MINISTER 'GENUINELY SORRY' OVER BOMB SITE CONROVERSY
Minister 'genuinely sorry' over bomb site memorial controversy
Important for victims to have final say on matter - MLA
by Karen McPhilemy
"I AM genuinely sorry for what has happened" - those were the words of Victims' Minister David Hanson, as he responded to questions over the failure to have a memorial stone erected at the Market Street site of the Omagh bombing in time for the official opening of the town's Enirvonmental Improvement Scheme.
The Minister made his public apology on Thursday during the official opening of the �1.7 million scheme in the town - an event that was somewhat overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the memorial.
Mr Hanson, who later the same day met with Omagh Self Help and Support Group members, was bombarded by media questions over the issue after officially opening the revamped town centre.
The row over the erection of the memorial stone broke out, when it was revealed that the memorial might not be erected at the site of the August 15, 1998, bomb in Market Street until the 10th anniversary of the atrocity, despite intense lobbying from the bereaved famines to push the project forward. It is understood that a stalemate resulting from differences of opinion between the bereaved families and other members of the Omagh Memorial Working Group has meant that work on the project, which began shortly after the 1998 atrocity, has still not borne any fruit.
It appears that one of the main disagreements over the memorial is the wording that is to be put on the, stone. Earlier this year the Omagh families had been asked to come up with the wording for a suitable inscription. It was at this point that Omagh Self Help and Support Group claim negotiations broke down as they put forth the wording they wanted on the stone, which was to state: "To honour and remember 31 people murdered and hundreds injured from three nations by a dissident republican terrorist car bomb."
According to the group the words 'dissident republican' were met with disapproval by some members of the Omagh Memorial Working Group.
Responding to questions as to whether he was disappointed that a row had erupted over the matter and what kind of message that sent to the wider community, the Minister, said: "I think it is important that I listen to what people from the victims' group have to say because they have an important story to tell and have important points to put forward. I have also got an opportunity to listen to what the council has to say.
"There is a process in place and I know that the committee are looking at that at the moment. I have just nominated officials to work with not just the people of Omagh, but also the Irish and Spanish Governments to bring forward a stone memorial as I think it is important that Omagh does have a memorial. I will be listening to what the victims' group has to say later on today (Thursday) and what the people who represent the town will be saying about that also.
'Message'
"The message it sends out is how we need to bring people together from all walks of life to remember what happened in 1998 in Omagh. I'm confident that when I talk to the victims' group later as I will do with members of the town council now, there will be an understanding and there will be a memorial to the bomb in Omagh at a point in time."
In answer to further questioning, including reference to the August 1998 atrocity, the Minister said: "I think it is important that we do have that remembered because nothing will ever change the fact that that has happened in Omagh. We need to remember it and we need to have a memorial to the 1998 bombing. Now obviously today we have the controversy over this matter and I'm sorry that has happened, geniunely sorry that has happened. I want to see a memorial in Omagh, I want to see work done to do that and my job as Victims' Minister as well as Minister for Social Development is to try to help to ensure that we do get a proper and effective memorial to what happened in 1998.
"I think it is important that there is a concenus about what memorial wording takes place and that it reflects what the victims' families wish to see, as well as what a lot of the wider community wish to see .
"I have appointed an official to work with the local council to try to come to some solution on this matter and I very much hope that will be sorted in due course so that Omagh can have a proper commemorative memorial. Hopefully I will be able to come back when a proper memorial will be opened to commemorate that loss in 1998."
Speaking after the Minister's visit on Friday, chief executive of Omagh District Council, Mr Danny McSorley, who is also chairman of the Omagh Memorial Working Group, advised that the focus of Friday's event was the �1.7 million scheme to reinvigorate and modernise Omagh town centre.
He pointed out that the Environmental Improvement Scheme was separate from the process to develop a fitting memorial to the Omagh bomb which was being taken forward through the Omagh Memorial Working Group. The working group has a broad-based membership comprising representatives of the community, voluntary and statutory sectors, including representation from the Omagh Self Help and Support Group.
"The Memorial Working Group has set in train a process to develop such a memorial which will be inclusive, open, consultative and sensitive and has set a completion target of the 10th anniversary of the Omagh bomb. The Omagh Memorial Working Group is anxious that the Omagh Self Help and Support Group continues to engage in this process. At this point in time no form of permanent memorial has been agreed and no form of words has either been ruled in or out," he said. Mr McSorley emphasised that, as the process advances, it is important that Omagh Self Help and Support Group engage with all the other partners to articulate their expectations in respect of the form and content of the memorial.
