SAOIRSE32

Belfast Telegraph

Monday, January 15, 2007

A leading SDLP man in Derry has decided to leave his home in the Bogside area of the city after a campaign of intimidation by dissident republicans.

Local councillor Pat Ramsey is understood to be moving his family across the River Foyle to the mainly Protestant Waterside area following a string of attacks on his current home.

The house has been targeted with petrol bombs 15 times in the past two and a half years and has also been at the centre of a number of hoax alerts.

Mr Ramsey has apparently been targeted because of his membership of the local District Policing Partnership.

Belfast Telegraph

Monday, January 15, 2007

The Omagh bombing was carried out jointly by the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA rather than just by the RIRA alone, the trial of the man accused of murdering the 29 victims of the 1998 atrocity was told by an FBI agent today.

Written evidence from David Rupert, an FBI agent who infiltrated dissident republican groups, also said that accused Sean Hoey had never been named by him to the FBI or the British Security Service as having been involved or associated in any way with the illegal republican groups.

The judge in the marathon non-jury trial is expected to retire to consider his verdict tomorrow following final submissions from the prosecution and defence.

Sean Hoey, 37, an electrician from Molly Road, Jonesborough, denies 56 terrorist charges including the Omagh bombing.

At the end of day 54, defence council Orlando Pownall completed the submission of evidence to Mr Justice Weir with a written submission of evidence from David Rupert, which was agreed with the prosecution.

It stated that Mr Rupert was an FBI agent from in or about 1997 and that material and information emanating from him was believed to be accurate and reliable.

Mr Pownall said Rupert had been recruited by dissident groups as a supporter and that the groups perceived him to be a person who may be in a position to provide equipment and funding for the organisation’s activities - including the CIRA between 1997-99 and RIRA between 1998 and 2001.

He had met a number of persons considered to be the organisers and leaders of the group.

Information supplied by Rupert to the FBI was shared with the British Security Service (BSS). The information had named over 100 individuals from North America and Ireland and had been supplied in various ways including by emails to his handlers.

The emails were contained in more than 2,000 pages of evidence submitted to the judge.

BN.ie

15/01/2007 - 13:42:47

Sinn Féin was today accused of “bowling short” in its motion to party members to endorse the police in the North.

Democratic Unionist MEP Jim Allister said the motion for a special Sinn Féin conference in Dublin on January 28 was unacceptable because it made support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) conditional on the formation of a powersharing government and assurances that policing and justice powers would be transferred.

Mr Allister commented: “True to form, Sinn Féin is bowling short in its Árd Fheis motion.

“It makes all its trumpeted support for policing conditional on its demands on powersharing and devolution of policing and justice first being met.

“What this amounts to is that the DUP jumps first by permitting Sinn Féin into government before they will deign to support the police.

“That is not acceptable. Upfront delivery by Sinn Féin, tested and proved over a credible period, is non-negotiable.”

In the event of there being no devolution on March 26, the Sinn Féin motion also commits the party to support the police only when acceptable new partnership arrangements from the Irish and British governments are in place.

Mr Allister has been a vociferous critic of the Irish and British governments’ attempts to set up a powersharing executive since last October’s St Andrews talks.

On Saturday, Sinn Féin’s 56-member executive agreed to put to rank-and-file members at their special conference a motion committing the party to support for the PSNI, the Gardaí and the criminal justice system on both sides of the border.

The motion will also recommend that Sinn Féin elected politicians participate in local policing accountability structures such as the Northern Ireland Policing Board and District Policing Partnership.

Sinn Féin’s executive had originally agreed on December 29 to hold the conference this month.

However, the conference was cast into doubt two weeks ago when the party said its original decision was predicated on a positive response from the Irish and British governments and the DUP.

On Friday, Gerry Adams accused DUP leader Ian Paisley of reneging on an agreed form of words which were to be issued in his New Year statement.

Sinn Féin’s decision on Saturday to press ahead with the conference this month was welcomed by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the North’s most senior policeman, Chief Constable Hugh Orde.

The DUP’s Sammy Wilson today agreed with Mr Allister that the Sinn Féin motion did not come up to the mark.

The East Antrim MP said: “It has been made clear pre-St Andrews and post- St Andrews that Sinn Féin must deliver on their support for law and order, and in actions as well as words give their support for the PSNI prior to any restoration of the Assembly Executive.

“Unionism under the leadership of the DUP will not jump first, but equally if Sinn Féin deliver on their obligations we shall not be found wanting. We have made that abundantly clear.

“It is up to Sinn Féin, and Sinn Féin alone, to get on with their responsibilities and finally become an exclusively democratic political party.

“Sinn Féin are in no position to be setting demands. They know what is required of them and this motion to be put to the Árd Fheis falls short of that requirement.”

The Chief Constable, meanwhile, was today criticised by Ulster Unionist peer Lord Maginnis, who accused him of focusing too much on political pronouncements.

