CLAIMS THAT some of a group of 84 refugees from the Republic of Congo who are soon to be resettled in Ireland are boy soldiers, “programmed and trained to kill”, have been dismissed as “totally absurd” by a Government official.
John Heskins, who is responsible for Ireland’s resettlement programme, was addressing a public meeting in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, last evening. He said those refugees who will come here in April were leading such awful lives that the question of war in a community did not arise.
Mr Heskins went to Ballyhaunis at the invitation of the local chamber of commerce which sought to allay fears following a report on local radio earlier this month that “100 teenagers, programmed and trained to kill”, were on their way for an orientation programme.
He said he was in Tanzania when the refugees were selected.
The controversial claims made by a caller on Midwest Radio, who claimed to be a former member of the British army as well as a former member of the Irish Army’s Ranger Wing, were “an absolute absurdity”.
Nine families were selected to come to Ireland, 29 adults and 55 children. They were being offered new lives here having lived in the direst of circumstances in Africa.
Chamber of commerce president Enda Caulfield said the purpose of the meeting was to determine the origins and backgrounds of the refugees and to determine if they were boy soldiers and if they had committed any crimes in their country.
Pat Higgins of Mayo VEC, told the meeting the fears had been unfounded and Ballyhaunis could be proud of the work being done by its local UNHCR centre.
Mr Heskins said that once the refugees had undergone the eight-week orientation programme in Ballyhaunis, they would be moved to other parts of the State for permanent resettlement.