'Delays'
Responding to comments regarding delays in the process, Mr McSorley said: "The process of developing a fitting memorial must be sensitive to the needs of all those directly or indirectly affected by the bomb. The Omagh Memorial Working Group are anxious to achieve a consensus in respect of the form of the memorial to ensure that it would be respected and valued by the community as a whole and to rush this process would be counter productive to such an outcome."
He added that in 2001, the process was put on hold for over a year at the request of the Omagh Self Help and Support Group.
Continuing, Mr McSorley said: "The process is now at a stage where the Memorial Working Group has prepared a design brief with a view to appointing a designer to prepare proposals for an appropriate memorial. In recognition of the fact that the Omagh bomb had a massive impact not only locally, but also nationally and internationally, the group is in the process of establishing an advisory tier comprising representatives of the Northern Ireland Office, the Irish and Spanish Governments, the NI Centre for Trauma and Transformation, the Victims' Commissioner and a range of other interested parties. The Secretary of State has confirmed the appointment of a senior official to the Panel.
"Omagh District Council has unanimously endorsed the process which has been set in train by the Omagh Memorial Working Group and has agreed unanimously to contribute �50,000 towards the Memorial Fund."
Meanwhile, speaking after the Minister's meeting with Omagh Self Help and Support Group, Mr Michael Gallagher, chairman of the group, described the discussions as 'robust' and said the Minister had given his commitment to "think about what was said and put thought into the way forward".
A joint statement from the group, added: "The Victims' group are committed to achieve a memorial garden and marking of the street which will be a fitting tribute to those who were affected by the 1998 Omagh bombing.
"It is a matter of serious regret that this ended up in an unnecessary public debate. We hope that common sense will prevail and thank all political parties for their support. We call for the street marker to be put in place as soon as possible."
West Tyrone MLA, Tom Buchanan, who attended Friday's event, commented: "It is unfortunate the memorial to mark the site of the terrible atrocity of August 15 1998, killing 29 people and unborn twins, was not in place for the official opening. I am aware this has caused further grief to some of these families and support them in their call to have this memorial erected with the inscription agreed by the memorial committee. It is important the victims of the atrocity have the final say in this matter."
Important for victims to have final say on matter - MLA
by Karen McPhilemy
"I AM genuinely sorry for what has happened" - those were the words of Victims' Minister David Hanson, as he responded to questions over the failure to have a memorial stone erected at the Market Street site of the Omagh bombing in time for the official opening of the town's Enirvonmental Improvement Scheme.
The Minister made his public apology on Thursday during the official opening of the �1.7 million scheme in the town - an event that was somewhat overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the memorial.
Mr Hanson, who later the same day met with Omagh Self Help and Support Group members, was bombarded by media questions over the issue after officially opening the revamped town centre.
The row over the erection of the memorial stone broke out, when it was revealed that the memorial might not be erected at the site of the August 15, 1998, bomb in Market Street until the 10th anniversary of the atrocity, despite intense lobbying from the bereaved famines to push the project forward. It is understood that a stalemate resulting from differences of opinion between the bereaved families and other members of the Omagh Memorial Working Group has meant that work on the project, which began shortly after the 1998 atrocity, has still not borne any fruit.
It appears that one of the main disagreements over the memorial is the wording that is to be put on the, stone. Earlier this year the Omagh families had been asked to come up with the wording for a suitable inscription. It was at this point that Omagh Self Help and Support Group claim negotiations broke down as they put forth the wording they wanted on the stone, which was to state: "To honour and remember 31 people murdered and hundreds injured from three nations by a dissident republican terrorist car bomb."
According to the group the words 'dissident republican' were met with disapproval by some members of the Omagh Memorial Working Group.
Responding to questions as to whether he was disappointed that a row had erupted over the matter and what kind of message that sent to the wider community, the Minister, said: "I think it is important that I listen to what people from the victims' group have to say because they have an important story to tell and have important points to put forward. I have also got an opportunity to listen to what the council has to say.
"There is a process in place and I know that the committee are looking at that at the moment. I have just nominated officials to work with not just the people of Omagh, but also the Irish and Spanish Governments to bring forward a stone memorial as I think it is important that Omagh does have a memorial. I will be listening to what the victims' group has to say later on today (Thursday) and what the people who represent the town will be saying about that also.
