HOW THE GOVERNMENT WILL STRIKE BACK
How the Government will strike back
By TOM BRADY
IT IS now clear that the Government intends to operate within the confines of existing "peacetime'' legislation rather than push ahead with emergency measures such as internment in its proposed crackdown on the godfathers of terror behind Saturday's bomb outrage in Omagh.
Indications from authoritative sources last night were that the Government's immediate strike against the leadership of the self styled Oglaigh na hEireann will be concentrated on changes to the Offences Against the State Act.
The proposed amendments deal with that part of the legislation which covers the proscription of paramilitary groups and allows the Gardai to bring suspects before the non-jury Special Criminal Court on charges of membership of illegal organisations. Internment still remains a live option on the agenda for the two Governments as they review what should be included in their promised packages of tough measures to tackle the splinter groups opposed to the peace process. But Northern Secretary Dr Mo Mowlam was adamant yesterday that it would not be her preferred option and it must be remembered that the British Labour party have long been in favour of the removal of internment from the statute books and this was swiftly carried out when it assumed power in London. Justice Minister John O'Donoghue was also careful to send out a signal that internment was not the top priority for his Government either, although he refused to rule it out from the package he will put to tomorrow's Cabinet meeting in Dublin.
Internment would prove to be a quick and probably effective measure to ensure that those who masterminded and manufactured the Omagh bomb were put behind bars but it also runs the risk of a huge political fallout. There is no doubt from the public reaction North and South to the Omagh bomb that people are demanding an immediate crackdown by the security forces on the 100-strong group that poses the main threat to a peaceful solution to the Northern troubles.
The leadership of the Provisional republican movement have come a long way since the breakdown of its last ceasefire and there are signs that given the right political climate and progress on the release of prisoners in Northern Ireland it will make some significant move towards decommissioning its arms and explosives. However, it represents a major leap for the Provisionals to accept such a drastic measure as internment. The proposed changes are likely to be challenged in court at the first opportunity but it may be a legal test which the Government is prepared to meet head-on to ensure that the godfathers are taken off the streets. The introduction of increased cross-Border policing involving the Garda and the RUC is another sensitive issue and there will be no quick decisions on whether this should include joint patrolling and better telecommunications contact.
Some of those issues have long been demanded by the British side as a political gesture from Dublin but it remains to be seen whether they would have any impact operationally on the fight against terrorism.
By TOM BRADY
IT IS now clear that the Government intends to operate within the confines of existing "peacetime'' legislation rather than push ahead with emergency measures such as internment in its proposed crackdown on the godfathers of terror behind Saturday's bomb outrage in Omagh.
Indications from authoritative sources last night were that the Government's immediate strike against the leadership of the self styled Oglaigh na hEireann will be concentrated on changes to the Offences Against the State Act.
The proposed amendments deal with that part of the legislation which covers the proscription of paramilitary groups and allows the Gardai to bring suspects before the non-jury Special Criminal Court on charges of membership of illegal organisations. Internment still remains a live option on the agenda for the two Governments as they review what should be included in their promised packages of tough measures to tackle the splinter groups opposed to the peace process. But Northern Secretary Dr Mo Mowlam was adamant yesterday that it would not be her preferred option and it must be remembered that the British Labour party have long been in favour of the removal of internment from the statute books and this was swiftly carried out when it assumed power in London. Justice Minister John O'Donoghue was also careful to send out a signal that internment was not the top priority for his Government either, although he refused to rule it out from the package he will put to tomorrow's Cabinet meeting in Dublin.
Internment would prove to be a quick and probably effective measure to ensure that those who masterminded and manufactured the Omagh bomb were put behind bars but it also runs the risk of a huge political fallout. There is no doubt from the public reaction North and South to the Omagh bomb that people are demanding an immediate crackdown by the security forces on the 100-strong group that poses the main threat to a peaceful solution to the Northern troubles.
The leadership of the Provisional republican movement have come a long way since the breakdown of its last ceasefire and there are signs that given the right political climate and progress on the release of prisoners in Northern Ireland it will make some significant move towards decommissioning its arms and explosives. However, it represents a major leap for the Provisionals to accept such a drastic measure as internment. The proposed changes are likely to be challenged in court at the first opportunity but it may be a legal test which the Government is prepared to meet head-on to ensure that the godfathers are taken off the streets. The introduction of increased cross-Border policing involving the Garda and the RUC is another sensitive issue and there will be no quick decisions on whether this should include joint patrolling and better telecommunications contact.
Some of those issues have long been demanded by the British side as a political gesture from Dublin but it remains to be seen whether they would have any impact operationally on the fight against terrorism.
Further Information
Publisher: IRISH INDEPENDENT
Ref: II/046
Published Date: 18-Aug-98
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