HOPING OMAGH ATROCITY WILL BE LAST
Hoping Omagh atrocity will be last
TOMORROW this island will observe a minute's silence at 3.10 pm for all those who were murdered in Omagh a week ago.
How many more such moments for pondering the evil of those who perpetrate so much inhuman misery will we observe before anybody can say the final atrocity has been inflicted?
Unfortunately, the answer is that nobody knows.
Throughout the last 30 years in Northern Ireland the mindless murderers on both sides have carried out deeds so vile that we thought each of them was a watershed; yet, their capacity to outdo each other in the realm of terrorism has continued to mesmerise all on this island.
When the loyalists murdered the three little Quinn boys in an arson attack on their home a few weeks ago, the numbed shock of disbelief left us under the illusion that nothing could happen again to equal it.
Then Omagh happened last Saturday and the Real IRA, or the Surreal IRA as they are referred to, made us realise that the depths of human depravity had not been reached yet.
The Government has introduced the toughest package of security measures ever seen in the last 20 years which they intend will put an end to the awful carnage.
A number of amendments to the Offences Against the State Act, 1939 -'85, will allow the security forces on this side of the border far broader leeway in tackling those mindless cowards who perpetrate so much carnage on communities.
The include restrictions on the right to silence, extending the maximum period of detention from 48 hours to four days and creating a number of new offences.
Naturally, and only to be expected, the public at large supports the Government in introducing such badly needed legislative weapons.
One of the very welcome ones was that of making it an offence to direct an unlawful organisation. That should take care of the armchair generals and so-called patriots who dictate which unfortunate community should be visited with carnage and then orders the mindless minions to carry it out.
The urgency of those measures is appreciated by all of us, but it is rather bemusing to consider that the Dail won't be recalled for a fortnight to deal with the amending legislation. It will hardly take that length of time to draft the necessary amendments, so it should have been possible to
have them put in place, with the blessing of the Dail, before then.
The Government has been given the solid backing for their anti-terrorist measures by the Opposition parties, as was to be expected, so they should have been in a position to give effect to them in a time span less than a fortnight.
Since the appalling slaughter in Omagh, one of the most perplexing aspects from the public's point of view, is that while it was generally believed
that those involved in the notorious Real IRA seemed to be known by the dogs on the road, nobody was arrested.
Because of the fact that the organisation, also known as Oglaigh na hEireann, was already proscribed, those suspected of being members could have been picked up for questioning and possible arrest.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
TOMORROW this island will observe a minute's silence at 3.10 pm for all those who were murdered in Omagh a week ago.
How many more such moments for pondering the evil of those who perpetrate so much inhuman misery will we observe before anybody can say the final atrocity has been inflicted?
Unfortunately, the answer is that nobody knows.
Throughout the last 30 years in Northern Ireland the mindless murderers on both sides have carried out deeds so vile that we thought each of them was a watershed; yet, their capacity to outdo each other in the realm of terrorism has continued to mesmerise all on this island.
When the loyalists murdered the three little Quinn boys in an arson attack on their home a few weeks ago, the numbed shock of disbelief left us under the illusion that nothing could happen again to equal it.
Then Omagh happened last Saturday and the Real IRA, or the Surreal IRA as they are referred to, made us realise that the depths of human depravity had not been reached yet.
The Government has introduced the toughest package of security measures ever seen in the last 20 years which they intend will put an end to the awful carnage.
A number of amendments to the Offences Against the State Act, 1939 -'85, will allow the security forces on this side of the border far broader leeway in tackling those mindless cowards who perpetrate so much carnage on communities.
The include restrictions on the right to silence, extending the maximum period of detention from 48 hours to four days and creating a number of new offences.
Naturally, and only to be expected, the public at large supports the Government in introducing such badly needed legislative weapons.
One of the very welcome ones was that of making it an offence to direct an unlawful organisation. That should take care of the armchair generals and so-called patriots who dictate which unfortunate community should be visited with carnage and then orders the mindless minions to carry it out.
The urgency of those measures is appreciated by all of us, but it is rather bemusing to consider that the Dail won't be recalled for a fortnight to deal with the amending legislation. It will hardly take that length of time to draft the necessary amendments, so it should have been possible to
have them put in place, with the blessing of the Dail, before then.
The Government has been given the solid backing for their anti-terrorist measures by the Opposition parties, as was to be expected, so they should have been in a position to give effect to them in a time span less than a fortnight.
Since the appalling slaughter in Omagh, one of the most perplexing aspects from the public's point of view, is that while it was generally believed
that those involved in the notorious Real IRA seemed to be known by the dogs on the road, nobody was arrested.
Because of the fact that the organisation, also known as Oglaigh na hEireann, was already proscribed, those suspected of being members could have been picked up for questioning and possible arrest.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Further Information
Publisher: THE EXAMINER
Ref: TEX/135
Published Date: 21-Aug-98
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