Australia represented by a deviate

Ian Lincoln, ambassador to Vietnam from 1986 to 1988, has been accused of passing on confidential information to communist officials about 54 boatpeople who landed in Australia in 2003, while serving on the refugee tribunal.

The leaking claims, which Mr Lincoln strongly denies, were made by the Vietnamese Community in Australia group in a written submission to a Senate inquiry dated August 8 last year.

But the report examines how DFAT handled Mr Lincoln’s relationship with a 16-year-old he met in a park near his home in Hanoi in September 1987.

The report said Mr Lincoln later sponsored the boy to Australia in 1990, where the pair said their relationship became sexual.

Let’s see if I got that right. The Australian Ambassador in Vietnam had a thing about 16 year old Vietnamese boys, seduced one and then brought him back to Australia.

Of course we all believe that the relationship became sexual only after the boy was 18.

What was Bob Hawke thinking?

18 comments

  • What’s with the question “What was Bob thinking ?”. Are you implying Hawke knew this man was a deviant and was directly responsible for this man becoming ambassador and consequently has a measure of responsibility for asian child sex crimes, or are simply tainting Hawke by association ala Karl Rove style ?

    What exactly was Hawke’s resonsibility for this man’s actions, or is his name thrown about as a cheap, hollow smear ?

  • I’m not particularly having a go at Bob Hawke nor do I agree with any of your silly conclussions on what I may or may not have meant but Ambassador appointments are vetted by PMs and no one gets to the final panel without security and character clearances.

    A penchant for young boys doesn’t develop late in life and if his bosses didn’t know then they should have or at least they should’ve been wary. Communists rub their hands with glee when ambassadorial staff come along with this sort of profile. Great for turning or great for blackmail.

    Read a bit, you’ll see what I mean.

  • Kev is correct – all Ambassadorial appointments while made by the GG, are approved by the PM as reccomendations of the FM.

    In Ian Lincoln’s case, we had a career paedophile widely known around diplomatic circles being reccomended by FM Bill Hayden to PM Hawke as our Ambassador to Vietnam, a highly security sensitive post in a city full of spies looking to find blackmail victims like Ian Lincoln..its is highly likely they succeeded by what the Australian has reported.

    As reported in the Australian Saturday, Des Connors, the Head of Diplomatic Security wrote:

    “My own view is that by his actions (Lincoln) has raised doubts about his suitability to continue to hold a Top Secret clearance. I base that judgment on the fact that while (ambassador to Vietnam), he (Mr Lincoln) would appear to have begun a homosexual relationship with a 16-year-old … local.
    This is contrary to standing security instructions, and is unacceptable behaviour by a Head of Mission.”

    So what did his boss think of that? “Its not my task to make moral judgements, there are not security issues raised by this relationship which would have been tolerated in Australia.” ie. a 42yo Australian Ambassador living with a 16 Vietnamese boy in the official Ambassador’s Residence in spy-infested Hanoi would be tolerated by most Australians!!

    Worse still Ian Lincoln was NOT the first or the last paedophile Ambassador appointed by Hayden – we know of at least 8 (eg. see Ken Aldred’s 5 June 1995 speech in Parliament). Bill would NOT believe (just like John Howard today) that such senior public servants would do such awful things to kids, true they were single males with appalling reputations but when asked by Bill they simply said they were ‘gay but never touched kids’, so Bill sent them on their way overseas as our Top Representatives – at least 3 of Bill’s ‘gay Ambos’ have since been charged with chld sex/pornography crimes.

    While Ian Lincoln is by reputation such a bad bugger to quote a senior AFP officer, as Aldred said in 1995, he is but one of many (20-30 in 1995-96) of the “protected species of Australian paedophile diplomats”.

    Without doubt, the worst buggers are the Foreign Ministers – Hayden, Evans and Downer (and their DFAT Secretaries) for continuing to send these evil predators overseas to represent us as Australians. Unlike the boss of the Security Head in 1991, I for one Australian do not tolerate such relationships – here, there or anywhere!!!

    And Downer to this day, is still sending them overseas to increasingly senior Ambassadorial positions

    – the REAL question is Why does ALEX still do this??!!

