Vol. 536 No. 2
69 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Defence the steps which have been taken to date to honour those who died in the Niemba ambush in the Congo; if there are plans to further honour the survivors of the ambush; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13778/01]
The Defences Forces and the State honours, and will continue to honour, the memory and recognise the sacrifice of the men who died in the service of peace at Niemba or in any other theatre of UN operations. In this regard, all deceased members of the Defence Forces are commemorated in the annual Mass for deceased members which takes place at all garrison churches in November and by the Government and the people at the National Day of Commemoration held at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, in July each year.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled by the President at Arbour Hill Church on 8 November 1961, the first anniversary of the Niemba ambush. This plaque now contains the names of all those killed in the Congo. On 2 November 1970, three memorial tablets were unveiled at the Army and UN plots in Glasnevin cemetery. One of the tablets honours the personnel of the Defence Forces who served with United Nations peacekeeping forces and on the kerbing at the foot of the tablets are inscribed the names of all those who died in the Congo.
A Niemba memorial was also unveiled at Cathal Brugha Barracks on 5 November 1983 dedicated to those who died in the ambush. The memorial was funded and erected by their compatriots in the 33rd Infantry Battalion. The memorial is in the form of a marble sculpture set in tiered flower beds with a plaque to the front in which the names of those killed are inscribed. Surviving members of the 33rd Infantry Battalion attend a wreath-laying ceremony annually at this memorial.
On 29 June 1998, at a ceremony in Collins Barracks, Dublin, I was pleased to award an Réalt Mileata, the military star medal, to the next of kin of those who died at Niemba. There are not any plans at present to further honour those who died at Niemba. The current number of ceremon ies and memorials is felt to be appropriate and adequate.
I thank the Minister for outlining in detail the recognition that has been given to the soldiers who died or survived the events at Niemba. It was felt it might be appropriate to have another event but, given the Minister's response this afternoon, I would be happy with an assurance that all of the remaining survivors would be invited each year to the event he mentioned.
The Deputy should ask a question.
Given the views expressed by some of the survivors, will the Minister ensure that they are invited in future?
Generally speaking, the military authorities go to great lengths to ensure that relatives are invited. It is one of the great sacrifices the Defence Forces make in the service of peace in different parts of the world that so many have been killed and that so much tragedy has been wrought on their families. One of the reasons we have not considered taking steps to further honour the survivors of the Niemba ambush is that it would be unfair to single them out and exclude those who were killed in Elizabethville in the Congo or in South Lebanon. We are trying to be fair across the board. However, I assure the Deputy that we will recheck what we have been doing up to now and make sure that any relative who could have been left out, unwittingly or for whatever reason, will be included in the future. If Deputy Ryan has any relevant information, he might pass it on to me. It might be of help to the military authorities who are engaged in a fairly exhaustive check. I have discussed this matter with successive chiefs of staff. This is one thing that, from a humane perspective, it is important we do well because, more than anybody else, these families have paid a high price.
If my memory serves me right, the Niemba ambush was the biggest catastrophe our Defence Forces had overseas. Have the two survivors of the ambush, both of whom are still living, ever received any recognition?
I met Mr. Fitzpatrick on a number of occasions. On the day the Réalt Mileata was presented to the surviving families, which included him and others, we had a brief discussion about what else could be done. On the basis of the information available from the military authorities, everything that was feasible was undertaken.
