OMAGH BOMBERS COULD GET AMNESTY
Omagh bombers could get amnesty under OTR bill, council warned
by Jonathan Rainey
A LOCAL unionist councillor this week warned that the terrorists who carried out the Omagh bombing could escape without punishment if the government pushes on with its controversial legislation granting an amnesty to terrorist fugitives in Northern Ireland.
During a visit to 10 Downing Street last week, the families of the Omagh bomb victims were assured by British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, that the new legislation would not apply to those responsible for the 1998 terrorist atrocity.
However, UUP councillor, Mr Ross Hussey, speaking during an emotional debate on the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill at the monthly meeting of Omagh district council on Tuesday night, warned the people of Omagh to pay no heed to the 'empty promises' of Mr Blair.
Mr Hussey said: "The Prime Minister assured the people of Omagh that those who detonated the Omagh bomb on August 15, 1998 will face the courts, the same Prime Minister who made empty promises before.
"If this law is enacted, you can rest assured that the scum who carried out this act will, in the not-too-distant future, attempt to use the European courts to extract a similar deal for their cause once they have experienced a similar 'gap in ceasefire' scenario."
Voicing his full support for a DUP motion calling on Omagh council to condemn the on-the-run legislation, Mr Hussey recalled the day when, as a young RUC officer in the late 1970s, he saw a colleague shot by the IRA.
He said: "Over the years, I attended a few more murder scenes and many bomb incidents when innocent people had their businesses destroyed in front of their very eyes."
Mr Hussey said that the motion needed the full support of every member of the council.
He said: "Even the leader of Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, has expressed his concerns in relation to this Bill, as he feels that it will grant an amnesty to British soldiers or RUC officers who may have colluded with loyalist terrorists during the Troubles, and I would assume that if similar legislation were to apply in the Republic, any members of the Garda Siochana who colluded in the murder of senior RUC officers and a member of the judiciary would also be granted the Presidential Pardon suggested in that state."
Mr Hussey stated his strongly-held belief that any soldier, police officer or member of the public should face the 'full rigours' of the law if there was any evidence to associate them with any of the events associated with the Troubles.
'Miserable deal'
He said: "No-one is or can be seen to be above the law and this miserable deal that has been conducted between Sinn Fein and the British Prime Minister brings shame on both of them.
"The proposals contained in this act have almost universal opposition within Northern Ireland. Ordinary citizens who have not been affected by the Troubles are totally appalled that such a deal could be contemplated, and those that have suffered a loss have been dealt another blow by a government that seems to wish to buy peace at any cost."
Proposing the motion that called on the council to condemn the 'hideous and immoral' on-the-runs legislation, DUP councillor, Mr Tom Buchanan said: "The Bill is corrupt in its very nature,not only because its intended outcome is to assist murders to escape punishment, but because of the process used to achieve that goal.
"A person who holds a certificate issued under this bill will be exempt, not only from arrest and detention, but also from having their property searched and from being fingerprinted. In short, this Bill ditches justice and embraces terrorism with no provision whatsoever for the innocent victims, who have suffered pain and sorrow over 40 years."
Giving his full backing to the motion, UUP councillor, Mr Bert Wilson, told the council about a friend who was shot in the spine, paralysing him from the waist down, during the Troubles. He said that his friend knows who shot him, and in fact has come face to face with him on several occasions something he feels 'very sorely' about.
Mr Wilson also claimed that more nationalists had been killed by the Provisional IRA during the years of the Troubles, than by the British Army, RUC officers and loyalists.
The motion was also supported by Independent councillor, Johnny McLaughlin, who said: "I understand the emotions that this is bringing out. I'm supporting the motion on the grounds of equality - it applies equally to everyone."
Despite being supported by all the unionist councillors and Mr McLaughlin, the motion was defeated by 10 votes to six, with all the Sinn Fein councillors following the party line and voting against.