  • It is a good question. Do you know if it has ever been raised?

  • i recall that there was an investigation into these corrupt dfat guys in the mid. nineties that was nobbled by downer and his department head phil flood.
    there were quite a few of them, some of whom had been protected by the former dfat head (and menzies son-in-law) peter henderson in the early eighties.
    once an organisation like this becomes seriously corrupt, it becomes impossible for an honest manager to deal with deviates/criminals as he would soon be in trouble with the ruling mafia and lose his own job. everyone with a family or mortgage is forced to toe the line and the organisation becomes perm
    corrupt.

  • Just lost this post for the second time…

    I’d like to know which positions Alec has in mind. And–prefacing the following with the comment that I was as appaled as anyone by the behaviour of some of our reps overseas, and the apparent unwillingness of the department to tackle those issues–there is no ostensible reason why gay men, per se, should not serve in this capacity. Many are beyond reproach, and serve their country to the best of their considerable abilities. That said, when a problem does arise, such as a security breach or behaviour not in line with that expected of the head of mission, they should be dealt with–as should any heterosexual member of the diplomatic corps, male or female. The inability to sanction staff extended beyond personal sexual encounters–there was a racket involving the resale of cars in one of the southeast asian embassies a couple of decades ago, with little done re the offenders.

  • I don’t think homosexuality is the issue here. At least from my point of view it is about pedophilia. You’re dead right…innappropriate liasons or simple criminality on overseas ambassadorial appointments are wrong be they initiated by a hetero or homo staffer and should be pursued by the department.

  • Correct – its not about consenting adult homosexuality – that’s legal. ITS about the Australian Diplomatic Service tolerating or worse denying and thereby promoting child sexual abuse by Australian diplomats overseas representing us Australians to their host countries – that’s illegal and corrupt (as Ron says).

    Its certainly not as simple or naive as FM Downer told John Laws’ listeners last year, 20 January:

    “Those allegations were found to be completely false and in fact I’ll say more about this.  He (Alastair Gaisford) made allegations on the basis that people were homosexuals claiming that people in the department who are homosexuals were paedophiles.  Now, it’s outrageous to suggest anybody who’s gay is also a paedophile, you know.”

    Of course, a number of my fellow Ambassadors are single gay men or women, even more are bisexual while by far the majority are heterosexual. As Goz says most are “beyond reproach”. But the fact is that some of each group are also child sex abusers. It is this latter predator that needs to feel the full force of the law. Yet since July 1994 only one, John Holloway, Ambassador in Cambodia, has been charged (in April 1996) under the Crimes (Child Sex Tourism) Act 1994. Yes, only one Australian diplomat charged in 14 years. Now, that’s clearly Wrong!

    Yet FM Downer has had to bring a couple of his Ambassadors back early after child sex incidents. Neither was investigated let alone charged by the AFP but both were given golden handshake early retirement packages by Downer and his hand-picked Secretaries Flood and Calvert.

    Most blatant of all is the case of Robert Scoble. Arrested in Bangkok last March, convicted of distributing pornography through his ‘Gay’ Travel Agency, 7 months jail then deported to Australia – now living 6 doors down from Sth. Coogee Primary School, Sydney. Despite the AFP making a big hoo-ha about their role in his arrest and finding over 200 child sex videos, dvds and photo albumns (see AFP Media Release ). Now, 22 months later Robert Scoble is not yet on the Australian Child Sex Offenders Register nor has the AFP charged him under the Child Sex Tourism laws for his vast child sex porno collection which they seized in Bangkok in March 2004. Why is that so?

    Could it be, as reported in the Australian on 25 November 2005, because Robert Scoble was in the same 1976 diplomatic corps intake as Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and is stil a close friend of Mr Downer and his wife Nicky.

    Surely not, surely not.. or surely??

  • That’s curious Alec: …`would have been tolerated in Australia.â€? ie. a 42yo Australian Ambassador living with a 16 Vietnamese boy in the official Ambassador’s Residence in spy-infested Hanoi would be tolerated by most Australians!!’

