Global Insight: NZ needs to 'up its game' over jihadists


New Zealand needs to pull up its own socks over dealings with potential ISIS terrorists, Professor Robert Patman says.

The University of Otago international relations specialist fully endorses Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s public dressing down this week of  Australian leader Scott Morrison in saying Australia had "abdicated its responsibilities" by revoking the citizenship of a woman born in New Zealand who had been with ISIS in Syria.

But, Prof Patman says, we also need to up our game.

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He points to New Zealand’s reluctance to take responsibility for up to a dozen Kiwi jihadists in the Middle East, including Mark Taylor, who is being held by a Kurdish organisation.

‘‘We have the legal framework in place and we have the facilities,’’ Prof Patman says.

‘‘As soon as we can identify them, they should be brought home... to face the full rigour of the law here... and taken out of circulation.’’

 

Comments

The first step to take is to make it a law that getting an Australian Citizenship automatically cancels your New Zealand citizenship and vice versa.
As a Kiwi in Australia it is concerning, but it would certainly stop Australia exporting some of its problems to New Zealand.

 

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