asked the Minister for Defence the fire power of the eleven-man patrol which was recently ambushed in the Congo; if they possessed wireless; if so, if it was used; and what the time of the ambush was, and the time that help arrived at the scene.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Congo Ambush.
26.
The fire-power of the eleven-man patrol recently ambushed in the Republic of the Congo was:—2 Bren guns; 4 Gustaf sub-machine guns; 4 rifles. The medical orderly accompanying the patrol did not carry firearms.
The patrol did not carry wireless equipment.
The action commenced at approximately 3 p.m. local time on 8th November. The first search party left Albertville at 10.30 p.m., arrived at Niemba at 3.45 a.m. and was on the scene of the ambush about first light on 9th November.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, there is grave disquiet among the public that a body of men——
A Deputy
Speech.
The Deputy is making a speech.
Is the Minister aware that there is grave disquiet——
That does not make a question out of a statement.
——that a body of men alleged to have the latest firearms could have been overwhelmed by a primitive body of any number with bows and arrows and it is felt that the men were not fully armed or armour protected? I would ask the Minister will he ensure that in future every man will have a maximum fire power in his possession not only in regard to automatic arms but armour protection because——
The Deputy is making a speech.
Well, Sir, one would want to make a speech to have one's case realised.
This is Question Time and not speech-making time.
There is grave disquiet that a body of men could be overwhelmed——
The Deputy is not asking a question.
——by the use of bows and arrows——
The Deputy is not asking a question.
——and the public would like an explanation of it and why they had no wireless.
This was the type of situation which had been met on many previous occasions and it was always possible to avoid hostilities by making it clear that the troops were United Nations troops and there was no reason to believe that things would turn out differently on this occasion. However, it turned out that the small patrol concerned was attacked by a vastly superior number of the Baluba tribesmen who were, it is true, armed with primitive weapons, but the patrol would appear to have had very little chance owing to the vastly superior number of tribesmen involved.
Could the Minister say if every possible precaution will now be taken to ensure that a repetition of this tragedy will not occur? Have the fire power and the arms generally of these units been increased to provide for a situation which apparently was not foreseen?
It was pointed out previously that the United Nations Commander is responsible for the operation of the troops and he had no reason to believe that a thing like this would happen. It has happened and I am quite sure all the precautions which it is necessary to take will be taken.
Have the precautions been taken? It is all right for the Minister to say that he is sure the precautions will be taken. Can the Minister say that all the precautions have been taken?
I am aware that there has been a re-assessment of the situation by the military commanders concerned and of course this patrol was adequately armed. They carried as much fire power as it would be reasonable to expect a small patrol to carry.
Will steps be taken to ensure that in future the patrols will have radio facilities available to them?
A patrol such as this would not normally carry wireless equipment. It is extremely doubtful if it would have been of any avail in the circumstances prevailing on that occasion.
Will the Minister use his good office, through prior consultation with Deputies who put down questions of this kind, to ensure that the least possible publicity will attach to them and thus save the feelings of bereaved relatives and, accordingly, allay the fears of those who have left their loved ones in the Congo?
The newspapers will take care of that.