New RUC’s task to put down resistance to British rule In a statement on January 31, Republican Sinn Féin, Belfast called on nationalists not to become involved in any new look Partitionist, paramilitary police force. They said that there were organisations/groups of people within the nationalist community who would see the RUC with a new name and uniform as acceptable. The statement continued: "The fact is, any force set up by England or set up through Stormont and whatever way they dress that force up, those involved in the new force will be in the pay of England and will do England’s dirty work. This new force will have the task of enforcing British rule, occupation and partition. The method used to enforce these things will be oppression. They will be given the task of putting down resistance to British occupation. "This will, no doubt, set back the day when Ireland’s people working as a whole can determine their own destiny free from England’s interference. "Republican Sinn Féin once again points out the only acceptable course for England is to give a date for British withdrawal militarily and economically." Contents Planning scandals must be probed THE latest planning scandals to hit local authorities around the country are yet another indication of the "behind the scenes" culture of Irish political and business life, Republican Sinn Féin said during January. Party spokesperson in Limerick Joe Lynch said that following the suspension and resignation of local authority officials, the whole question of controversial planning permissions should now be publicly debated. He was speaking on Limerick radio on January 13. "This latest scandal to hit Irish public life comes fast after the shocking revelations of the Flood Tribunal in relation to planning matters", he said. "Coupled with what is now emerging from the Moriarty Tribunal in the wake of the McCraken disclosures, it would seem that a ‘behind the scenes’ culture exists right across the spectrum of Irish political and business life. "What is beginning to emerge across the country is akin to a ‘shadow process’ which allows those in the know to get round planning regulations to the detriment of concerned citizens. "There have been many questionable decisions and now is the time to probe all recent controversial decisions so that the public can be assured that the process is fair, impartial and not subject to undue influence on the part of some officials", he said. Contents

Dublin ignoring will of the people

GALWAY for a Safe Environment have accused the Dublin Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey of "ignoring the will of the people" in attempting to impose waste incinerators on local authorities.

GSE were responding to various newspaper reports at the end of January which stated that Minister Dempsey was preparing emergency proposals for Cabinet which would allow City and County Managers to overrule local councils that had rejected incineration.

GSE announced details of a march and rally for recycling, and against incineration and superdumps, to be held in Galway City on February 3, and have called for a major display of "people-power" on that day.

"These proposals represent an admission of failure on the Minister’s part – he has spent the last 3 years, and up to £10 million of taxpayers’ money attempting to convince local Councillors that incineration is safe and sensible, including expensive trips to the continent. By taking away their decision-making powers now, he is admitting that he has failed", said GSE spokesman, Dr Conchúr Ó Brádaigh.

"He would have better served the people of Ireland if he had concentrated on the waste reduction and recycling elements of the waste plans – to which there is no opposition, rather than pushing incineration against the will of the people". Dr Ó Brádaigh pointed to petitions of over 22,000 signatures each in Galway, Louth and Meath as samples of massive opposition to waste incineration – and predicted that Mr Dempsey’s planned imposition of this technology would be a huge issue in the forthcoming 26-County general election.

"The problems with Ballinasloe landfill capacity are partly the fault of the Department of the Environment, as they have indicated to both Galway Co. Council and Corporation that funds for waste reduction and recycling schemes will not be made available unless they accept the Connacht waste Plan – including incineration and super-dumps", said Dr Ó Brádaigh.

GSE went on to call on Galway’s Minister for the Marine, Frank Fahey, to state clearly where he stands on the issue of incineration. "Marine resources are critical to the economy of the West of Ireland, andthesewill be at risk from the dioxins generated by the proposed incinerator. The people of Galway have a right to know where Mr Fahey stands on this issue."

The March and Rally on Saturday will assemble at Fr. Griffin Road, Galway City at 1pm and proceed to Eyre Square for a rally. Elected representatives of all the major parties would address the rally, as well as community groups active on the waste issue throughout Connacht.

"This is the last opportunity for the people of Galway to show once and for all that they want recycling, not incineration and superdumps. Please be there," he said.
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Gun and bomb attacks force families out

A COLERAINE, Co Derry family were forced to flee their home following a pipe-bomb and shooting attack on their house in the Newmills area on January 4.

Uel Norton (36), his partner Patricia McLaughlin (37) and their two sons aged 16 and 15 had been out visiting relatives at the time of the attack.

A window was shattered when a pipe-bomb exploded in the front garden. This was followed by a burst of gunfire.

One bullet lodged in the window frame while others were found on the living room floor.

It is the third sectarian attack on their home in five years.

Five years ago three petrol bombs were hurled through their front window.

In November last a pro-British death squad burst through the front door while the family were watching television.

The three masked men fled as the family managed to fight them off at the stairs.

A native of Coleraine, Uel Norton said of the loyalists who attacked his home they "can have the house if they want it. They definitely intended to kill – no house is worth that.

"You don’t shoot bullets and throw bombs unless you intend to kill.

"It was just by chance that night we decided to go and visit a cousin – while we were there we got a call to say that shots had been fired through the window and a pipe-bomb had exploded in the front garden".

This is the latest in a spate of attacks as pro-British elements intensify their campaign of ethnic cleansing in the town and brings the tally of pipe-bomb attacks on nationalist homes in Coleraine to 16 since July.

