FAMILIES TOLD OF OMAGH BOMB INQUEST PLANS
Families told of Omagh Bomb inquest plans
By Olga Bradshaw
THE bereaved of Omagh have been told that the inquests into the deaths of those murdered in the August 15 bombing of Market Street could begin early in September.
Earlier this week, police began visiting families in the district who lost a loved one in the bombing the worst single atrocity in the history of Northern Ireland's 'Troubles' which claimed the lives of 29 men, women and children, and the lives of unborn twin girls.
Mr. Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son, Adrian, died in the 3001b car bomb attack, said it was his understanding that the Belfast Coroner would also be coming to Omagh to talk to the bereaved families on August 30 in advance of the inquests being held.
"I was visited by police on Tuesday who told us that the inquests could get underway in the first week of September," he said.
Mr. Gallagher also revealed that hard-hitting and graphic images of the aftermath of the August 15 bombing of Omagh are to be used on an internet site being set up to help track down the perpetrators of the atrocity.
Members of the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group, set up in the wake of the bombing, and of which Mr. Gallagher is chairman, this week revealed that they were to launch an appeal on a worldwide scale through the internet to apprehend the bombers.
It is also understood they are considering naming the sympathisers and activists believed to be involved.
The announcement that the group is to take this imaginative step coincides with reports that the Irish premier, Mr. Bertie Ahern, is to make an unprecedented public appeal for information.
Mr. Gallagher said he hoped the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, would mirror Mr. Ahern's appeal, and revealed that the group would also be making contact with the Spanish Government to garner its support for the initiative.
Mr. Ahern's appeal is to be broadcast on both radio and television just before the second anniversary of the bombing.
Alongside it will be an appeal from Mr. Victor Barker, father of James Barker, one of the three young boys from Buncrana who perished in the bombing.
Meanwhile, the Tyrone Constitution has learned that details of those believed to be involved in the Market Street bomb may be listed on the website within the coming weeks.
The web pages may also include a list of members of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee and, possibly, members of the Real IRA.
It is said that the dissident organisation could be led by a former quartermaster of the Provisional IRA now living in Co. Louth.
Mr. Gallagher revealed that the web page was primarily aimed at increasing awareness of the dissident group which carried out the bombing and a number of people well known for their sympathies toward the breakaway republican group.
Mr. Gallagher said the new web site would be hard hitting, and the hope was to heighten awareness of the continuing efforts to find those responsible for the atrocity.
"We will have to get legal advice before we can decide what exactly we are going to put on the site, but certainly there would be as much information as possible about the political allies of these people," he said.
"There will be a warning on the site about what people can expect when they look at some of the pictures we will be using. We don't want anyone getting any unpleasant surprises.
"We want people to know what type of views the people who launched this attack hold. They showed us no mercy in killing all those innocent people so we are determined to show them none on this site," he said.
Mr. Gallagher said the group would not immediately name those believed to be behind the atrocity, but stressed it was an option which could be given consideration in the future.
"If, as is being planned for the future, this case has to be taken before the international courts and those behind the attack are named as suspects, we will also name them on our site," he said.
He added: "We have not given up on the justice system here, but if it comes to it we will not hesitate in going to Europe or to the United Nations".
Commenting on what people could expect to see on the internet page, Mr. Gallagher said the support group was consulting with the bereaved families involved about what type of material would be used.
"Personally, 1 believe that the images that the world saw in the aftermath of the bomb should be put on the website because these people showed us no mercy on August 15," he said.
He also revealed that the page would have an address people could use if they felt they had any knowledge about the atrocity that would be useful.
"You always have the possibility that people will try and abuse the address, and it is a reality we have to face, but that should not stop us from listening to genuine people that want to try and help move us forward," Mr. Gallagher said.
"We would hope that this facility would assist people who, because of loyalty, fear or intimidation, were unable to come forward previously with knowledge
"We certainly will not put any pictures of the deceased on without permission from the families, and we will try and take guidance as far as possible as to what they feel should no on the site," he said.
Mr. Gallagher continued: "It will be a comfort for the bereaved to say what they want to and hopefully give the wider community a wider understanding of how they feel with the hope that people will respond to it.
"We just feel the say things were going it seemed to be the modern means of communication. It has world wide accessibility for those with a computer, and having an internet page will allow us to reach into Europe and America where we otherwise would not have a voice," Mr. Gallagher said.
Update
Meanwhile, West Tyrone MP, Mr. William Thompson, addressing the Northern Ireland Grand Committee, which met last week at Westminster, asked for an update on progress towards apprehending the Omagh bombers.
He said that while he appreciated the tremendous work that had been done by the RUC and the Garda, not enough evidence could be found to convict those known to have possibly been involved.
"Many people in Omagh are greatly discouraged by the statement made by the Commissioner of the Garda that they (the killers) are never likely to be caught," he said.
"Indeed, press leaks have been made saying that the Chief Constable of the RUC thinks the same.
He said it would be an unjust system that allowed people the security forces knew to be involved in terrorism to continue to plan acts of terrorism and, in come cases, carry them out.
"Surely there must be some mechanism for stopping that. If not, it is a great injustice.
'The Chief Constable and all of his officers are putting any amount of effort into bringing the criminals to justice. That must remain the prime aim of the RUC, working in consultation with the Garda," he said.
