Radio Australia Today Editorial

Doing business across the world. Sometimes it’s dangerous.

20 July 2009

Three Australian businessmen were killed in the Jakarta bomb blasts on Friday.

They were just having a working breakfast when a man with a bomb in a backpack and a wheelie case came into their conference room and detonated his explosives. The Australians never had a chance and, perhaps mercifully, didn’t see it coming.

Thus is the risk of doing business in countries where terrorist cells operate. The chances of becoming a victim of terrorists is slight, very slight, but they are a good deal stronger than if the businessmen had decided to just stay in Australia to do their work.

The dangers of doing business are not confined to terrorist attacks though. Stern Hu, Rio Tinto’s Australian head of operations in China was arrested two weeks ago on allegations of spying. He still hasn’t been charged.

Then this morning were made aware of two Australian busnbinessmen in Dubai who have been held in custody for much longer. Marcus Lee and Matt Joyce were arrested in January and were only charged last week by Dubai authorities with fraud. The men deny the charges very strongly, and this morning their lawyer Martin Amad told us that he was confident that his clients would be found not guilty. Perhaps, but they still would’ve spent six months in jail without charge, and without incomes.

Amad then confirmed that ninety-one Australians have been arrested in Dubai since January last year. Amad says that the problem is that business practices that might be fine in Australia might not be seen as kosher in other societies.

Another person who knows about this is Kay Danes. She and her husband were arrested in Laos and eventually (after the seemingly obligatory six months in detention) charged with embezzlement, destruction of evidence and tax violations. They were sentenced to seven years’ jail in 2001, but were pardoned by the Laos president.

Kay Danes will be with us later to share her story.

– Phil