Uel Norton’s brother has served with the British colonial police (RUC) for 20 years and he has several relatives in the British Crown Forces.

PIPE-BOMB ATTACKS

LARNE

The territorial offensive by pro-British elements gains pace. On January 9, two more nationalist families were added to the terror toll. A mother and her son had a miraculous escape when a pipe bomb was hurled through their living room window of their home in Laharna Avenue. The device partially exploded beside them.

BALLYMENA

The home of a nationalist family in Ballymena’s Circular Road came under a pipe bomb attack just 15 minutes after the Larne incident.

NORTH BELFAST

A pipe bomb was hurled at a house on Belfast’s Cavehill Road on January 16. The device exploded and was later defused by Crown Forces technical experts.

BALLYMONEY

On January 17, Eunan McGinty was visiting his parents’ home at Donnelly Park on the Bendooragh Road between Kilrea and Ballymoney when he discovered a pipe bomb in the front garden. His 62-year old father had been preparing for open-heart surgery in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital at the time.

BALLYMENA

On January 17, a pipe bomb was thrown at the Slemish Bar on William Street at around 10.30pm. A man in a green hooded top was seen hurling the device at the window. The device failed to explode and was taken away by Crown Forces. It is said to have been the sixth attack in the Ballymena area in eleven days.

LARNE

On January 22, the home of a 27-year-old mother of two was sprayed with gunfire. No-one was in the Fanad Road residence at the time of the attack. Fifteen minutes earlier the windows of her 66-year-old were also smashed when bricks were hurled at his Linn Road home in the mixed Craigeyhill estate. The pensioner who was watching television at the time escaped injury. Meanwhile according to Crown Forces accounts there have been over 30 pipe bomb attacks across the Six Counties, many of them in Larne with 76 sectarian attacks listed.

NORTH BELFAST

On January 24, the family of Republican prisoner Seán Paul Magee, who is on remand in a Crown prison, came under attack when a pipe bomb exploded in the living room of their Lothair Avenue home shortly after 1am.

The device blew in all the downstairs windows and caused extensive damage to the windows and caused extensive damage to the interior of the house.

Five members of the Magee family including a six-year-old girl were in the house at the time. The father, Gerard said following the attack: "the device that was thrown was meant to kill. It wasn’t meant to kill my son because he’s in prison".

Gerard Magee also said the Colonial police (RUC) had warned his son two months before his arrest that the details were in the hands of pro-British death squads. Neighbours saw a red Renault car speed away towards the Antrim Road.

Meanwhile the son of Provisional leader Martin Meehan has been forced to move house following a gun attack in his north Belfast home. Martin Meehan jnr was at home with his brother-in-law in Farrington Court in the Ardoyne when several shots were fired at the house at around 5am. Both men escaped injury.

BUSHMILLS

On January 26 a Catholic church was attacked for the second time in six months when loyalist incendiaries pushed a car against the door and set it alight at around 1.30am.

The front porch and entrance hall of St. Mary’s Church in Bushmills suffered scorch damage. The main body of the church sustained smoke damage.

NORTH BELFAST

Also on January 26 a father of five had a lucky escape when he discovered a bomb under his car. The man said he had just come out of his house in Kervera Mews in Ardoyne at about 7am when he noticed an object wrapped in tape with wires coming from it – underneath his car.

He had come out of the house, ready to get his children to school and was just about to warm up with engine when he discovered the device.

He accused the pro-British death-squad the UDA/UFF of being behind the attack.

The editorial in Belfast’s Irish News of January 27 commented: "within the last few days, homes have been targeted in Belfast, Derry and a number of other centres.

"The intention has been to intimidate in some cases, but in others beyond doubt, it has been to kill".

The editorial commented further: "denials from individuals linked to the organisations have been half-hearted and most observers accept that the UDA ceasefire now exists only in name"

DERRY

On January 26 the home Ann Coyle at around 1.50am was targeted in a pipe-bomb attack. Her husband Raymond suffers from heart and lung problems and both were in bed at the time of the attack. It is the second attack on the Coyles’ Waterside home in four years. In 1997 their living room was gutted in a petrol bomb attack.

Two days later a pipe-bomb exploded at the rear of her sister Helen Smets home less than 100 yards away on Shearwater Way in the Waterside. Nobody was injured in either attack.
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Larne attack blamed on UDA

A SINGLE mother and her two young children escaped death on January 3 when a loyalist death squad opened fire on her home in Larne, Co Antrim.

Helena McCambridge and her two sons, aged seven and four, were in bed asleep when five shots were fired into their home in Fannad Walk in Criagyhill at around 1.30am. One of the bullets struck a window frame and ricocheted around the living-room. Two people were seen running away after the attack.

A few weeks previously the young woman’s car was vandalised causing £700 worth of damage. She was also attacked with a pellet gun while sitting in a bus in Larne last year.

Helena McCambridge said she was "devastated" by the latest attack which she described as "attempted murder". She said that the UDA pro-British death squad had been targeting her family for a long time. She is related to Robert Shaw who was shot dead by the UFF in Newtownabbey in 1993.

She has now left her home after eight attacks.
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