The director of the Burren Chernobyl Project returned home last night without the seven child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that he hoped would be spending Christmas in Ireland.
On his return from Belarus last night, project director, Brother Liam O'Meara said he was worried about the future health of the seven child victims that were forced to return to Cherven orphanage last October.
At Shannon Airport, Brother O'Meara said: "I'm sorry that I don't have a happy Christmas story or a happy ending to report." Over the past six weeks, Brother O'Meara has been at meetings trying to persuade the Belarussian authorities, with the help of the Irish embassy in Moscow, to allow the children return to Ireland.
Last October, the children were ordered to leave their Irish "families" who were caring for them for up to periods of three years and return to Cherven orphanage near Minsk in Belarus.
To secure their return, Brother O'Meara joined the children on their return trip along with volunteers from the Burren Chernobyl Project.
However, with temperatures plummeting to minus 25 degrees, the children are now facing into a bleak Christmas as their futures are tied up by bureaucracy. Two other children, aged four and eight that were on a list to spend time recuperating in Ireland died while Brother O'Meara was there.
He said: "It is bad enough that the seven children had to go back, but two children that could be alive today if we had them here are dead and nobody cares.
"It is not pleasant having to say it, I like the people in Belarus, but just some things are not fair to these handicapped kids who have no voice."
According to Brother O'Meara the children are not being allowed to return until legislation is put in place by the Belarussian authorities allowing orphans to go overseas.
