Australian women on Qatar flight internally examined

[auscal]

+1

I'll never ever set foot on a QR plane or transit through Doha again.

what if you are an Australian citizen who has been stranded overseas for months, and bumped off multiple flights - if Qatar and Doha are your only way of getting back to Australia- are you still “never setting foot”?

 

[Oneworldplus2]

what if you are an Australian citizen who has been stranded overseas for months, and bumped off multiple flights - if Qatar and Doha are your only way of getting back to Australia- are you still “never setting foot”?

Thats a personal question, and l'll give you a personal answer. l'm in Australia, so my statement still stands, l won't get on a QR flight.

The broader question, I think the Australian Government should be doing a lot more in helping people get back here (within quotas that they have set out), QF/VA via SIN for example might be an option (not sure what Singapore rules/regs are during COVID-19).

 

[get me outta here]

As a woman, no I’m never setting foot. (I had a terrible experience in Moscow decades ago and would never set foot there again either after being terrified that my rights were worth nothing).

what if you are an Australian citizen who has been stranded overseas for months, and bumped off multiple flights - if Qatar and Doha are your only way of getting back to Australia- are you still “never setting foot”?

 

[pagingjoan]

I'm glad the feisty old girl didn't bash officials with her walking stick! You know that wouldn't have ended well.
I'd be interested to hear what the men on the plane thought/said/did when all the women were ordered off.

Indeed!
The reports I’ve seen have no comment at all on that aspect.

 

[OATEK]

Seriously no, just no.
No need for a court of public opinion.
There is absolutely no justification for conducting coughl examinations on a bunch of women without informed consent.
Zero excuse.
I can’t believe that anyone would actually attempt to justify it.

As a father of daughters of child bearing age, I can only agree with everything you state. It hit home to me because one of my daughters, and my granddaughter travelled QR to London 2 years ago, and I would now do everything in my power (including my cheque book) to make sure they travel a safer route when next visiting us in Australia.

The sense of powerlessness of the women in this case can only be imagined, and I trust we are doing everything we can to support them.

However, the standards we apply will in most instances not apply in many countries around the world, including Qatar. Australians have been executed in various countries including our close neighbours, which goes against our standards and could be considered more egregious than this instance, and yet Australians flood to those countries in normal times. It is my view that no amount of complaining by Australia or Australians will change the actions of these countries. We can individually make our own stand (and we should), and our government should make it clear not only directly to Qatar but in travel advisories of the dangers travelling through these countires (similarly to that recently issued for China).

 

[bcworld]

I'm confused by the attacks against Qatar Airways. Where is the reporting - let alone the evidence - that the airline had a hand to play in this event?

All parties involved are under direct ownership / control of the Qatari government. If people wish to protest against the Qatari government...QR is an extension of that.

 

[get me outta here]

I was surprised to hear this morning that the government (neither the Minister or PM), have not even picked up the phone to the Qatari ambassador or foreign minister. Only DFAT has apparently requested a ‘report’.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I was surprised to hear this morning that the government (neither the Minister or PM), have not even picked up the phone to the Qatari ambassador or foreign minister. Only DFAT has apparently requested a ‘report’.

I know Payne said she was waiting for the report before talking to the Qatari foreign minister, which seems reasonable. I would want to have all the facts....

 

[get me outta here]

Sure, but leaving such a serious assault on our women to the public service without the government even making a phone call I don’t think is a very good signal from us. A report may or may not show ‘all the facts’.I would not be trusting it that much. I recognise that there are political reasons why we may not want to upset the Qatari government.
I am concerned that this will just kind of go away after no statements for weeks from the government until it got in the press finally.

I know Payne said she was waiting for the report before talking to the Qatari foreign minister, which seems reasonable. I would want to have all the facts....

 

[MEL_Traveller]

All parties involved are under direct ownership / control of the Qatari government. If people wish to protest against the Qatari government...QR is an extension of that.

But it's also removing the stopover in Doha.

Aside from a very small number of fifth freedoms, any Qatar Airways flight is going to transit Doha. For that reason alone, avoiding Qatar Airways means avoiding another similar incident.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Sure, but leaving such a serious assault on our women to the public service without the government even making a phone call I don’t think is a very good signal from us. A report may or may not show ‘all the facts’.I would not be trusting it that much. I recognise that there are political reasons why we may not want to upset the Qatari government.
I am concerned that this will just kind of go away after no statements for weeks from the government until it got in the press finally.

Diplomatic processes have protocols. Australia will be following those protocols. That includes things like channels of escalation... no good starting at the top and having nowhere to escalate the matter to.

