After Sydney man's body was found gagged and dumped, police got an unlikely call from US - Stuff.co.nz

Just hours after Australian detectives made a public appeal for information about a man's body found bound, gagged and dumped by the side of a major Sydney road they received the most unlikely of telephone calls from the US.

Californian man Alex Dion called police on June 20, 2018 to say he had seen their earlier appeal about the discovery of Wachira "Mario" Phetmang's body near Sydney Olympic Park a fortnight earlier.

The body of the 33-year-old Starbucks worker, who lived in a highrise apartment in Sydney with his partner and who had no criminal history, had been found by a passing truck driver.

With more than 20 wounds to his head and multiple skull fractures the Thai national's body was bound with white rope and then wrapped in a plastic mattress protector before being dumped by the Homebush Bay Drive for up to a fortnight before it was found.

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Dion told police he had been with Phetmang the night of May 25, 2018 - the last time detectives said he was seen alive. He claimed the pair had gone to a service station in Sydney's south to buy methamphetamine from another man.

NSW POLICE

Thai national Wachira Phetmang was found dead near Sydney Olympic Park.

The American allegedly told police he left when the other man arrived and was now worried that the other man may have "done something bad" and may be Phetmang's killer.

He also allegedly claimed to have screenshots of text messages from this other man talking about drug deals and Phetmang's murder that Dion wanted to share with police.

But as detectives went to corroborate Dion's story they allegedly uncovered a very different version of events.

According to documents filed in a US court on April 5 and first uncovered by terrorism researcher Seamus Hughes at George Washington University, surveillance footage showed Dion and Phetmang visiting a service station with no one else. They then left in the same car. Phetmang was not seen alive again.

SUPPLIED

Mario Phetmang was last seen in this CCTV footage at a service station.

After the initial phone call, Dion allegedly kept in contact with NSW Police via subsequent calls and multiple emails over the following weeks.

He allegedly went on to admit in their correspondence that he was in possession of a number of personal items belonging to Phetmang including two mobile phones, credit cards and a thumb drive.

Police will allege their investigations have revealed Phetmang's card was used several times at grocery stores and cafes in the US between Dion arriving back in California on May 27 and prior to the police going public with the appeal about Phetmang's death on June 20.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows Dion making those purchases. The screenshots of text messages proving the other man's involvement have never been given to police, the US court documents state.

NSW Police issued an arrest warrant for Dion in September 2018 and late last year their US counterparts informed them that they had arrested him over an unrelated domestic violence matter.

LUCY CORMACK/FAIRFAX MEDIA

Police search along an embankment where the body was discovered.

A search by the FBI of his San Diego home allegedly also uncovered a boot which police say matched one found tied up with Phetmang's body.

US authorities have now ordered Dion's extradition to NSW for the alleged murder of Phetmang.

NSW Police on Wednesday said detectives had flown to the US to co-ordinate Dion's extradition.

It is expected he will be extradited to NSW by the end of the week where he will be charged over Phetmang's death.

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https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/111948767/after-sydney-mans-body-was-found-gagged-and-dumped-police-got-an-unlikely-call-from-us

2019-04-10 07:26:00Z
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US man to be sent to Australia in Thai national's killing - Fox News

This May 25, 2018 image from surveillance video released by the New South Wales Police Force shows Wachira "Mario" Phetmang, 33, entering a service station in South Hurstville, a suburb of Sydney. Authorities have identified an American suspect in the killing of Phetmang, a Thai national whose battered body was found bound, gagged and wrapped in plastic on the side of a road in a high-profile case in Australia, according to a federal search warrant obtained Tuesday, April 9. 2019. (New South Wales Police via AP)

LOS ANGELES – Authorities have identified an American suspect in the killing of a Thai national whose battered body was found bound, gagged and wrapped in plastic on the side of a road in a high-profile case in Australia, according to a federal search warrant obtained Tuesday.

Australian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Alex Dion in the killing of 33-year-old Wachira "Mario" Phetmang, whose body was found on the side of a freeway in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park in June. The arrest warrant for Dion was issued in September while he already was in custody on a domestic violence charge in San Diego, according to the federal search warrant filed by the FBI on Friday.

The warrant, which marks the first time a suspect has been publicly named in Phetmang's killing, was first obtained by Seamus Hughes, a terrorism researcher at George Washington University who mines federal court databases.

Dion, 38, was set to be extradited from San Diego to Australia this coming Friday, according to the warrant. It's unclear whether he has an attorney.

Phetmang, a Thai national who lived in Australia for a decade, was last seen alive on May 25 at a gas station in the Sydney suburb of South Hurstville. An autopsy found that he suffered more than 20 wounds to his head and had multiple skull fractures.

The day he died, Phetmang told his partner he was going to pick up methamphetamine and later met Dion at the gas station, according to surveillance footage, the search warrant said.

Phetmang and Dion left the gas station together in Dion's car, according to the surveillance footage, and that was the last anyone saw of Phetmang.

Dion flew back to the U.S. two days after Phetmang's death but before the body was found on June 6, according to the search warrant.

