1.6.04
News Letter
Orde Claim 'A Disgrace'
By Dan McGinn
Monday 31st May 2004
THE Chief Constable was under fire last night for suggesting that amnesties for those invloved in murders during the Troubles would have to be considered in any truth and reconciliation process.
MLA Danny Kennedy called Hugh Orde's claim a disgrace.
As Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy embarked on a fact-finding visit to South Africa to learn from its experience of a truth commission, Mr Orde said that amnesties were "a very emotive issue but part of the wider debate does include that debate around amnesties.
"Amnesties have been tried in other places. Peru, for example, had an amnesty and tried an amnesty and it worked in part.
"I think that is part of the process. I think it is also looking at some sort of concilliation process, be it truth and reconciliation notions, be it storytelling. I don't think there is one size which fits all here."
Mr Kennedy said the Chief Constable's remarks in a BBC Radio interview had increased unionist concerns that he was following a line heavily influenced by nationalists on the Policing Board.
"It is almost unbelieveable that the Chief Constable sais what he did," the Newry and Armagh MLA said.
"I would seriously question his commitment on this issue if he is looking at possible amnesty for terrorists.
"He would be better trying to apprehend some of these terrorists for the atrocities they have committed rather than advocating their early release or amnesty."
Mr Murphy announced on Thursday the start of a two-stage consultation process on the Troubles.
He said he would be consulting victims' families, Church leaders, politicians and academics and said the Government was coming to the process with an open mind.
During his visit to Pretoria and Johannesburg this week, he will meet former South African president FW de Klerk and leading African National Congress official Cyril Ramaphosa.
A total of 3,633 people were killed during the Troubles. It is estimated that around half of those murders remain unsolved.
Almost a decade on from the IRA and loyalist paramilitary ceasefires, many Troubles' victims families feel the time has come for the truth to emerge about why their relatives were killed and who was responsible.
With the Saville Inquiry into the deaths of 13 civilians on Bloody Sunday almost complete, and inquiries into a number of controvesial killings also on the horizon, there also have been claims that other atrocities and individual killings have been ignored.
Orde Claim 'A Disgrace'
By Dan McGinn
Monday 31st May 2004
THE Chief Constable was under fire last night for suggesting that amnesties for those invloved in murders during the Troubles would have to be considered in any truth and reconciliation process.
MLA Danny Kennedy called Hugh Orde's claim a disgrace.
As Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy embarked on a fact-finding visit to South Africa to learn from its experience of a truth commission, Mr Orde said that amnesties were "a very emotive issue but part of the wider debate does include that debate around amnesties.
"Amnesties have been tried in other places. Peru, for example, had an amnesty and tried an amnesty and it worked in part.
"I think that is part of the process. I think it is also looking at some sort of concilliation process, be it truth and reconciliation notions, be it storytelling. I don't think there is one size which fits all here."
Mr Kennedy said the Chief Constable's remarks in a BBC Radio interview had increased unionist concerns that he was following a line heavily influenced by nationalists on the Policing Board.
"It is almost unbelieveable that the Chief Constable sais what he did," the Newry and Armagh MLA said.
"I would seriously question his commitment on this issue if he is looking at possible amnesty for terrorists.
"He would be better trying to apprehend some of these terrorists for the atrocities they have committed rather than advocating their early release or amnesty."
Mr Murphy announced on Thursday the start of a two-stage consultation process on the Troubles.
He said he would be consulting victims' families, Church leaders, politicians and academics and said the Government was coming to the process with an open mind.
During his visit to Pretoria and Johannesburg this week, he will meet former South African president FW de Klerk and leading African National Congress official Cyril Ramaphosa.
A total of 3,633 people were killed during the Troubles. It is estimated that around half of those murders remain unsolved.
Almost a decade on from the IRA and loyalist paramilitary ceasefires, many Troubles' victims families feel the time has come for the truth to emerge about why their relatives were killed and who was responsible.
With the Saville Inquiry into the deaths of 13 civilians on Bloody Sunday almost complete, and inquiries into a number of controvesial killings also on the horizon, there also have been claims that other atrocities and individual killings have been ignored.
