Shannon still under surveillance

Saturday March 29, 2003 14:15

by Tim Hourigan

car batteries and high-power spotlights.

Just a snippet for you. here's the type of thing that is still going on at Shannon. We'll keep monitoring house or no house, and we'll go back to using a tent if we have to.

Thursday night going into Friday...
Adam Conway and I walked up to the road near the runway at Shannon airport.
We stopped at the usual spot by gate 17 and had a look through the binoculars. all was quite but for the arrival of Skynet, the last scheduled arrival.
We were there for about 20-30 minutes when a Renault Megane pulled up carrying two Gardai in plain clothes.

They asked our details. We gave them. We asked for their details. They gave their names and told us what stations they were from. (not Shannon)

They noticed a car battery on the ground next to the sign which warns of a E1904.51 fine for illegal dumping.
They asked if it was ours.
I replied that it was not and mentioned the abundance of litter around the area.
5cps5cpShortly and airport police van arrived, with an army jeep behind it.
A soldier got out and stood guard with his machine gun at the ready.
The yellow van contained an APO and a garda.
The APO seemed to delight in flashing the high-powered spotlight in our faces.
We knew he could easily see us.
We were in the headlights of the cop-car as well as the army jeep, and Conor was wearing a white jacket.
I noticed that when we turned our backs the light went off, and when we faced them, it went back on.
Obviously petty and childish intimidation.
Worse still, when I tried to use the binoculars they moved to shine the light directly into the lens. -that's an easy way to blind someone.
Grown men with a little power and a toy.
A Garda car with a Sergeant arrived on the road, and went into long discurrions with the other two Gardai.
While they talked, the APO kept flashing his light anytime we tried to check the airfield.
Nothing had moved in a while, but we knew that someone must be due soon, or else they wouldn't be so interested in us.
We said as much to Garda Waters and Gda Moloney.
We moved over towards the Gardai, and the APO became a little more selective with his light, although he did half-blind Garda Moloney more than once.
This foolishness went on for a while, with a second APO van and army jeep arriving at the scene. Sgt Tony went off to get lunch for the lads.
At 00:40 the runway lights came on, and we knew
what was next.
A few minutes later we spotted an apporaching aircraft.
at 00:45 a lockheed tristar, marked as being one of the ATA troop carrying planes, landed heading 240.
We got a good view.
We mentioned it to the Gardai.
The plane taxied to the passenger terminal.
The lights stayed on, and the APOs stayed where they were.
At 01:00 another plane arrived, this time from the opposite direction (060) so it came to a halt in front of us.
It was a cargo jumbo belonging to POLAR air.
Polar occassionaly do legit business at Shannon, but they also move stuff for the military (for $32 million)
This time they were not loading/unloading at Shannon. They also went to the passenger terminal, bypassing the Cargo terminal and pulled up next to ATA.
This was just a gas /restroom break for the crew.
The cargo was going elsewhere.
We formally requested the Gardai to inspect the plane, they ignored us, and our request to relay the request by radio to the station.
Sgt Tony (didn't get his surname) arrived back with the food and we formally requested that an investigation be made of the planes as we had reason to suspect that they were transporting large quantities of troops munitions and explosives.
Sgt Tony, while wearing an Aer Rianta ID badge, said he was outside the fence and could do nothing.
We reminded him of his jurisdiction, and that Garda Broderick was inside the fence.
after a while he told us he had passed on our complaint.
When the runway lights went out, we walked to the Garda Station, escorted most of the way by a slow moving squad car.
I made a written complaint.
While waiting in the station a phone call came in.
"Yes, he's here... and another fella with him".
Obviously checking on our whereabouts...
we got our photocopy of the signed complaint, which listed 3 Gardai as witnesses, and also requested an acknowlegement of receipt from Supt John Kerin.
Then we walked home for some much needed sleep.