By Olga Bradshaw
THE bereaved of Omagh have been told that the inquests into the deaths of those murdered in the August 15 bombing of Market Street could begin early in September.
Earlier this week, police began visiting families in the district who lost a loved one in the bombing the worst single atrocity in the history of Northern Ireland's 'Troubles' which claimed the lives of 29 men, women and children, and the lives of unborn twin girls.
Mr. Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son, Adrian, died in the 3001b car bomb attack, said it was his understanding that the Belfast Coroner would also be coming to Omagh to talk to the bereaved families on August 30 in advance of the inquests being held.
"I was visited by police on Tuesday who told us that the inquests could get underway in the first week of September," he said.
Mr. Gallagher also revealed that hard-hitting and graphic images of the aftermath of the August 15 bombing of Omagh are to be used on an internet site being set up to help track down the perpetrators of the atrocity.
Members of the Omagh Support and Self-Help Group, set up in the wake of the bombing, and of which Mr. Gallagher is chairman, this week revealed that they were to launch an appeal on a worldwide scale through the internet to apprehend the bombers.
It is also understood they are considering naming the sympathisers and activists believed to be involved.
The announcement that the group is to take this imaginative step coincides with reports that the Irish premier, Mr. Bertie Ahern, is to make an unprecedented public appeal for information.
Mr. Gallagher said he hoped the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, would mirror Mr. Ahern's appeal, and revealed that the group would also be making contact with the Spanish Government to garner its support for the initiative.
Mr. Ahern's appeal is to be broadcast on both radio and television just before the second anniversary of the bombing.
Alongside it will be an appeal from Mr. Victor Barker, father of James Barker, one of the three young boys from Buncrana who perished in the bombing.
Meanwhile, the Tyrone Constitution has learned that details of those believed to be involved in the Market Street bomb may be listed on the website within the coming weeks.
The web pages may also include a list of members of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee and, possibly, members of the Real IRA.
It is said that the dissident organisation could be led by a former quartermaster of the Provisional IRA now living in Co. Louth.
Mr. Gallagher revealed that the web page was primarily aimed at increasing awareness of the dissident group which carried out the bombing and a number of people well known for their sympathies toward the breakaway republican group.
Mr. Gallagher said the new web site would be hard hitting, and the hope was to heighten awareness of the continuing efforts to find those responsible for the atrocity.
"We will have to get legal advice before we can decide what exactly we are going to put on the site, but certainly there would be as much information as possible about the political allies of these people," he said.
"There will be a warning on the site about what people can expect when they look at some of the pictures we will be using. We don't want anyone getting any unpleasant surprises.
"We want people to know what type of views the people who launched this attack hold. They showed us no mercy in killing all those innocent people so we are determined to show them none on this site," he said.
Mr. Gallagher said the group would not immediately name those believed to be behind the atrocity, but stressed it was an option which could be given consideration in the future.
"If, as is being planned for the future, this case has to be taken before the international courts and those behind the attack are named as suspects, we will also name them on our site," he said.
He added: "We have not given up on the justice system here, but if it comes to it we will not hesitate in going to Europe or to the United Nations".
Commenting on what people could expect to see on the internet page, Mr. Gallagher said the support group was consulting with the bereaved families involved about what type of material would be used.
"Personally, 1 believe that the images that the world saw in the aftermath of the bomb should be put on the website because these people showed us no mercy on August 15," he said.
He also revealed that the page would have an address people could use if they felt they had any knowledge about the atrocity that would be useful.
"You always have the possibility that people will try and abuse the address, and it is a reality we have to face, but that should not stop us from listening to genuine people that want to try and help move us forward," Mr. Gallagher said.
"We would hope that this facility would assist people who, because of loyalty, fear or intimidation, were unable to come forward previously with knowledge
"We certainly will not put any pictures of the deceased on without permission from the families, and we will try and take guidance as far as possible as to what they feel should no on the site," he said.
Mr. Gallagher continued: "It will be a comfort for the bereaved to say what they want to and hopefully give the wider community a wider understanding of how they feel with the hope that people will respond to it.
"We just feel the say things were going it seemed to be the modern means of communication. It has world wide accessibility for those with a computer, and having an internet page will allow us to reach into Europe and America where we otherwise would not have a voice," Mr. Gallagher said.
Update
Meanwhile, West Tyrone MP, Mr. William Thompson, addressing the Northern Ireland Grand Committee, which met last week at Westminster, asked for an update on progress towards apprehending the Omagh bombers.
He said that while he appreciated the tremendous work that had been done by the RUC and the Garda, not enough evidence could be found to convict those known to have possibly been involved.
"Many people in Omagh are greatly discouraged by the statement made by the Commissioner of the Garda that they (the killers) are never likely to be caught," he said.
"Indeed, press leaks have been made saying that the Chief Constable of the RUC thinks the same.
He said it would be an unjust system that allowed people the security forces knew to be involved in terrorism to continue to plan acts of terrorism and, in come cases, carry them out.
"Surely there must be some mechanism for stopping that. If not, it is a great injustice.
'The Chief Constable and all of his officers are putting any amount of effort into bringing the criminals to justice. That must remain the prime aim of the RUC, working in consultation with the Garda," he said.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1445
Published Date: 20-Apr-00
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