Reports obtained from:
(1) Republican News, (2) Belfast Telegraph
Wednesday-Friday, 21-23 July, 2004
Saturday-Tuesday, 24-27 July, 2004
Thursday, 29 July, 2004
Wednesday-Friday, 21-23 July, 2004
RIR in New Collusion Scandal
By Republican News
Members of the British Army's Royal Irish Regiment have been blamed for the "disappearance" of a top secret document from a joint British Army/PSNI base in east Belfast. The missing document contains the names and details of over 400 people.
A very slow drip-feed of information has emerged on the incident from unofficial sources, despite strong fears that it is already in the hands of unionist death squads and will lead to loss of life.
Some thirty members of the British Army's Royal Irish Regiment have been withdrawn from certain duties in connection with the document's disappearance. It was also reported that homes were raided in relation to this matter.
Incredibly, none of those listed in the files have yet been informed of the danger posed.
British officials have only confirmed that the document is lost, but have refused to allow that it has fallen into the hands of the UDA.
Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly said he feared a "major collusion scandal" was unfolding.
"I believe that the British are trying to suppress this story. It has only emerged through leaks."
Last week, one soldier was arrested but later released. Twenty-eight soldiers were withdrawn from security duties at Castlereagh and at watchtowers in nationalist areas.
It emerged today that the British army's Special Investigations Branch has interviewed the soldiers and at least eight of the troops are to face further questioning.
The British Direct Ruler Paul Murphy has been called on to make a public statement over the removal of the soldiers.
Sinn Fein today staged a protest beneath the British Army observation post at Divis Tower, where some of the soldiers were reported to have worked.
During today's protest in west Belfast, North Belfast Assembly member Gerry Kelly said it was untenable for the British to maintain silence on the security breach.
"There is a real fear that the events unfolding in Castlereagh and at Divis Tower spy post are another chapter in the collusion scandal," he said.
"We have a dossier missing from Castlereagh and the potential for intelligence gathering on the nationalist community from Divis Tower is very obvious.
"Paul Murphy is now back in Ireland and I am demanding that he makes a statement on this scandal," Mr Kelly said.
He added it was essential that all those listed in the document were informed of the possible threat to their safety.
Given previous evidence of collusion, he said nationalists had no faith in a PSNI assessment that people's lives were not at risk.
The sprawling barracks at Castlereagh in east Belfast is the hub of intelligence gathering by the PSNI Special Branch. Despite claims that security had been increased following a still unsolved "raid" of sensitive documents inside the heart of the base two years ago, it has emerged that some soldiers based there had co clearance to work at the complex.
The Royal Irish Regiment, largely incorporating the old Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), has a notorious history of acting in tandem with the UDA and UVF to target and kill nationalists and republicans.
Mr Kelly, speaking after a meeting with the British Security Minister yesterday, said Ian Pearson seemed to expect that the scandal would also just "disappear".
He warned that a cover-up was underway.
" Yesterday Ian Pearson informed me at the beginning of our meeting that the discussions would be brief as there was 'no story' in the allegations about a security breach in Castlereagh. It seems that the British have adopted the classic say nothing and hope that it will disappear attitude to this affair.
" When people's lives are in danger and being put at risk this is simply not acceptable. It is long past the time for Ian Pearson to come clean."
He said Sinn Fein would continue to press the British government to "end the pretence that nothing is wrong and face up to the reality and gravity of the situation.
"The silence and attempts at cover-up from the British government, the NIO, the PSNI and the British Army only add to the view held by nationalists and republicans that we are witnessing the emergence of yet another collusion scandal."
Saturday-Tuesday, 24-27 July, 2004
We have dossier - UDA
By Republican News
Elements of the unionist paramilitary UDA have said that they are in possession of the intelligence dossier which "disappeared" from Castlereagh Crown force base in east Belfast last week.
The document is reported to contain the details of hundreds of republicans, who now fear that they may be targeted for attack.
Controversailly, no-one has yet been informed that their details may be in the hands of unionist pramilitaries.
One report quoted a UDA source saying: "It is in the possession of the organisation, but obviously very few people have seen it and very few will be allowed to access it.
"It won't be flaunted like the Brian Nelson photo-montages."
The last comment was a reference to the high-grade intelligence on republicans passed to UDA death squads by a British agent which fuelled a series of murder attacks.
One or more soldiers of the British Army's Royal Irish Regiment have been accused of smuggling the dossier out of the high-security barracks.
RIR soldiers have been transferred from look-out posts in nationalist area pending the outcome of an inquiry.
Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly called for all those included in the dossier to be told they are under threat.
"It is no longer tenable that the Secretary of State, Paul Murphy, will not comment on this matter," he said yesterday.
He said the latest security breach was just the tip of the iceberg.
"Sinn Fein have been working for some time to get the truth from the British government about what's going on around Castlereagh," Mr Kelly said.
"The more that's leaked into the media, the more we are convinced that we are looking at a major collusion scandal involving Castlereagh and also involving look-out posts in nationalist areas of Belfast.
"We have met the British and Irish governments on this. We are repeating the call for everyone named in the dossier to be informed immediately.
"The British government are saying that they don't know where the dossier is, but that it's not in the hands of loyalist paramilitaries. How can they say that if they don't know where it is?"
Collusion may hit talks: SF
By Noel McAdam, Belfast Telegraph
Sinn Fein has warned the "failure" of the British Government to deal with the issue of security forces collusion could impact on the intensive political negotiations due in September.
As its Assembly team met yesterday, the party said the British and Irish governments needed a common strategy if they wanted to implement the Good Friday Agreement.
Assembly group chief whip Conor Murphy said the Irish government wanted an inquiry into the killing of solicitor Pat Finucane's "but the British Government, despite saying that it would do so, has refused.
"London's refusal to deal properly with the issue of collusion is of particular significance. The British Government's handling of the Human Rights Commission and equality issues also go to the heart of this issue."
As the dates for the three-phase negotiations were confirmed - Secretary of State Paul Murphy meeting all the parties on September 1, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern meeting the following week ahead of "hot house" talks probably in England - Mr Murphy said the British government had a choice.
"Either it stands with the Good Friday Agreement ... or it sides with the forces of reaction as successive British governments did."
Copyright © 2004 Belfast Telegraph