“For someone who didn’t want political interference in his work, he’s really lost the plot and obviously believes that CC stands for Chief Choreographer, that he’s simply here to keep the (Northern Secretary Peter) Hain Show on the road,” the peer observed.

“He should now give up his daily political pronouncements and get on with policing or has he failed to notice he hasn’t caught the Northern Bank robbers or most of the gangs who roam the country to prey on the elderly who live alone?

“On the other hand, if he really wants to be a politician, why doesn’t he start by giving some support to his officers when it comes to the witch-hunt being carried out by the Police Ombudsman’s office?”

The leader of the North’s cross-community Alliance Party, David Ford, today joined Ulster Unionist calls for face-to-face talks between Mr Paisley and Mr Adams to resolve any current problems in the peace process.

The South Antrim Assembly member accused both parties of engaging only in megaphone diplomacy.

“Enough is enough. Megaphone diplomacy simply does not work,” he said.

“Instead of the (British) Prime Minster handing out meaningless praise and pretending that all is well on both sides, he should be convening face-to-face talks to resolve these endless difficulties.

“Sinn Féin and the DUP must get round the table for talks now and abandon this badly-choreographed blame game if there is to be any hope at all of achieving genuine powersharing.”

BBC

The Omagh bomb trial has heard information from an FBI spy who had infiltrated dissident republican groups at the time of the 1998 atrocity.

Belfast Crown Court was told that he named more than 100 members and associates of dissident republicans.

However Sean Hoey - who denies involvement in the bombing and a series of other attacks - was not one of them. David Rupert was an FBI agent who was recruited as a supporter by dissident republicans in 1997.

Over the next four years he met organisers and leaders of both the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA.

He then passed on information to both the FBI and the British Security Services in e-mails totalling some 2,000 pages.

‘Individual suspected’

In the documents, he named more than 100 people linked to dissidents in north America and Ireland and he described others.

In a document read in court on Monday - and agreed by the prosecution and the defence - Mr Rupert said he did meet people involved in terrorist attacks.

These included an individual suspected by the police of involvement in the Omagh bombing.

However, the FBI agent never named Sean Hoey in the e-mails nor described him as being involved with dissident groups.

The 37-year-old, from Jonesborough, County Armagh, denies a total of 56 charges, including 29 counts of murder as a result of the Omagh bombing.

The court also heard Mr Rupert was told by dissident republicans that the Omagh bombing was actually a joint operation between the Continuity and the Real IRA.

The FBI spy’s information was said to be both accurate and reliable, the court was told.

Sinn Féin

Published: 13 January, 2007

This Ard Fheis reiterates Sinn Féin’s political commitment to bringing about Irish re-unification and the full integration of political, economic, social and cultural life on the island.

This Ard Fheis supports civic policing through a police service which is representative of the community it serves, free from partisan political control and democratically accountable.

We support fair, impartial and effective delivery of the rule of law.

The changes to policing secured in legislation need to be implemented fully. The truth about wrongdoing by British military, intelligence and policing agencies needs to be uncovered and acknowledged. Sinn Féin supports the demands for this from the families of victims. The PSNI needs to make strenuous efforts to earn the trust and confidence of nationalists and republicans. Gardaí corruption and malpractice - which has been exposed in the Morris Tribunal and the Abbeylara inquiry in the 26 counties - shows the need for constant vigilance and oversight. These inquiries and the ill-treatment of republicans by the Garda Special Branch also provide compelling reasons as to why the responsibility of political parties and representatives should be to hold the police to account in a fair and publicly transparent way.

This Ard Fheis is totally opposed to political, sectarian and repressive policing. The experience of nationalists and republicans in the Six Counties is of a partisan, unionist militia which engaged in harassment, torture, assassination, shoot-to-kill and collusion with death squads.

The Good Friday Agreement requires and defines ‘a new beginning to policing’ as an essential element of the peace process. The Good Friday Agreement also requires functioning, powersharing and all-Ireland political institutions.

The British Government have agreed to the transfer of powers on policing and justice away from Westminster to locally-elected political institutions and have set out the departmental model to which these powers will be transferred. In these circumstances authority over policing and justice will lie in Ireland.

We note the British Government’s new policy statement of 10 January 2007 which removes MI5 from policing structures in Ireland. This removes the proposals to embed MI5 into civic policing and removes the danger of again creating a force within a force.

We note also the commitment by PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde that plastic bullets will not be used for purposes of public order/crowd control and his acknowledgement of the hurt resulting from injuries and death of innocent people including children.

These weapons should never be used again. Sinn Féin will continue to campaign for a total ban.

This Ard Fheis notes the refusal of the DUP leader Ian Paisley to publicly commit to power-sharing and participation in the all-Ireland political institutions by 26 March 2007.

