Austrailia mourns at the senseless loss of life!

Australians are angry, and rightly so at the terrible loss of life when the Russian backed separatists shot down the Malaysian airliner. That the Russians provided the means to do so makes them culpable and no words for Putin can change that. His promises and protestations mean nothing. That the Australian Government called the Russian Trade Minister in to 'talk' is just the beginning of a process that may well see Putin banned from attending an important meeting to be held later in the year in Australia. Along with the Malaysia, Indonesians, and of course the Dutch--there will be a coordinated response to this latest act of international terrorism and Putin must get the message. He will of course try to deflect this act, by putting attention back on other world 'hotspots' but that will fail. We all know about those issues, including Israel's invasion of Gaza, that never-ending 'thorn in the side of the Middle East, but Russia must face up to the part it has played in the Ukrainian problem. Shifting the blame to the Government in Kiev will not work, although that Government too, has a part to play in finding a solution to the aspirations of various parts of this nation. Russia, Ukraine and the wider region has had its wake-up call. Enough is enough. Europe must take action in the form of 'real sanctions,' or Russia will encourage this to happen again. In the interest of balance, let not this latest act of violence take away from the other pressing issues that face the world. Let us not take to focus off the unresolved issue of the Palestinians and Israelis, or the part the USA plays in world events. We must use this sadness to make sure that the international community comes together to expose and resolve the many issues facing us. www.authorneilcoleman.com