Prof. Callaghan enthuses about Rakon, the bringers of death (May 20, 2011)

20 May 2011 at 10:26 am

Prof. Callaghan enthuses about Rakon, the bringers of death
National Radio, Friday 20 May 2011

In a panel discussion about the budget, Professor Paul Callaghan lamented the government’s lack of support for “entrepreneurship and industrial research”. He said that high-tech innovation is a field in which New Zealand does very well, and he cited as an example of excellence, a company called Rakon. “Now not many New Zealander people or politicians know much about this good news story,” enthused Prof. Callaghan. “But it’s a case of knowing your customers and providing what they want.”

Well, Rakon certainly knows its customers, and Rakon also knows what its customers use its technology to do. In August 2005, the New Zealand Herald quoted Rakon marketing directorDarren Robinson as saying that the company’s technology went into “smart bombs and missiles” used by the US military. Rakon denied the claims, stating the company was not privy to the “end-use systems, equipment or applications used by its customers.

In May 2006 the Herald ran a large expose around Rakon products being supplied to Rockwell for incorporation in U.S. military “smart bombs”. [1] The claims were based around the facts that Rakon had known of the end-use of their products since 1994 and may in fact be in breach of New Zealand export restrictions.

In July 2006, Rakon was the target of protests by Global Peace and Justice Auckland(GPJA). During the Israeli attacks on Lebanon in July 2006, GPJA issued a media release appealing “to the Prime Minister to close the loophole which allows New Zealand’s Rakon Industries to export parts for Israeli bombs being dropped on Lebanon and Palestine.” [2]

Nothing was done, of course, and Rakon, maker of crucial components for the bringing of death and destruction to hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of men, women and children in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

As Professor Callaghan noted, it’s a pity that more New Zealanders don’t know more about Rakon.

Doesn’t it make you proud to be a Kiwi!

[1] http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=1…
[2] http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0607/S00365.htm

• Draco T Bastard4.1

  20 May 2011 at 1:59 pm

  I just wish we developed and made our own weapons here. That way we wouldn’t be screwed if the supply lines get cut when we need weapons.

  We may not want to use them but that won’t stop someone from using weapons against us which, considering the global collapse that is going to happen due to Peak oil, will happen. It really is time to get our defense forces actually capable of defending us.
• Colonial Viper4.2

  20 May 2011 at 2:40 pm

  High precision frequency generators are a crucial part of military electronics/RF (and civilian electronics and RF). That’s just the way it is.