10 April, 2016. 13:15
CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Following a bungled child snatch in Lebanon, a 60 Minutes crew and the mother at the centre of at trans-national custody battle, are spending their third night behind bars, as Australian diplomats work for their release.
However, what the Lebanese authorities don’t seem to understand is that one member of the Australian investigative news team currently sitting in a Beirut prison cell, is Tara Brown.
The fact that Ms Brown has spent the last 15 years appearing on the iconic Australian sunday night investigative news program appears to be lost of Lebanese authorities, who don’t seem to understand how much of a big deal she is.
Trevor Oltskool, an executive spokesperson for Channel Nine has given comment to the Betoota Advocate today.
“Somewhere along the lines, the wires have been crossed here. There’s an obvious communication breakdown,” said the career television executive and part-time trivia announcer at the Pittwater RSL.
“Australian diplomats are working very hard to help contextualise this incident for the Lebos that locked up our 60 Minutes crew,”
“Number one, white journalist joins white mother in kidnapping kind of white kids from the Middle East. Obviously, we were in the right here”
“Tara – a career journalist is then locked up with the rest of her TV crew. The Lebanese authorities must not understand that this is the same women who interviewed Mel Gibson in her 60 Minutes debut in 2001”.
The Lebanese father of the two children, Ali el Amien, says he won’t push for charges against their Australian mother, which now means the fate of the Australians rests in the hands of the Lebanese police.
Mr el Amien has been reunited with his children.
Ms Faulkner, from Brisbane, claims her ex-husband refused to bring them back to Australia after taking them on holiday to Beirut.
She has long hoped to get her children back to Australia, and it is currently being investigated as to whether she, or a ‘rescue agency’, was paid by Channel Nine in order to capture this breathtaking news piece.
Lebanese authorities have stated they don’t give a fuck about who Tara Brown is, and that people who attempt to kidnap children from bus stops will all be treated equally.
“I doubt 60 Minutes is rating very well nowadays” said one policeman.
“And Channel Nine Australia isn’t very well liked in Lebanon, mainly because of that racist spectacle known as “Here come the Habibs”.
Usually a huge Toota fan, but this seems irresponsible, considering the extremely precarious situation they’re in right now…
Tara Brown is not a big deal over here in Australia, mate. She is not above the law. Get over yourselves
Downtown Tara Brown a big deal!!! Who is he trying to kid. Fronting a sensationalistic bullshit program is no big deal, and by fronting that program, she has no credibility at all. If charged and convicted, leave them there to serve their sentence. Absolutely no sense in making the Australian taxpayers pay for their incarceration.
Tevor Oltskool ( Chief executive spokesperson for channel 9) is showing his RACIST intolerance, by calling the Lebanese people “Lebo’s” If he were working for me, I would sack him on the spot. And, if he was responsible for this ludicrous plan, he should serve some gaol time as well for planning a kidnap.
The thing is, if the recovery attempt had worked, Tara and the crew would be being hailed as heroes. The father illegally detained the kids and destroyed their passports. He’s in the wrong. The mother is understandably desperate. Good on anyone who is trying to help her. Recovering stolen kids isn’t kidnapping. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
How often does this happen??
@Mick : sounds like something a lebo would say
Sooner or later someone from this rubbish show was bound to get caught out doing these ratings grabs and chequebook stories.
I feel for the kids but sadly no one else….
“Cry for the camera Tara” every tear is a ratings winner !
What would be public reaction if the father had joined with a Lebanese TV company and some Lebanese mercenaries and tried to kidnap his other daughter here in Australia?
It is so obvious. .60 minutes and the western media love playing hero… .think they are above countries like Lebanon..They have no respect they continue to undermine and put diwn these people from Arabic speaking counties .they should get what they deserve. They are child kidnap agency.no different to child abuse. . .
Media announces they are expected to pin this on licensed gun owners in the lead up to Pt.Arthur anniversary. Father was quoted as saying he did not want his kids growing up in a suburb with “too many guns” and said he hit the toe after David Shoebridge showed him how to enter his postcode in the Greens new website.
Tara Brown wants to know why anybody who is innocent should be expected to face 20 years of vilification. One million gun owners voiced their agreement.
Investigative journalist would have surely investigated what would happen to them if they were caught kidnapping children from a foreign country, especially a country in the middle east, who’s laws, whether wrong or right are very different to our own laws and where almost all custody is given to a father in any custodial proceedings.
At some point some one would have said , things can go really wrong if not everything goes our way.
Why don’t Ch9 send one of the Stefanovic boys to save her? They seem so keen for the foreign affairs stories.
Not only is she Brown, but soon she’ll be brown and smelly after the Lebs have had their way with her.
We Australian don’t understand. Tara brown and her employers Ch9 seems to think they are above the law. sending your reporters on a kidnaping plot! Really.?
Lebanon if you know your history is not a country to be manipulated by westeners they fought half the world in the civil war and kept there dignity they are a proud civilization
Now we have CH9 playing games with people lives.
Shame on you ch9.
I will pray for the team but may god help you.
They Broke the law… Dont care who you are if you break the law in a country, you only have yourself to blame.. they are foriegn correspondants… you cant tell me they didnt know ths risks… dont get me wrong, i feel sorry for them, but reverse the situation??? And im a white Australian, who couldnt come home for 1.5 years beacuse i needed a visa for my wife…. but i did it properly… legally… even though this situation is different. Its the same principal.. what gives 60 minutes the right if i cant bring my wofe home?? The avenues do exist.. yes they suck, but they had no right to do so.. eventhough i hope for theor release
Channel is not above the law it was not the way to handle the situation plan a kidnapping dont play it down and use other words it was a kidfnapping and thats that how would the matter be looked at if a (lebo) was to come to australia and do the same thing tara and her crew showed not respect for the countrys and i hope a example is set with her and the crew
Channel 9 welcome to the real world what were you thinking the kid napping aside lebanon is a country surrounded by terriost thug groups and almost has no laws on firearms can u not see how bad this plot could of gone the so called recovery plot thank god did not end with your team shot dead law is law respect it