning. Chinese business leaders joined the pledge and Alibaba now prohibits the sale of shark fin through their site.
Sharks have been around for nearly 400 million years, but at the current rate of overfishing they could be wiped out in a single human generation".
For more info: http://www.melaniebeckemeyer.com
