Ex-hostage blasts NZ role in Iraq, Afghanistan

Harmeet Sooden

New Zealand student and former Iraq hostage Harmeet Sooden has criticised the New Zealand Government, military and media over their Iraq and Afghanistan dealings.

Mr Sooden, 33, spent four months in captivity in Iraq, where he was working with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), before being freed on March 23 this year.

Two other hostages of the Swords of Justice Brigade were also rescued by United States, British and Canadian troops but the fourth, American Tom Fox, was found dead.

Mr Sooden, a Canadian citizen, is back studying at Auckland University and told students' association magazine Craccum the New Zealand Army in Iraq was not there to help the locals. "In 2003, the New Zealand Government deployed 'engineers' - a euphemism for army engineers - to Iraq under the direct control of British occupying forces," he told the magazine.

"The New Zealand troops are mainly there to construct military facilities and repair military equipment - much like the British imperialists who commissioned the building of railways in British India (having destroyed indigenous industries), not for the local populace but to transport goods and troops for the benefit of the British economy.

"Under the guise of helping Iraqis, New Zealand lent political support and an air of legitimacy to the crimes of the Anglo-American occupation."

He said the reasons for New Zealand's military involvement in Afghanistan were similar, and criticised the presence there of Special Air Services personnel.

He said New Zealand media were largely taking their portrayal of the Iraq situation from international media.

"There are a few central themes. One is racism. The other is Islamophobia."

Mr Sooden said New Zealand media had also "falsely and knowingly" asserted that he claimed a ransom had been paid for his release in Iraq. He had only said he believed a "negotiated settlement" was reached. "Such irresponsible journalism, making a big deal of the issue of ransoms, could have increased the risk of kidnapping for other aid workers."

He said he was not a CPT member and only joined a short-term delegation to Iraq.

He also criticised his former New Zealand employer, Oscmar, which makes high-tech defence equipment, and said the Government here supported companies such as Oscmar and weapons research.

A spokesman for Defence Minister Phil Goff said army engineers in Iraq worked on civilian infrastructure projects not military ones and had been in Iraq for one year from 2003 to 2004. They went after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling on member countries to support the rebuilding of Iraq. "The engineers did great work on infrastructure projects, civilian infrastructure projects, specifically around school buildings, and water supply projects."

In Afghanistan, the New Zealand reconstruction team based in Bamiyan province were playing a "tremendous role".

"They've received international praise for their work and the level of skill and dedication they bring to it," he said.

- NZPA