Story Link

Man flees to desert after Y2K fears
From AAP
30mar00

A JAPANESE tourist who thought the millennium bug would trigger a nuclear explosion fled to the West Australian desert with a survival pack including a chemical warfare outfit and  before it was confiscated  a blow gun.

The man was stopped by Customs officials at Perth airport in December after they noticed he appeared to be concealing something under his shirt. A search revealed he was wearing a flak jacket.

"In his bag and knapsack was an unusual assortment of belongings which he said he brought with him for his own survival and protection," Customs communications director Leon Bedington said.

The items included an SAS basic remote survival book, a chemical warfare outfit, a gas mask, a blow gun and darts, dehydrated food, an army-style water container, water purifying tablets and camping gear.

Mr Bedington said the flak jacket and the blow gun and darts, illegal in Australia, were confiscated but the man was allowed to enter the country with the other items.

"Through halting English the man said he believed there was going to be a nuclear explosion on New Year's Eve to coincide with the Y2K bug and he was convinced a remote area of Western Australia would be the safest place to be," Mr Bedington said.

"His plan was to hire a car and drive into the bush and stay there until after New Year."

The same Customs officers who detained him on the way into WA were also on duty when he left the country some time later, Mr Bedington said.

"He appeared to be very happy that he was still alive and that there had been no nuclear explosion," he said.

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Comment:
I reckon this bloke was quite normal when compared to the GM freakz running this joint, and no, I haven't any clue as to why this story pops up now. I'm just an ordinary citizen. Nothing special....:o)

Regards from OZ

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), March 29, 2000