A boot police believe belonged to Dion was found with Phetmang's body, and the matching boot was later found in Dion's apartment, the search warrant said. Police also believe Dion used a high-pressure washer to scrub the inside of his car, and dumped both his and Phetmang's clothing, two tire irons and a metal bar inside a water-retention tank where he used to work.

When Australian police held a news conference seeking the public's help in the case, Dion called them and tried to blame an associate for Phetmang's killing, while also acknowledging that he had Phetmang's credit cards and cellphones with him in San Diego, according to the search warrant.

Dion told police that he had met Phetmang at the gas station to buy meth but that he left when their associate showed up, a story police say is contradicted by surveillance footage.

The New South Wales Police Force in Australia said in a news release that detectives traveled to San Diego this week to coordinate the extradition and that no further information was available.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-man-to-be-sent-to-australia-in-thai-nationals-killing

2019-04-09 20:37:27Z
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Wynn terminating discussions with Australia's Crown Resorts after deal talks leaked - CNBC

The world's No. 2 casino operator, Wynn Resorts, terminated deal talks on Tuesday with Australia's Crown Resort after Wynn's $7.1 billion takeover offer was leaked.

The proposal was for 10 billion Australian dollars. Wynn Resorts hoped the acquisition would expand its geographic reach amid headwinds in Asia. It would have offered Wynn a hedge against Macau, the Chinese gambling hub where its licenses are up for renewal, as well as two revamped Australian casinos and a third still being built on the Sydney harbor front.

"Following the premature disclosure of preliminary discussions Wynn resorts has terminated all discussions with Crown Resorts concerning any transaction," the company said in a statement.

Wynn said in an SEC filing Tuesday that there is "no assurance that these discussions will result in a transaction" and will not comment further on the subject. Before news of the deal leaked, Wynn had seen its stock rise more than 46% this year. After news of the deal termination, the stock fell more than 3%.

The deal would have been Australia's biggest M&A transaction this year. The proposal had an implied value of A$14.75 a share, half in cash and half in Wynn shares, Crown told the Australian Stock Exchange.

Talks were at a beginning stage, with no agreements on value or deal structure, and the proposal had not reached the board yet.

Analysts expected the deal to get some investor pushback, citing current limited growth in the Australian gaming market and concerns that the deal might disrupt expected strong free cash flow.

Crown is controlled by billionaire James Packer, who stepped down from the company's board last year due to mental illness. The deal would have ended his career as a casino mogul with an A$4.7 billion payout. Crown had refocused on its Australian assets following a China crackdown in 2016.

In the past, Wynn has attempted to diversify and expand geographically in order to protect growth prospects if its Macau licenses aren't renewed. It has looked to increase promotion of a resort in Japan, a market that Crown also looked to as an expansion area.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/09/wynn-terminating-discussions-with-australias-crown-resorts-after-deal-talks-leaked.html

2019-04-09 13:24:01Z
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Chinese billionaire seeking Australian passport reportedly paid lobbyist for secret meeting with minister - CNBC

China's influence on Australian politics is again in focus after a media investigation revealed a secret meeting in 2016 between the then-immigration minister and a controversial Chinese billionaire seeking an Australian passport.

The report from Australia's ABC Four Corners said Peter Dutton, now the home affairs minister, met one-on-one with Huang Xiangmo in a private area of a Chinese restaurant in Sydney. The meeting was set up after the Chinese businessman paid tens of thousands of dollars to a lobbyist, according to the investigation. That's led to calls for Australia's current government to look into the matter further.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, for one, told reporters on Tuesday that the allegation is "very troubling," adding that "Peter Dutton has got a lot to explain about this."

Turnbull also said Australia's current prime minister will need to get involved in the situation: "The buck stops with him. I know what it is like to be prime minister and, ultimately, you are responsible and so Scott Morrison has to deal with this."

Dutton has confirmed the meeting, but denied helping Huang with any immigration issues, according to SBS News.

Still, the Four Corners report is just the latest allegation of large political donors with apparent ties to China's Communist Party wielding influence within Australian politics.

Back in February, Huang — who is currently in China following a decision to ban him from re-entering Australia — called on both the ruling Coalition and the opposition Labor Party to return over 2.7 million Australian dollars (about $1.9 million) in donations that he had made over the past five years.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Huang called out his treatment as being hypocritical — and questioned the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's inference that his membership of groups that were promoting the "peaceful reunification" of China was tantamount to him being an operative of the Chinese state.

"If I am being penalized for promoting the peaceful reunification of China, this is against Australia's own position as well as its fundamental principles of cultural diversity and freedom of speech," Huang told the Australian Financial Review.

While Huang's donations were a contributing factor in the Australian government's decision to ban foreign political donations in November last year, Chinese-associated donations continue to raise concerns. In December, the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) raided the offices of the state's Labor Party over A$100,000 in donations by Chinese-Australian nationals.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ICAC is currently investigating a trio of individuals — including Huang — in relation to documents seized in the raid.

For more on the meeting, see the report from Australia's ABC.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/09/chinese-billionaire-met-with-australias-peter-dutton-report.html

2019-04-09 05:09:25Z
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Australia Is On The Brink Of A Housing Collapse That Resembles 2008 - Forbes

The U.S. has been an “island of stability” as economic woes grow all over the world. Other such islands exist, too.

