| APEC uproar is overblown |i LAST week’s revelations concerning possible Prime Ministerial involvement in providing guarantees to former Indonesian strongman and dicta- tor, General Suharto, are overblown at the least and ridiculous at best. The documents, pubii- cized by the CBC and waved by a host of sanctimonious special interest groups and the ubiquitous professional protesters, hardly bear up under scrutiny as proof posi- tive of any sort ef conspiracy to trample on the civil rights of Canadians. It is a great leap in mental gymnastics to presume the diplomatic language con- tained in letters and memos to Indonesian officials “guar- antecing” a safe and pleasant stay for. Suharto during the 1997 APEC conference in “Vancouver, was somchow a directive to the RCMP to run roughshod on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. . Canada sought to play host to the conference, an international summit of all leaders of APEC member nations. ft was the intention ~ of this country to welcome those leaders in the spirit of co-operation and consensus to make things better for ail the citizens of chose coun- tries. As the host nation, with the eyes of the world focused upon us, it was incumbent upon the security forces to ensure the safety and protec- tion of all the world leaders at the conference. We are mandated by international agreement to do just thar. We expect the --same from other nations receiving our Prime Minister. Yes, even the current onc. Certainly, there are some issues acising out of the mailbox Deir Editor: While 1 must concur that the actions of > Cotist. Ron’ MacDougall are regrettable and - unprofessional, I have to empathize with him -. over-the frustrations felt by peace officers with the lack of penalization of those that inflict the -terror.of break and enter on citizens. . I, too, have felt this violation and 27 years Discover the insight nd confidence that comes only through’ faith in © Heist - Find out more every _ “Sunday at 10:45am at ;, * DELBROOK BAPTIST CHURCH Windsor Rd, jorth Vancouver, . or.call 985-4011 '- Mon-Fri. 9am - Ipm “Pastor Jamey McDonald Leo Knight crime and punishment police handling of the APEC conference. Were some per- sons strip-searched in police custody after their arrest at the UBC demonstrations while others were not? This is being claimed by the pro- testers. If proved to be true, then clearly the Mounties should be taken to task for their actions. Were individuals along the motorcade routes ordered to remove protest signs trom their windows by police in advance of the lead- ers’ tour? Again, if true, then the police must be answer- able. But what, pray tcl] me, did the officers at the sharp end of things, at UBC, do to warrant the explosive reac- tion they are taking in the media? They were providing erimeter security for visiting cads of state. Some protest- ers said they had a warrant of arrest for Suharto issued by the “People’s Court.” (Didn’t Judge Wapner retirc?) They were told they couldn’t pass through the police lines to effect the unlawful “arrest.” Big sur- prise there. They stormed the fences and police lines attempting to get to the area where there were the heads of state including our PM and U.S. President Clinton, along with a host of others, includ- ing Suharto. They were stopped by police. Another big surprise. The use of pep- per-spray by the police is the next step up in escalated vio- lence from talking. This is how they are acai police frustrations felt trained. It is not an obtrusive act of aggression, but a mea- sured defensive reaction. It's used to gain control without : violent means, hen the so-called “stu- dents” rushed the barricades to ery and break through ines, what, pray tell me, did they expect might happen? A red carpet recep- tion? A little bowing and scraping with a “hy Ivave” ad front? The police were expected to do their duty and protect the secure area occupied by the visiting world leaders. They did this without the use of nightsticks, riot clubs, tear gas, ARWEN guns or any of the other tools at their dis- posal. Could the same be said if, say, the same incident occurred in London, for example. For anyone who has seen the Metropolitan Police and their use of a full- out “truncheon charge,” on protesting crowds, the answer is clearly “no.” What about the sugges- tion that foreign security forces carrying weapons here is an affront to our national dignity? Well, when those critics remove their heads from the ether, they will real- ize this has been going on for decades. We used to play a little charade. We disarmed them at the airports. The security guys would then go into the terminals and re-arm from the diplomatic pouches. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. We do it there and they do it here. Any suggestion that the RCMP were being stooges for Suharto ignores the actions of Cpl. Pat Dickson who, by the way holds our country’s highest award for bravery. He was the leader of the Mounties’ tactical team at UBC. He physically inter- vened and stopped four of on the other-end of the stick didn’t case the with her cell address and t casier, Brian Porter fears of its reoccurrence. Nor does the fact that my daughter’s purse was stolen from her work one, driver’s licence with our ¢ house key make us sleep any BEEPOR@email.msn.com Home Winemakers Deadline for fresh ‘grape juices Nuibabydity ue eu a : > MeWines- Suharto’s thugs trying to videotape protesters for later identification and possible retribution. The protesters who were arrested that day have all had their criminal charges dropped by the Crown. Why? All the news footage clearly shows them attacking the police lines while the police held fast. The police did not attack the protesters despice what we are being spcon-ted. Bottom line: the protest- ers were not content to sim- ply demonstrate in the desig- nated area. They had to make a scene. They tried and they failed to achieve their goal of creating an interna- tional incident. It is time to stop the hyperbole. The commission of inquiry into this matter begins this week. Let’s hope they can separate the wheat from the chaff. The bleating and whining is becoming a bit unbearable. Somehow this whole thing has become an issue of our country pandering to a vile dictator. Sorry folks, but we've also played host over the years to a variety of for- cign leaders whose politics are repulsive or distasteful: Fidel Castro; Joseph Stalin; Deng Xiao Peng; Michael Manley; Yassar Arafat; Dan Quayle. Amongst many others, I might add. The so-called stu- dent protesters got what they were secking. A confronta- tion and a world-wide audi- * ence. Now they want more and think we, the taxpayers, should foot the bill. And the media are lapping it all up making folk heroes out of the rent-a-crowd pro- fessional protesters, attention seekers, cause-makers and anarchists who made up the bulk of the mob. Spare me. There is noth- ing noble in a mob starting a fight. —- lknight@direct.ca Wednesday, September 16, 1998 — North Shore News — 7 Kany erenty 21 ot. Safety check, 15 minutes - FAST! Includes up to 5 litres of 1Ow30 Quakerstate 1362 Marine Drive 980-9115 Mon-Sat 8:00arn-6:00pmn, Sun 9:00arn-500pm Expires Sept 25/98 S. Laursen & Soi Draperies and Blinds Ltd. Serving the Lower Mainland sia since 1971 | Another one of our designs. For Free Estimate call 922-4975 or 987-2966 — (Ask abous our Seniors Discount) - a Labour $12.50 per panel untined, $13.50 lined. FE Custom Rods, Upholstery & Bedspreads 1 Low Low Pricas. @ Hon ICOM! EFS -@ > Trav el +. . _ . 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