Andersonstown News10/16/97 pt.2 of 2 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source: Beananti@aol.com -- Maskey's home picketed as policing tension grows -- 'PARTNERS FOR PROGRESS' -- 'Sinn Fiin Youth' in the dock over brutal beating -- NEWSROUND ************************************************ Andersonstown News - Thursday, 16 October 1997 ************************************************ FAMILY FLEES: Street confrontation in Upper Andersonstown Maskey's home picketed as policing tension grows Dozens of youths have picketed the upper West Belfast home of Sinn Fiin councillor Alex Maskey as tension grew in the upper Andersonstown district in the wake of the first actions by the newly- formed neighbourhood watch group. Cllr Maskey had been mediating in a dispute between the Rooney family in Tullymore and local residents. The family finally moved out of the estate on Monday after a concerted campaign by some local residents to drive them out. The family sat tight for weeks, strenuously denying claims that some members had been involved in anti-social activity in the district, but the furniture vans arrived on Monday morning after local youths daubed graffiti on Tullymore walls at the weekend. And in a further vivid illustration of the community policing crisis that's gripping nationalist areas, a leading Clonard neighbourhood watch member and his young family narrowly escaped death in a late- night arson attack on their home at the weekend. Patsy McKee went to the back of his home when he smelt smoke and found that a blazing wheelie bin had been pushed against the back door. He was able to extinguish the flames before the fire caught - smoke and scorch damage were caused to the back door. The picket on Cllr Maskey's home took place during the height of the Tullymore dispute last week. Associates of the Rooney family gathered in the street around the Maskey home and milled aimlessly around for about an hour, occasionally shouting abuse at the house. Fortunately, Cllr Maskey was not at home and a potentially fraught confrontation was avoided. Yesterday Cllr Maskey was playing down the incident at his home. "It was just a group of kids and to be honest I don't think most of them knew what they were even doing there." Cllr Maskey said the Rooneys had agreed to put their case at a public meeting but failed to turn up. "It's unfortunate that this has happened, but it has been on the cards for a while." He added that he would encourage as many people as possible to get involved in their local neighbourhood watch schemes. Maskeys home picketed as policing tension grows ****************************************************** 'PARTNERS FOR PROGRESS' This week the wraps come off the ambitious community regeneration blueprint drawn up by the West Belfast Partnership Board whose members represent the widest body of opinion ever to be assembled in the interest of West Belfast, writes Anthony Neeson. Community groups, voluntary organistions, statutory bodies, private sector businesses and local political figures have all come together to ensure that the west of the city enters the new millennium on the strongest possible footing. "There has always been an acceptance that a co-ordinated strategy for the West Belfast is needed to tackle the deep rooted social and economic problems that exist and now that it has finally come together there is general optimism among the Board members that they have taken the first steps in the revitalisation of West Belfast," said Board Chairperson and city councillor Alex Maskey. And just as the Partnership has set in motion a series of workshops to address the problems of the environment, children and young people, economic development, health and education and training, the innovative body is about to put a public face to its endeavours by opening offices in a prime location on the Andersonstown Road. The West Belfast partnership Board can boast among its members not only representatives from local political parties but also Bob Magee, managing director of West Belfast's largest employer, Bass Ireland; Michael Rea from the Belfast Education and Library Board; John McAllister from LEDU; as well as small traders from the area who have kept the local economy rolling over the last thirty years and an array of voluntary and community groups. Brendan Smith, from LOCUS management, who is a consultant to the Partnership, is in no doubt the Board will have a draft strategy in place six-months after its ongoing public consultation process. "There is a groundswell of opinion that there has been a lot of analysis about West Belfast but a relative lack of prescription and no blueprint for doing something about it," he says. "The strategy that we envisage will enable the people who live in West Belfast to determine their own fate in the longer term. The Board is of the opinion that for too long the fate of those people who live in West Belfast has been in the hands of external agencies and influences." Alex Maskey - who was unanimously elected Board Chairperson last year - is delighted with the progress that has already been made and says that the most important aspect is that for the first time West