I would not be reading too much into 'not upsetting the Qataris'. Australia is not backwards in coming forward when the time is right... the Russians with MH17, leading calls for an international inquiry into the origins of Covid19, etc.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Sure, but leaving such a serious assault on our women to the public service without the government even making a phone call I don’t think is a very good signal from us. A report may or may not show ‘all the facts’.I would not be trusting it that much. I recognise that there are political reasons why we may not want to upset the Qatari government.
I am concerned that this will just kind of go away after no statements for weeks from the government until it got in the press finally.

It’s normal to leave it to diplomatic channels first - that’s why they exist. Our ambassador in Qatar has spoken to their foreign minister. If more isn’t done once the facts are known I will also be unhappy. Both Morrison and Payne have stated publicly their outrage. You can’t go off half coughed based on newspaper articles.

Edit - I am of the opinion that no facts could make what happened justified but there is a process in these things.

 

[RooFlyer]

I'm a little surprised that we haven't heard from female pax going to other countries who were departing DOH at the time of this event.

Agree - see my post above canvassing some foreign media. Not a word about anyone except Australia's experience. Agence France Presse reported that there was a French lady on the 'Australian' flight - but again, they haven't taken up the story for their own citizen. Really odd.

Australian government caps limiting international arrivals,

... caused by State Governments limiting hotel quarantine numbers.

As a woman, no I’m never setting foot. (I had a terrible experience in Moscow decades ago and would never set foot there again either after being terrified that my rights were worth nothing).

I don't blame you at all, but your 'rights' in Russia were never going to be what they are here in Oz. Unfortunately, much the same in many countries we (or at least I) visit. When I visited Iran, I mentioned in my trip report how I admired the number of women on the tour travelling by themselves. If things had gone wrong in any way, it would have gone wrong for them much worse than for the men.

I was surprised to hear this morning that the government (neither the Minister or PM), have not even picked up the phone to the Qatari ambassador or foreign minister.

The Qatari Ambassador here definitely has been spoken to. As for the Qatari Foreign Minister - I don't blame our FM for waiting until they have some more info, or are at the state when we know that noting more is going to be forthcoming. Rushing into things isn't going to undo the damage done in Qatar. As I posted earlier, in these situations puffing up chest and finger pointing at the Qataris isn't going to help anyone - not that the victims can be helped much by anything except being safe at home.

________

QR is a global brand billboard for the Qatari Government, who have major issues internationally with the Saudis, and their allies (!!) the Americans. I think there is a small chance that something more will be forthcoming if diplomatic pressure is done properly - again, not that that helps the victims much. Again, I have to express surprise that no other countries seem to be affected, or at least their governments vocal at all. Ten flights remember.

 

[get me outta here]

I don’t think making a phone call minister to minister is necessarily going off ‘half coughed”. We have their ‘justification’ we know what it is I don’t know what else we are hoping / waiting before we make a government to government phone call.

 

[RooFlyer]

I don’t think making a phone call minister to minister is necessarily going off ‘half coughed”. We have their ‘justification’ we know what it is I don’t know what else we are hoping / waiting before we make a government to government phone call.

A 'report' from the Qatari Government has been promised. I know - probably not worth the paper etc etc, but a call to the Qatari foreign minister before it comes would be met with "I'm surprised you have called now - a report is being prepared and sent to you and I have nothing to say until we both have seen it.". Then we are on the back foot.

Frustrating, not least because we can guess its going to be a bit pointless, but if you are going to do anything diplomatic, I guess there are ways to be more effective than others.

 

[get me outta here]

Well we have gone from absolute silence up until very recently yesterday to a very public muscular display from the PM yesterday and in today’s papers. ‘Give me a report by tomorrow I demand it’.
So all the gentle foreign affairs seems to have gone out of the window once it became public.
Lots of foreign affairs experts.

 

[dajop]

I know we can't discuss moderation, but I'd like to give credit to the AFF team and its moderators for allowing discussion in relation to QR on this sensitive topic. Some other popular flying sites do not.

 

[get me outta here]

Other Aussie sites?
Australians are much more comfortable talking about difficult things.

I know we can't discuss moderation, but I'd like to give credit to the AFF team and its moderators for allowing discussion in relation to QR on this sensitive topic. Some other popular flying sites do not.

 

[RooFlyer]

Well we have gone from absolute silence up until very recently yesterday to a very public muscular display from the PM yesterday and in today’s papers. ‘Give me a report by tomorrow I demand it’.
So all the gentle foreign affairs seems to have gone out of the window once it became public.
Lots of foreign affairs experts.

Of course the Government has got to respond when an issue is in the public domain.

Maybe stop faulting the Australian government ( no surprise) and focus on putting the blame and fault where it really lies?? You are only distracting from the main issue and politicising it.

 

[dajop]

Other Aussie sites?
Australians are much more comfortable talking about difficult things.

No, not Aussie based.