Before the Ard Chomhairle meeting on 29 December the DUP had agreed words which they would release in response to the Ard Chomhairle accepting the policing motion put by the Party President. We note the DUP’s failure to keep to this commitment.

It is clear that elements of the DUP are determined to use policing and other issues to prevent progress, resist powersharing and equality and oppose any all-Ireland development. This is unacceptable.

It is the responsibility of the two Governments and pro-Agreement parties across the island to resist this and to ensure the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Sinn Fein is committed to justice. Sinn Fein is committed to law and order and to stable and inclusive partnership government, and, in good faith and in a spirit of genuine partnership, to the full operation of stable power-sharing government and the north south and east west arrangements set out in the Good Friday Agreement.

The responsibility of the police is to defend and uphold the rights of citizens. In order to fulfil this role they require critical support.

Sinn Féin reiterates our support for An Garda Síochána and commits fully to:

* Support for the PSNI and the criminal justice system.
* Hold the police and criminal justice systems north and south fully to account, both democratically and legally, on the basis of fairness and impartiality and objectivity.
* Authorise our elected representatives to participate in local policing structures in the interests of justice, the quality of life for the community and to secure policing with the community as the core function of the PSNI and actively encouraging everyone in the community to co-operate fully with the police services in tackling crime in all areas and actively supporting all the criminal justice institutions.
* The devolution of policing and justice to the Assembly.
* Equality and human rights at the heart of the new dispensation and to pursue a shared future in which the culture, rights and aspirations of all are respected and valued, free from sectarianism, racism and intolerance

To achieve this the Ard Chomhairle is hereby mandated to:

* Appoint Sinn Féin representatives to the Policing Board and the District Policing Partnership Boards to ensure that:

- a civic policing service, accountable and representative of the community is delivered as quickly as possible,

- the Chief Constable and the PSNI are publicly held to account,

- policing with the community is achieved as the core function of the PSNI,

- political policing, collusion and “the force within a force” is a thing of the past and to oppose any involvement by the British Security Service/MI5 in civic policing.

* Ensure Sinn Fein representatives robustly support the demands for:

- equality of treatment for all victims and survivors,

- effective truth recovery mechanisms,

- acknowledgement by the British State of its involvement in wrongdoing including collusion with loyalist paramilitaries,

- to ensure that there is no place in the PSNI for those guilty of human rights abuses,

* Resolutely oppose the use of lethal weapons in public order situations
* Authorise Sinn Féin Ministers to take the ministerial Pledge of Office.
* Achieve accountable all-Ireland policing structures.

The Ard Chomhairle recommends:

That this Ard Fheis endorses the Ard Chomhairle motion. That the Ard Chomhairle is mandated to implement this motion only when the power-sharing institutions are established and when the Ard Chomhairle is satisfied that the policing and justice powers will be transferred. Or if this does not happen within the St Andrews timeframe, only when acceptable new partnership arrangements to implement the Good Friday Agreement are in place.

Guardian

Paul Lewis
Monday January 15, 2007

Forty-eight children illegally trafficked into Britain have disappeared while in the care of social services. More than half of the 80 children identified in a report on victims of trafficking have gone missing, according to an assessment of care provision in parts of the north-west, north-east and West Midlands.

The authors of the study of five local authorities warned that the 48 were only “the tip of the iceberg”, and there are likely to be hundreds of child victims of smuggling who have escaped the radar of the social services. Many are thought to have been returned to the criminal gangs who smuggled them in - often for child “slavery” - or to have fled in fear that they would be recaptured.

The children were brought into the country to work as prostitutes, tend plants in cannabis factories or work as domestic servants, according Missing Out, a study published today by Ecpat, a coalition of children’s charities. Others are believed to have been brought in for forced marriages or to work illegally in factories or restaurants.

Christine Beddoe, Ecpat’s director, called for a national inquiry into the “deeply disturbing” findings. She said many social workers had told researchers that the immigration status of trafficked children was an obstacle to treating them as victims of human rights abuses. “From the moment children are passed into social service care they are defined as under ‘immigration control’,” she said. “Social workers are unsure of how to deal with them.

“One solution would be to provide residency permits or another form of visa to these children to allow them to stay in the country beyond the age of 18, when they are currently deported. This would enable social services to provide long-term care plans - something they find difficult.”

Under existing legislation, the rights of children can be subordinated if they have entered the country illegally. Until now studies of child trafficking have tended to focus on London, where social service teams in 26 out of 33 boroughs have voiced concern about the the issue.

Researchers focused on care provision in Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle after information that criminal rings are smuggling children into new urban centres with regional ports of entry and large ethnic minority populations, where children can easily be “hidden”.

Three-quarters of the children identified as known or suspected victims of trafficking were girls. However, the report stressed that more boys are now being smuggled into Britain to work in the underground sex industry.

All the children were aged between 10 and 17, and most originated from Africa and east Asia. Thirty came from China.