I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise this issue this evening. I also thank the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs for coming into the House to hear what I have to say on this matter which I raised with him last evening. This matter was brought to my attention by a number of people who live on the northern side of the Border and, indeed, by people living on the southern side.
Some weeks ago I had occasion to highlight incidents which had happened in the Crossmaglen area and caused a number of locals grave difficulty. Those incidents gave an indication of some of the increased security presence with which locals have had to contend. That was before the horrific attack on the British Army base by terrorists which I condemn unreservedly. Subsequently that incident was condemned by local councillor, John Fee, who as we all know was later beaten up, albeit in relation to that incident.
These incidents took place over the past two or three months, that area having been relatively quiet before that. The reason I am making representations about incidents which took place outside my constituency on the other side of the Border is because on Sunday night a considerable number of British Army and RUC personnel descended on Crossmaglen and began to dig in in and around private property. They took over people's gardens, yards and, in some cases, fields adjacent to the four access roads to Crossmaglen. In recent days they have been digging in, literally sealing off the town. They worked throughout last night. They have erected concrete bollards in such a manner as to stagger all the traffic coming in and out of Crossmaglen. They also erected concrete pillboxes on each of the roads. It would appear the intention is to have permanent checkpoints at Crossmaglen, in other words, to completely seal off the town.
The RUC distributed leaflets to the town's inhabitants the day before yesterday, saying that they would be engaging in this exercise for the next three months, that they were repairing the security installation in Crossmaglen and were sorry for the inconvenience being caused to locals. In effect Crossmaglen has been turned into a ghost town for the past two days. Crossmaglen has been given a bad name, but there have been tremendous efforts by locals to regenerate the south Armagh area. For example, a very active voluntary group, ROSA, in conjunction with the International Fund for Ireland, Co-operation North and a number of other organisations, has been trying to regenerate some economic growth into the area.
What has happened over the past few days is extremely worrying in that regard. There is a feeling in the area that this is a response to recent incidents, that the security forces are making the people pay for what happened. This appears to be giving all the wrong signals bearing in mind the efforts the two Governments have been making following the Downing Street Joint Declaration. There was wholehearted condemnation by locals of the savage attack on Councillor Fee. There was a feeling that perhaps latent support for any terrorism would have vanished following that incident but the exercise instigated by the British Army and the RUC in recent days in effect has jeopardised any goodwill. The British authorities are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut in this regard and what they are doing will prove totally counterproductive. It appears they will be erecting not only permanent checkpoints but also permanent look-out towers on all the approach roads to Crossmaglen.
I ask the Tánaiste to raise this matter with the British authorities. He may say that he is concerned about it — I accept that he and the Government are concerned — but our security forces are mirroring some of the checkpoints on the northern side of the Border in Crossmaglen. That is causing locals difficulty in that, quite apart from diverting Garda resources from other areas in County Louth, to a certain extent it is putting it up to them. There is some resentment at the manner in which this has taken place. I ask the Tánaiste to raise this matter with the British authorities. I understand that my counterpart, Mr. Séamus Mallon, has been in contact with the Department and I ask the Tánaiste to take what I said into account.
