Prime Minister Scott Morrison during Question Hour at the Parliament House on February 14, 2019 in Canberra, Australia.
Near Tracy | Getty Images
SINGAPORE – Senior Australian Prime Minister Scott Morris has apologized to the Chinese government after a senior official posted a picture of an Australian soldier holding a knife to a child’s throat.
“Out Australia is apologizing to the Chinese government for this insulting post. We are also demanding its immediate removal and we have also contacted Twitter to bring it down immediately,” Morrison told reporters.
Legion Zhao, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry and deputy director general, previously tweeted a caption with a picture of the doctor, saying: “We mourn the killing of prisoners by Afghan civilians and Australian Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts Responsible holding. “
The Chinese government should be completely ashamed of this post. It makes them less visible to the world.
Scott Morrison
.Prime Minister of Australia
The picture showed an Australian Australian soldier smiling and sitting on the Australian flag which was eclipsed with the Afghan flag.
Morris called the tweet a “distorted post” and said it was “deeply offensive” to every Australian Australian, including past and present members of the Australian Defense Force.
“It’s absolutely outrageous and nothing can be justified on that basis. The Chinese government should be completely ashamed of this post. It makes them less visible to the world,” Morrison said.
Twitter has yet to take down this tweet. CNBC The social media platform did not immediately respond to a request for comment, asking if it plans to do so.
Zhao’s tweet was in reference to a four-year investigation report by the Inspector General of the Australian Defense Forces earlier this month. Australia’s special forces have reportedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan. The inquiry period covered rumored incidents between 2005 and 2016.
The investigation said it had received credible information that junior soldiers were required to shoot the prisoner by their patrol commanders in order to kill the soldier first – a practice known as “bloody”. All of those illegal killings are said to have been carried out outside the “heat of war”.
Australia Australia said 19 current and former soldiers would be referred for possible criminal proceedings, Reuters reported.
Bilateral relations between China and Australia have grown in recent months. Earlier this year, China’s Australia backed a growing call for an international investigation into the coronavirus epidemic from China. Beijing has taken action against Australian Australian exporters, including imposing heavy anti-dumping duties on Chinese Australian wine exports to China.
Morrison said that when countries are undoubtedly tense between the two countries, it should be addressed in a mature and responsible manner, seeking engagement at the leadership and prime ministerial levels.
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