'Message'
"The message it sends out is how we need to bring people together from all walks of life to remember what happened in 1998 in Omagh. I'm confident that when I talk to the victims' group later as I will do with members of the town council now, there will be an understanding and there will be a memorial to the bomb in Omagh at a point in time."
In answer to further questioning, including reference to the August 1998 atrocity, the Minister said: "I think it is important that we do have that remembered because nothing will ever change the fact that that has happened in Omagh. We need to remember it and we need to have a memorial to the 1998 bombing. Now obviously today we have the controversy over this matter and I'm sorry that has happened, geniunely sorry that has happened. I want to see a memorial in Omagh, I want to see work done to do that and my job as Victims' Minister as well as Minister for Social Development is to try to help to ensure that we do get a proper and effective memorial to what happened in 1998.
"I think it is important that there is a concenus about what memorial wording takes place and that it reflects what the victims' families wish to see, as well as what a lot of the wider community wish to see .
"I have appointed an official to work with the local council to try to come to some solution on this matter and I very much hope that will be sorted in due course so that Omagh can have a proper commemorative memorial. Hopefully I will be able to come back when a proper memorial will be opened to commemorate that loss in 1998."
Speaking after the Minister's visit on Friday, chief executive of Omagh District Council, Mr Danny McSorley, who is also chairman of the Omagh Memorial Working Group, advised that the focus of Friday's event was the �1.7 million scheme to reinvigorate and modernise Omagh town centre.
He pointed out that the Environmental Improvement Scheme was separate from the process to develop a fitting memorial to the Omagh bomb which was being taken forward through the Omagh Memorial Working Group. The working group has a broad-based membership comprising representatives of the community, voluntary and statutory sectors, including representation from the Omagh Self Help and Support Group.
"The Memorial Working Group has set in train a process to develop such a memorial which will be inclusive, open, consultative and sensitive and has set a completion target of the 10th anniversary of the Omagh bomb. The Omagh Memorial Working Group is anxious that the Omagh Self Help and Support Group continues to engage in this process. At this point in time no form of permanent memorial has been agreed and no form of words has either been ruled in or out," he said. Mr McSorley emphasised that, as the process advances, it is important that Omagh Self Help and Support Group engage with all the other partners to articulate their expectations in respect of the form and content of the memorial.
'Delays'
Responding to comments regarding delays in the process, Mr McSorley said: "The process of developing a fitting memorial must be sensitive to the needs of all those directly or indirectly affected by the bomb. The Omagh Memorial Working Group are anxious to achieve a consensus in respect of the form of the memorial to ensure that it would be respected and valued by the community as a whole and to rush this process would be counter productive to such an outcome."
He added that in 2001, the process was put on hold for over a year at the request of the Omagh Self Help and Support Group.
Continuing, Mr McSorley said: "The process is now at a stage where the Memorial Working Group has prepared a design brief with a view to appointing a designer to prepare proposals for an appropriate memorial. In recognition of the fact that the Omagh bomb had a massive impact not only locally, but also nationally and internationally, the group is in the process of establishing an advisory tier comprising representatives of the Northern Ireland Office, the Irish and Spanish Governments, the NI Centre for Trauma and Transformation, the Victims' Commissioner and a range of other interested parties. The Secretary of State has confirmed the appointment of a senior official to the Panel.
"Omagh District Council has unanimously endorsed the process which has been set in train by the Omagh Memorial Working Group and has agreed unanimously to contribute �50,000 towards the Memorial Fund."
Meanwhile, speaking after the Minister's meeting with Omagh Self Help and Support Group, Mr Michael Gallagher, chairman of the group, described the discussions as 'robust' and said the Minister had given his commitment to "think about what was said and put thought into the way forward".
A joint statement from the group, added: "The Victims' group are committed to achieve a memorial garden and marking of the street which will be a fitting tribute to those who were affected by the 1998 Omagh bombing.
"It is a matter of serious regret that this ended up in an unnecessary public debate. We hope that common sense will prevail and thank all political parties for their support. We call for the street marker to be put in place as soon as possible."
West Tyrone MLA, Tom Buchanan, who attended Friday's event, commented: "It is unfortunate the memorial to mark the site of the terrible atrocity of August 15 1998, killing 29 people and unborn twins, was not in place for the official opening. I am aware this has caused further grief to some of these families and support them in their call to have this memorial erected with the inscription agreed by the memorial committee. It is important the victims of the atrocity have the final say in this matter."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1856
Published Date: 16-Nov-06
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