Belfast has an agency which includes all sections in the area. "We are committed to ensuring that no element of the community is excluded from the process of revitalising West Belfast," he said. "I believe the success of our Board will be measured by how effectively we include all those working within or on behalf of our community on how well we link up as partners for progress." He is clearly encouraged by the range of experts and local activists who are currently working together. "In the months ahead widespread community consultation will be at the heart of our work on the Board," he explains. "I am confident the people of West Belfast will recognise and value and importance of harnessing all the tremendous experience, energy and local initiatives which exist for the benefit of us all and our Board is committed to achieving this. ******************************************************** 'Sinn Fiin Youth' in the dock over brutal beating An Andersonstown pensioner has branded as "thugs" a gang of self- styled Sinn Fiin Youth who were involved in a vicious weekend attack on three local schoolboys. The OAP, who asked not to be named, said she was "shocked and shaken" after witnessing the brutal gang assault which left one of the trio in hospital and his two companions battered and bruised. "I couldn't believe my eyes," she said. "These three young boys were minding their own business on their very own street corner when these thugs who had obviously been drinking attacked them with bottles, fists and feet." The local woman says she was returning from shops on the Glen Road around 10.30pm on Friday night last when she spotted a gang of around seven "obviously drunk" teenagers approach three young men who appeared to be waiting for friends near the Bernagh-Glen Road junction. "As I moved past them, I heard one of the gang members who was obviously the worse for wear for drink tell the three that they represented Sinn Fiin Youth and that they had better 'move on or be moved on'," she said. "The three said they were standing there minding their own business but the words had barely been uttered when one of the Sinn Fiin youth launched at them with a bottle. The others joined in and meted out what I can only describe as a savage beating." The pensioner, who suffers from a heart condition, says she had to take a tranquiliser when she reached home. "My neighbours told me that one of the gang's victims had to be taken to hospital with a broken nose while the others were also badly injured." But now the shocked senior citizen wants to know whether Sinn Fiin chiefs approve of the behaviour of their "youth storm-troopers". "I have seen older men carrying sticks patrolling the area and I know they are doing their best to stop the hoods terrorising the local community but there can be no excuse for this type of thuggery. All my family is grown up now but I have grandsons and I would hate to think they were being subjected to this type of harassment by the Sinn Fiin Youth." Yesterday Sinn Fiin Youth spokesman Eoin S Broinn said attacks on young people "run contrary to everything we stand for". He said any members of Sinn Fiin Youth involved in the attack would be expelled from the organisation. ******************************************************** NEWSROUND #1.5m investment for West is icing on the cake Andor Technology, which is presently based at Queen's University's research and development facility, is to plough #1.5m into its new operation on the Springvale site. "The additional facilities and space provided by the expansion will allow us to take advantage of these exciting new opportunities," says Andor managing director Dr Hugh Cormican. "This investment is the result of extensive product and market research which has demonstrated that there are significant opportunities for our expertise in the opto-electronics industry. Demand is steadily growing for Andor's light measurement products and we are receiving a very strong interest in our new products in the medical diagnostic and quality control sectors of our market." Economy Minister Adam Ingram hailed the "very significant" investment as another coup for the burgeoning Springvale Business Park which is already home to FG Wilson and Fujitsu. "This investment will enable this dynamic and ambitious young company to develop its product portfolio and its international marketing operations," he said. "Andor is the type of high-technology, export- driven and university-linked company which the government is particularly keen to encourage." The Economy Minister said Andor would expand its current workforce from 28 to 72 over the next three years as a result of this latest investment. News of the latest jobs boost comes after a week of intense activity on the economic front with local community and development groups pulling out all the stops to impress a visiting US Commerce Department trade mission. A technology company which makes high- tech light measurement products is in the spotlight this morning after announcing 44 new jobs for West Belfast. ******************************************************* ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-10.21.97-00:00:25-12686