    Amusing in view of, 2 teachers in Victoria given jail sentences for bonking young chaps, about 16 years old eaqch.
    It is certainly improper. The young men were not disgruntled by it, but then the teachers were not dirty old men but women. On the other hand, it is certainly most improper for teachers to contemplate bonking pupils, and while the jail sentences and ccriminal convictions are harsh, certainly a sacking matter, not least because of the corrosive implications of such activity in the school. Next, on the general reaction to the
    disclosures, it cannot be said by any stretch of the imagination, even relations hetero-sexual between an adult and an under-age teenager are tolerated: The belief it is tolerated is a fiction, it seems, of lefties. That, is before considering dirty old men seducing and buggering even 16 year olds, which, despite all the propaganda of lefties, would be `tolerated even less’.

    It seems a safe bet, than decent Aussies, mums and dads, would be in hanging mood if a school
    employed a buggerer as a teacher. Fairly safe bet, in view of just that when buggerers in
    schools have been detected. DFAT might consider, many might, therefore, be livid if their hard
    earned stolen property was expended on maintaining DFAT as a private club for homosexual dirty old buggerers of boys who go out of their way, under the protection their positions afford them, to seduce boys, in any country and bugger them.

    Next, as heterosexual teachers who bonks pupils compromises both those pupils and themselves, it doesn’t take long for pothers in the school to twig on, and the corrosive ramficiations of such activities within a school which make it a sacking offence, the ramifications are as others have said are wrose: blackmail of amabssadors and diplomatic staff by spies of other countries to obtain secrets those ambassadors and staff are entrusted with.

    So, Lex, why are you so supinely at ease with what is in fact, more than a scandal of the DFAT asa private club for rotten, dirty old buggerers on the prowl for boys, bad enough as that is, but also with the
    security risk they pose, and the secuirty risk posed by those of DFAT who protect the scumbags?! A bloody good clean out seems in order, sackings not only of the buggerers but those who have protected them
    too. Takes balls Lex, but that seems the short and the long of it. Tp point out, sackings with
    no juicy `separation pay-offs’ either, after all Lex, what they are culpable of is very, very serious Lex.

  • Yes, Peter Henderson was certainly into protecting these people/criminals.
    There was a case almost 30 years ago, when he flew in to Honiara to cover up a problem created when the head of the mission there groped a (male0 Australina ais expert in a swimming pool. Later on Henderson attracted a lot of fire in Parliament over his efforts to protect a Geelong Grammar chum, who had misbehaved while ambassador in Tehran. Recently I heard that he had refused point blank to provide information to enable prosecutions of pedophiles to be progressed. And this creep continues to collect a big pension funded by the Aussie taxpayer!
    No doubt he is protected by Downer from any repercussions.

  • I’ve opened up a can of worms with this on. What we need is some links to reported cases. Are there any?

  • Bizzare the uproar when homosexuality is discussed….. they say those most violently opposed are those with the most latent tendencies…..

    The subject wasn’t homosexuality – it was pedaphilia.

    John,

    You may have notice by now that your comments are getting past moderation at the same frequency as your abilty to say something that contributes to the debate, isn’t simply abusive or has some relevance….ie…seldom.

  • Kev – here’s a couple of DFAT paedophile links:

    Ken Aldred MP – speech 5.6.95 got the DFAT balls rolling:

    Bill Brown + Robert Scoble 2004:

    Downer on same:

    DFAT Whistleblower Alastair Gaisford:
    see “Defensive Behaviour”

    DFAT’s response to Allegations – coverup:

    Thats a fairly balanced start, except oh, almost forgot Downer’s 1996-97, $1.5m secret Inquiry into DFAT Paedophilia which after 12 months found there wasnt any problem…apart from Mr Gaisford

    FM Downer claimed Brown, Scoble, Lincoln and 28 other senior diplomat paedophiles were all cleared by his secret Inquiry – yet he couldnt publish the Inquiry’s Report to prove it!!