The two SDLP councillors who attended Tuesday's meeting, Pat McDonnell and Seamus Shields, and the other sitting independent, Paddy McGowan, had left the meeting before the motion was discussed.
by Jonathan Rainey
A LOCAL unionist councillor this week warned that the terrorists who carried out the Omagh bombing could escape without punishment if the government pushes on with its controversial legislation granting an amnesty to terrorist fugitives in Northern Ireland.
During a visit to 10 Downing Street last week, the families of the Omagh bomb victims were assured by British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, that the new legislation would not apply to those responsible for the 1998 terrorist atrocity.
However, UUP councillor, Mr Ross Hussey, speaking during an emotional debate on the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill at the monthly meeting of Omagh district council on Tuesday night, warned the people of Omagh to pay no heed to the 'empty promises' of Mr Blair.
Mr Hussey said: "The Prime Minister assured the people of Omagh that those who detonated the Omagh bomb on August 15, 1998 will face the courts, the same Prime Minister who made empty promises before.
"If this law is enacted, you can rest assured that the scum who carried out this act will, in the not-too-distant future, attempt to use the European courts to extract a similar deal for their cause once they have experienced a similar 'gap in ceasefire' scenario."
Voicing his full support for a DUP motion calling on Omagh council to condemn the on-the-run legislation, Mr Hussey recalled the day when, as a young RUC officer in the late 1970s, he saw a colleague shot by the IRA.
He said: "Over the years, I attended a few more murder scenes and many bomb incidents when innocent people had their businesses destroyed in front of their very eyes."
Mr Hussey said that the motion needed the full support of every member of the council.
He said: "Even the leader of Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, has expressed his concerns in relation to this Bill, as he feels that it will grant an amnesty to British soldiers or RUC officers who may have colluded with loyalist terrorists during the Troubles, and I would assume that if similar legislation were to apply in the Republic, any members of the Garda Siochana who colluded in the murder of senior RUC officers and a member of the judiciary would also be granted the Presidential Pardon suggested in that state."
Mr Hussey stated his strongly-held belief that any soldier, police officer or member of the public should face the 'full rigours' of the law if there was any evidence to associate them with any of the events associated with the Troubles.
'Miserable deal'
He said: "No-one is or can be seen to be above the law and this miserable deal that has been conducted between Sinn Fein and the British Prime Minister brings shame on both of them.
"The proposals contained in this act have almost universal opposition within Northern Ireland. Ordinary citizens who have not been affected by the Troubles are totally appalled that such a deal could be contemplated, and those that have suffered a loss have been dealt another blow by a government that seems to wish to buy peace at any cost."
Proposing the motion that called on the council to condemn the 'hideous and immoral' on-the-runs legislation, DUP councillor, Mr Tom Buchanan said: "The Bill is corrupt in its very nature,not only because its intended outcome is to assist murders to escape punishment, but because of the process used to achieve that goal.
"A person who holds a certificate issued under this bill will be exempt, not only from arrest and detention, but also from having their property searched and from being fingerprinted. In short, this Bill ditches justice and embraces terrorism with no provision whatsoever for the innocent victims, who have suffered pain and sorrow over 40 years."
Giving his full backing to the motion, UUP councillor, Mr Bert Wilson, told the council about a friend who was shot in the spine, paralysing him from the waist down, during the Troubles. He said that his friend knows who shot him, and in fact has come face to face with him on several occasions something he feels 'very sorely' about.
Mr Wilson also claimed that more nationalists had been killed by the Provisional IRA during the years of the Troubles, than by the British Army, RUC officers and loyalists.
The motion was also supported by Independent councillor, Johnny McLaughlin, who said: "I understand the emotions that this is bringing out. I'm supporting the motion on the grounds of equality - it applies equally to everyone."
Despite being supported by all the unionist councillors and Mr McLaughlin, the motion was defeated by 10 votes to six, with all the Sinn Fein councillors following the party line and voting against.
The two SDLP councillors who attended Tuesday's meeting, Pat McDonnell and Seamus Shields, and the other sitting independent, Paddy McGowan, had left the meeting before the motion was discussed.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1827
Published Date: 08-Dec-05
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