DEMANDS FOR INQUIRY TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH
Demands for inquiry to uncover the truth
By Brian Campbell
and PA News
RELATIVES of victims of the Omagh bombing yesterday demanded a public inquiry, as a memorial service was held to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.
The relatives of those killed in the Real IRA attack, which claimed the lives of 31 people including two unborn twins, read a statement thanking the emergency services for their work on that day.
"After five years of criminal investigations, we are now calling on the Dublin and London governments to give us a full cross-border public inquiry," Caroline Martin, whose sister Esther Gibson was killed in the attack, said.
"To date, we have had six investigations into Omagh without conviction. We now want the truth about what happened on that fateful day."
Around 400 people attended the memorial service and observed a minute's silence.
Among those in attendance were Irish junior minister Noel Ahern, NIO security minister Jane Kennedy and Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid, who currently heads the Omagh investigation.
The service at the Omagh Memorial Garden consisted of prayers and songs and wreath-laying.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, said the families did not want to suffer a long wait for the truth to emerge.
"There have been six separate inquiries into Omagh and we don't want to be sitting here 30 years on, like the Monaghan and Dublin families, or like the families of Enniskillen and all the other atrocities that we have seen.
"There are real questions that need to be answered, given the degree of penetration that the security services had within dissident organisations.
"We believe that all of that has not been brought to bear on this investigation and that is why we have made this statement."
Mr Gallagher expressed disappointment that the Taoiseach did not attend yesterday's ceremony, especially, he said, since Mr Ahern is on holiday in nearby Co Donegal at present.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach said the Irish government was "deeply committed to pursuing the perpetrators of the Omagh bombing".
"The Taoiseach is very conscious of the pain and suffering endured by the victims and their relatives and of the sadness and grief that attends the fifth anniversary of that appalling atrocity," he said.
"The government will continue its engagement with the Omagh relatives, with a view to providing whatever practical assistance it can."
The spokesman said Justice Minister Michael McDowell would be meeting representatives of the Omagh Support and Self Help Group in September.
Irish Labour Party deputy leader Liz McManus said it was a matter of regret that nobody had been convicted of murder arising from the 'heinous event'.
"Our thoughts must be primarily with those who lost loved ones or who were injured in the course of this terrible atrocity," she said.
"There is considerable evidence to suggest that much of the planning and logistics for the bombing took place 'south' of the border.
Former Irish president Mary Robinson will give a lecture at the Omagh Leisure Complex on Sunday evening to mark the anniversary of the atrocity.
By Brian Campbell
and PA News
RELATIVES of victims of the Omagh bombing yesterday demanded a public inquiry, as a memorial service was held to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the worst single atrocity of the Troubles.
The relatives of those killed in the Real IRA attack, which claimed the lives of 31 people including two unborn twins, read a statement thanking the emergency services for their work on that day.
"After five years of criminal investigations, we are now calling on the Dublin and London governments to give us a full cross-border public inquiry," Caroline Martin, whose sister Esther Gibson was killed in the attack, said.
"To date, we have had six investigations into Omagh without conviction. We now want the truth about what happened on that fateful day."
Around 400 people attended the memorial service and observed a minute's silence.
Among those in attendance were Irish junior minister Noel Ahern, NIO security minister Jane Kennedy and Assistant Chief Constable Sam Kincaid, who currently heads the Omagh investigation.
The service at the Omagh Memorial Garden consisted of prayers and songs and wreath-laying.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, said the families did not want to suffer a long wait for the truth to emerge.
"There have been six separate inquiries into Omagh and we don't want to be sitting here 30 years on, like the Monaghan and Dublin families, or like the families of Enniskillen and all the other atrocities that we have seen.
"There are real questions that need to be answered, given the degree of penetration that the security services had within dissident organisations.
"We believe that all of that has not been brought to bear on this investigation and that is why we have made this statement."
Mr Gallagher expressed disappointment that the Taoiseach did not attend yesterday's ceremony, especially, he said, since Mr Ahern is on holiday in nearby Co Donegal at present.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach said the Irish government was "deeply committed to pursuing the perpetrators of the Omagh bombing".
"The Taoiseach is very conscious of the pain and suffering endured by the victims and their relatives and of the sadness and grief that attends the fifth anniversary of that appalling atrocity," he said.
"The government will continue its engagement with the Omagh relatives, with a view to providing whatever practical assistance it can."
The spokesman said Justice Minister Michael McDowell would be meeting representatives of the Omagh Support and Self Help Group in September.
Irish Labour Party deputy leader Liz McManus said it was a matter of regret that nobody had been convicted of murder arising from the 'heinous event'.
"Our thoughts must be primarily with those who lost loved ones or who were injured in the course of this terrible atrocity," she said.
"There is considerable evidence to suggest that much of the planning and logistics for the bombing took place 'south' of the border.
Former Irish president Mary Robinson will give a lecture at the Omagh Leisure Complex on Sunday evening to mark the anniversary of the atrocity.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0608
Published Date: 16-Aug-03
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