Australia is high on the list. The last Down Under recession was 27—yes, 27—years ago in 1991. No other developed economy can say the same.

The long streak has a lot to do with being one of China’s top raw material suppliers during its historic boom. Australia has done other things right, too.

But all good things come to an end. While not officially in recession yet, Australia’s growth is slowing.

2008 All over Again

University of New South Wales professor Richard Holden says Australia is in “effective recession.” Australia’s per-capita GDP has declined in both Q3 and Q4 of 2018.

As often happens, real estate is involved. Australia’s housing boom/bubble could unravel badly.

Last week, RealVision’s Grant Williams highlighted a video that says Australia’s economy looks like Ireland’s just before the 2007 housing collapse.

The parallels are a bit spooky.

Australia’s household debt to GDP was 120.5 per cent as of September last year, according to the Bank for International Settlements, one of the highest in the world. In 2007, Ireland was sitting at around 100 per cent.

At the same time, the RBA puts Australia’s household debt to disposable income at 188.6 per cent. Ireland was 200 per cent in 2007, while the US was only 116.3 per cent at the start of 2008.

RBA figures also show more than two thirds of the country’s net household wealth is invested in real estate. In 2008, that figure was 83 per cent in Ireland and 48 per cent in the US. Meanwhile, 60 per cent of all lending by Australian financial institutions is in the property sector.

In 2007, the International Monetary Fund gave the Irish economy and banking system a clean bill of health and suggested that a “soft landing” was the most likely outcome. Last month, the IMF said Australia’s property market was heading for a “soft landing”.

House prices in Sydney and Melbourne have fallen nearly 14 per cent and 10 per cent from their respective peaks in July and November 2017, coinciding with sharp drop-off in credit flowing into the housing sector both for owner-occupiers and investors.

Pain Will Spread Far and Wide

Real estate is, by nature, credit-driven. Few people pay cash for land, homes, or commercial properties. So when credit dries up, so does demand for those assets.

Falling demand means lower prices, which is bad when you are highly leveraged. It gets worse from there as the banking system gets dragged into the fray.

Losses can quickly spread as defaults affect lenders far from the source.

This is not only an Australian problem. Similar slowdowns are unfolding in New Zealand, Canada, Europe, and China.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmauldin/2019/04/08/australia-is-on-the-brink-of-a-housing-collapse-that-resembles-2008/

2019-04-08 14:41:00Z
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Australian security adviser told writer not to fly to China - Fox News

CANBERRA, Australia – A security adviser to an Australian prime minister says he warned a Chinese-Australian writer not to travel to China before the blogger and critic of China's Communist Party was detained on arrival at a Chinese airport in January.

John Garnaut was commissioned in 2016 to write a report on Chinese influence on Australian politics, leading to laws in 2018 banning covert foreign political interference.

Garnaut told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview broadcast on Monday that he advised writer Yang Hengjun not to travel to China after Yang revealed he had been questioned by a Chinese official in Sydney about Garnaut's investigation.

Yang did not take Garnaut's advice and flew to China, where he was detained on suspicion of engaging in criminal activities endangering China's national security.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/australian-security-adviser-told-writer-not-to-fly-to-china

2019-04-08 13:51:59Z
CBMiWWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3dvcmxkL2F1c3RyYWxpYW4tc2VjdXJpdHktYWR2aXNlci10b2xkLXdyaXRlci1ub3QtdG8tZmx5LXRvLWNoaW5h0gFdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm94bmV3cy5jb20vd29ybGQvYXVzdHJhbGlhbi1zZWN1cml0eS1hZHZpc2VyLXRvbGQtd3JpdGVyLW5vdC10by1mbHktdG8tY2hpbmEuYW1w

Australian security adviser told writer not to fly to China - Fox News

CANBERRA, Australia – A security adviser to an Australian prime minister says he warned a Chinese-Australian writer not to travel to China before the blogger and critic of China's Communist Party was detained on arrival at a Chinese airport in January.

John Garnaut was commissioned in 2016 to write a report on Chinese influence on Australian politics, leading to laws in 2018 banning covert foreign political interference.

Garnaut told Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview broadcast on Monday that he advised writer Yang Hengjun not to travel to China after Yang revealed he had been questioned by a Chinese official in Sydney about Garnaut's investigation.

Yang did not take Garnaut's advice and flew to China, where he was detained on suspicion of engaging in criminal activities endangering China's national security.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/australian-security-adviser-told-writer-not-to-fly-to-china

2019-04-08 13:47:20Z
CBMiWWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3dvcmxkL2F1c3RyYWxpYW4tc2VjdXJpdHktYWR2aXNlci10b2xkLXdyaXRlci1ub3QtdG8tZmx5LXRvLWNoaW5h0gFdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm94bmV3cy5jb20vd29ybGQvYXVzdHJhbGlhbi1zZWN1cml0eS1hZHZpc2VyLXRvbGQtd3JpdGVyLW5vdC10by1mbHktdG8tY2hpbmEuYW1w