Cultural Enrichment: Burmese Refugees Caught With a Booth Full of Dead Koalas?

Michael Smith makes it sound like a joke. It isn’t:

Did you hear the one about the four Burmese refugees in a car with a boot full of dead koalas?

Pickering suggests our judges will be more concerned with ‘cultural differences’ and ‘understanding’.

Cobboboonee-Koala

By Jason Morrison

It reads almost like a joke told half pissed at the pub – but no … it’s just Australia’s immigration programme.

Four Burmese refugees have avoided convictions after being caught with three dead koalas and 14 dead possums in their car in South Australia.

Cho Win Aung, Htay Aung, Eh Nay Moo and Mwee Say Htoo faced the Magistrates Court at Mount Gambier in the south-east of South Australia charged with possessing carcasses.

But wait … there’s more.

The court heard police pulled over a utility last February and officers noticed a strong smell of burnt flesh.

In the rear of the vehicle they found two dead adult koalas and a baby koala, along with 14 dead ringtail possums. The animals had no fur and were charred.

Police also found slingshots and ball bearings.

They’d been on a hunting trip.

So, caught red handed ….what does a lawyer do when your client is gone?

Reach for the best excuse in the book….

The group’s lawyer told the court the four were unaware they were committing an offence, as in refugee camps in Thailand the hunting of animals to supplement the diet was commonplace.

The magistrate expressed confidence the offence arose from a cultural misunderstanding and that the group would not reoffend.

Who cares about whether they’ll reoffend – fact is, they did. Under the National Parks and Wildlife Act killing a protected species carries a maximum penalty of a $2500 fine or six months in the slammer.

But not if you’re multicultural. It’s actually our fault we didn’t explain that you can’t go about hunting protected species.

I’m suprised we’re not compensating them for the misunderstanding.

3 thoughts on “Cultural Enrichment: Burmese Refugees Caught With a Booth Full of Dead Koalas?”

  1. They were almost certainly told that these species were protected. Write to your local politicians to have these parasites jailed!

  2. What happened to Ignorance of the law is no excuse????

    The government is partly at fault here – for not explaining the obvious to 2nd and 3rd world economic migrants who come to Australia.

  3. aahh Good old multiculturalism , Dont you just love it? We have Nigerian and Sudanese Guys who go out and rob people in the streets, because they did it back in their homelands. I guess no one told them it was against the law to do that here.These guys are Muslims so they only get a slap on the wrist. They think our laws dont apply to them, because they’re special and above us. Throw the book at these Burmese scumbags. When they come out of prison, deport their filthy hides.

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