Colombia 3 Story

[Wasp]

Why did he need to write a book to answer questions??

[Blue Angel]

well the money always helps would be the cynical answer wasp...

[Wasp]

Why couldn't he rather they just have told the answers without having to put them in a book?

I am not sure how serious I would take such a book, probably with a pinch of salt considering who he is. Just in the sameway I take a number of books written by terrorists from either side.

With all the worldwide media attention, all the pressure on sinn fein, all the questions being asked to those with connections, the fact warrants were served by interpol etc you would think that they could have come straight out and answered them honestly.

Why did sinn fein not do this considering they played a major part in representing them and were very vocsl in claiming their innocence?

[Blue Angel]

ah yes the warrants issued by interpol which for some strange reason no-one acted upon....

[Jim]

wasp said:

Why couldn't he rather they just have told the answers without having to put them in a book?

I am not sure how serious I would take such a book, probably with a pinch of salt considering who he is. Just in the sameway I take a number of books written by terrorists from either side.

With all the worldwide media attention, all the pressure on sinn fein, all the questions being asked to those with connections, the fact warrants were served by interpol etc you would think that they could have come straight out and answered them honestly.

Why did sinn fein not do this considering they played a major part in representing them and were very vocsl in claiming their innocence?

Because whatever is written in a book is right there in black and white, his side of the story. Its a lot harder to be warped and twisted into other meanings.

[Blue Angel]

but not impossible by any means - i wait for the out of context quotes to appear - to be frank my feeling is that even if the 3 had been aiding FARC i wouldn't care less as colombia's rulers are pretty vicious unpleasant bastards and have policies like sending out squads to shoot the street kids to keep the visible face of poverty down in the country.

[Wasp]

If they had been aiding FARC??? Anyway what has the ordinary people got to do with the governments actions?? Sounds like a case of if you don't like the government, support the terrorsits and fuck the people.

Jim how could them answering certain questions publically be twisted etc? Surely their answers are there for all those to hear them. But I suppose money is the issue here and they will probably write anything to increase book sales. Or maybe they could give the profits to the poor children in Colombia or something like that as the FARC actions affected the children on all sides.

[bearhunter]

setanta said:

and you've asked why they were there, what they did when they were there etc.
Now you get in debt answers.

I think Setanta's Freudian "in debt answers" is the answer to the question about why he wrote the book, WASP.

[Jim]

wasp said:

If they had been aiding FARC??? Anyway what has the ordinary people got to do with the governments actions?? Sounds like a case of if you don't like the government, support the terrorsits and fuck the people.

Jim how could them answering certain questions publically be twisted etc? Surely their answers are there for all those to hear them. But I suppose money is the issue here and they will probably write anything to increase book sales. Or maybe they could give the profits to the poor children in Colombia or something like that as the FARC actions affected the children on all sides.

Because statements are always twisted, if the sun could twist and turn tony blair into a monster any paper could do the same with these fellas. i dont think theyre going to make much from book sakes unless they are jk rowling.

[earl]

I went to college with a nephew of one of the 3, and this would have been around the time of the whole thing. The family are more socialist than Republican and they were all anti-religious. My friend wasn't even baptised and claimed to follow no faith. His uncle was in Cuba, on a housebuilding scheme at the time they said he was in Colombia. I believe that there is some video evidence showing this to be true also.

[Wasp]

Claims over Colombia Three book

The IRA was accused today of trying to gag a top republican who has written a controversial book after escaping a Colombian jail term.

James Monaghan, one of three men arrested in Colombia on charges of training FARC rebels, has written a contentious account of his prison time.

Now publishing house Brandon Books claims former IRA colleagues have warned Monaghan not to talk to the media - with critics labelling the move an ironic rerun of the broadcasting censorship imposed on Republicans in the 1980s.

Sinn Fein has denied he was gagged and at a launch of the book, Colombia Jail Journal, in the party`s Dublin office on Tuesday night, Monaghan did speak to reporters.

But Steve McDonogh, chief executive of publishing house Brandon Books, claimed Monaghan told him that IRA colleagues were attempting to block media interviews about his time in Colombia.

"He (James Monaghan) told me that he was advised by colleagues in the republican movement that he should not do any television, or any radio either," Mr McDonogh said.

The publisher also claimed a Sinn Fein spokeswoman warned him that any interviews that did take place would be severely restricted.

"She said he would not be permitted to do television or radio interviews, but would be told to do interviews with the print media," Mr McDonogh said.

"I said their strategy was utterly ridiculous - that I can say yes to one media outlet and no to another."

The Colombia Three - Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly - were arrested at Bogota airport in 2001 on charges of training FARC rebels in bomb-making.

[Wasp]

I think it is sinn fein who are concerned about what he might say. Why are sinn fein wanting to restrict interviews? Is it because he might say something that might shine a bad light on them like say the truth about the whole thing???

Basically sinn fein are taking the hypocritical stance of broadcasting censorship. Were sf not against this when it happened to them, so why impose it on someone themselves???

[Jim]

Setanta just said the man is not a very good speaker. I'd not do TV interviews if I wasnt good at it either, you jumble things up and the wrong meaning gets taken, TV interviewers are well trained in making a story turn into an argument, its their job. Shows nothing but how well the interviewer can twist things.

Like Jeremy Paxman, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD5tunBGmDQ

[Shades40]

Emails 'prove SF gagged Monaghan'

(Rebecca Black, Irish News)

Publisher Steve McDonogh yesterday (Sunday) released a full transcript of his conversations and emails with Sinn Féin and Columbia three member James Monaghan to prove his allegations that the party had gagged Monaghan in the run-up to the launch of his book last week.

Mr McDonogh, whose company Brandon has published Monaghan's book, last week accused "the republican movement" of preventing the former IRA prisoner from doing any TV or radio interviews to promote the title.

The correspondence includes an email from Monaghan to Mr McDonogh showing his willingness to go ahead with a press conference and a later email saying, "It seems SF [Sinn Féin] do not want even the print media to have invitations, except for selected small circulation ones".

Other emails from Mr Monaghan tell of his trying to get in contact with Sinn Féin's publicity director Dawn Doyle to discuss him talking to the media but not being able to get in contact with her.

In an email dated Monday November 19, Monaghan said he was waiting to hear from Ms Doyle.

This was the last email that Mr McDonogh received before Sinn Féin held a launch of the book on Tuesday November 20.

Mr McDonogh said he suspected the gagging had something to do with the IRA.

However, Mr McDonogh said since the party had put out a statement saying he had acted with "the utmost integrity and professionalism" he did not foresee any difficulty in continuing to work with Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, whose books he has been publishing since 1982, or Danny Morrison.

Ms Doyle was unavailable for comment but a Sinn Féin spokesman said: "Jim Monaghan's decision is his own. There is certainly no agenda by the Sinn Féin press office to censor him."

The more fkin tea Ms Doyle!

[Wasp]

And you were saying he can do what he wants Setanta?