    To round it off, DFAT’s 2001 capitualtion, at the taxpayers expense, buying Mr Gaisford’s job off him for $2-3m all up but remaining in denial:

    We will follow up with a few more links tmrw,

  • Alec, in regards to your question about Scoble in point #8 above. Seems the whole affair was a pre-election prank cooked up by the Australian Embassy in Thailand. Scoble never spent one day in Thai Jail (he was housed in the “5-star room” at Thai Immigration only because the Embassy made him a criminal by revoking his passport before he was even taken to court — how outrageous is that!). Of all the unfounded claims made in the Australian press regarding supposed illegal materials found in his home, in the end there was never anything to convict him of, even when he returned to Australia (and certainly the Australian Federal Police officer who sat on her ass through the year-long court proceedings at Australian taxpayer expense wasn’t able to salvage anything from the abortion). The Thai judge, under pressure because the Embassy’s massive foul-up made the Royal Thai Police and the national Tourism Authority stand to lose face, resolved the farce “Thai style” and ruled that a free, non-pornographic pamphlet was “obscene” because of a hairy navel (that was his ruling!) and immediately suspended Scoble’s sentence and set him free.

  • David’s information from the inside is informing.

    Easy to understand why the Bkk Embassy would be part of the cover up and continued protection of Scoble – given the then Ambassador Kupa was (like Scoble) a subject of the 95 AFP Operation Arizona cover up and 96-97 Diplomatic Paedophile whitewash. Afterall they are all answerable to FM Downer, Scoble best friend and chum from the class of 76.

    Interestingly, Scoble wasnt asked to the class of 76 Reunion in Sydney a few months back…it seems at Downer’s request, since he was lead speaker and didnt need the publicity that Robert could guarantee around Sydney these days. They caught up elsewhere afterwards as such old chums do.

    Critically, Scoble is still not on the National Sex Offenders Register – what is wrong with Minister Ellison?? – but the NSW Police keep up with him fortunately.

    The question now is when will his old chum and mate, FM Downer restore his Australian passport?
    Any ideas or inside knowledge on that, David?

  • It was well known that Scoble was involved in gay tourism in
    Thailand. It would be amazing if this did not attract western pedophiles and almost as amazing if activities involving children were not provided. The relationships between our diplomats and AFP personnel at embassies unsurprisingly vary across the spectrum from hostility to extremely chummy and willing to do each other favours, including a blind eye when required. Despite the ACA exposee, Scoble continues to waltz unscathed around the Eastern Suburbs, confident that if he’s ever in trouble he’ll be able to call on favours owed him from mates in Canberra.
    I hear the relatioships between DFAT and AFP in Bali are complex, to say the least.

  • Mike,

    By your reasoning one would say that since the vast majority of paedophiles are heterosexual that non-gay travel agencies are somehow attracting the majority of child abusers. And since the majority of child abuse takes place in the home, that travel agencies focusing on family holidays are the worst of the lot. I don’t buy this kind of queer logic.

    The fact was that no charges were brought against Scoble’s travel agency following a full review by police and Tourism Authority officials present on the day of the search.

    Alec rightly places the blame on the Australia Embassy in Bangkok for the whole abortion.

    Why is Scoble not on the National Sex Offenders Register? Possibly due to zero evidence after three years of investigation.

  • Pico de Mirandolla

    Gaisford: I had contact with him in the late 90s, and he’s not a man you’d want to spend time with – vindictive, vicious, self-righteous. I wonder whether he’s a repressed pedophile himself – it would account for the vindictiveness – but on balance I think not, just a nasty human being.

    Scoble: A pedophile. No secret – he told everyone.

    Lincoln: A pedophile? I knew him slightly, and I doubt it – gay, yes, but a pedophile, no.

    Gay mafia in DFAT: undoubtedly. My insight dates from the early 90s at the latest, but at that time, homosexuality was acceptable. There were big advantages to this – it made it impossible for foreign intelligence services to blackmail our gay dipos. Provided, of course, that they’d already told our own intelligence people of their sexuality. Pedophiles, naturally, tended not to. But this brings up Scoble again – he told everyone, and thus was unblackmailable.

    Conclusion: Leave off the witch-hunt: first, it raises the suspicion that the hunters share something with the hunted; second, it risks driving effective gay dipos underground (believe me, there are still plenty of gay dipos in DFAT) and thus makes them vulnerable to blackmail.