OMAGH AN EXCEPTIONAL CASE FOR AID
Omagh an exceptional case for aid
THE Government's commitment to make �800,000 available for the civil court action taken by the families of the Omagh bomb victims against suspected terrorists allegedly involved in this awful atrocity is an entirely appropriate gesture.
It seemed unimaginable and grossly unfair that legal aid would have been awarded by the authorities to the suspects and no financial help given to those who suffered so much from the August 15,1998, bombings which resulted in the deaths of 29 innocent people and two unborn children.
The 20-year conviction in Dublin this week of dissident republican leader Michael McKevitt for his sinister terrorist role around the time of the Omagh bombing gave some encouragement to the victims' families that justice was at last being applied and the Government decision to contribute to the �1.5 million appeal is, indeed, timely with the fifth anniversary of the massacre in the Tyrone town coming up next Friday.
At the time of the Omagh bombing, Prime Minister Tony Blair, supported by Irish premier Bertie Ahern, said he would leave no stone unturned in the efforts of his Government to track down those responsible.
Until now, this promise has sounded somewhat hollow to those nearest to the Omagh tragedy but, yesterday, it was revealed that the Government had been working for many months with its constitutional affairs department to find ways of helping the Omagh families with the funding of their legal challenge.
We would agree with Secretary of State Paul Murphy when he says Omagh is an exceptional case and the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland and beyond want to see the families bring it to court.
There is absolutely no guarantee that the civil action taken against the Real IRA terror suspects will succeed but society, through democratically-elected government, has weighed in with full support and the law must now take its course.
THE Government's commitment to make �800,000 available for the civil court action taken by the families of the Omagh bomb victims against suspected terrorists allegedly involved in this awful atrocity is an entirely appropriate gesture.
It seemed unimaginable and grossly unfair that legal aid would have been awarded by the authorities to the suspects and no financial help given to those who suffered so much from the August 15,1998, bombings which resulted in the deaths of 29 innocent people and two unborn children.
The 20-year conviction in Dublin this week of dissident republican leader Michael McKevitt for his sinister terrorist role around the time of the Omagh bombing gave some encouragement to the victims' families that justice was at last being applied and the Government decision to contribute to the �1.5 million appeal is, indeed, timely with the fifth anniversary of the massacre in the Tyrone town coming up next Friday.
At the time of the Omagh bombing, Prime Minister Tony Blair, supported by Irish premier Bertie Ahern, said he would leave no stone unturned in the efforts of his Government to track down those responsible.
Until now, this promise has sounded somewhat hollow to those nearest to the Omagh tragedy but, yesterday, it was revealed that the Government had been working for many months with its constitutional affairs department to find ways of helping the Omagh families with the funding of their legal challenge.
We would agree with Secretary of State Paul Murphy when he says Omagh is an exceptional case and the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland and beyond want to see the families bring it to court.
There is absolutely no guarantee that the civil action taken against the Real IRA terror suspects will succeed but society, through democratically-elected government, has weighed in with full support and the law must now take its course.
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/478
Published Date: 09-Aug-03
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