Irish 'involved' in Bolivia 'assassination attempt'

[Cathar]

Earlier this week Kathy Rabczuk (hadn't heard of her before) came out saying that "those who wanted to play Rambo should come out".

so I think, that there are now some people moving inside the Santa Cruz circle of 'friends' of the "autonomia".

Kathy Rabczuk is a business woman who subscribed to the 'The Tower' group.
All the major players have ackowledged its existance but have said it was exclusively for the political movement.( ie Not for terrorism - they would say that, wouldnt they ).
Funds raised varied from 120 to 180 thousand dollars per month.

Incidentally Hugo Acha (pre HRF) was an anti drugs lobbyist that sought increased US funding for anti drugs efforts in Bolivia.The war on Drugs was a covert and overt South American version of the US war on Terror.

[El Libre]

After yesterday's details in the bolivian media. It's soso empty in the irish media.

And isn't it time to demand in international investigation into the links between I-RSM and the Szekler Legion? There's a UN group on mercenaries working anyway...

Part of the problem is getting reliable translations from the Spanish on the desks of Irish journalists while the story is fresh. My Spanish is limited, and I admit I cannot master the more technical elements of the Bolivian autopsy on Michael Dwyer. Utopian Hermit Monk at #2615 translated the section of the autopsy on trajectory of bullets, 'De atrás hacia delante, ligeramente de abajo hacia arriba, con 3 orificios de salida anterior', as 'From the back towards the front, slightly from below upwards, with three frontal exit wounds', indicating that Dwyer was shot from behind. However, I was of the opinion that most accounts indicated that Dwyer was shot in front, eg, La Prensa of 15 May: 'El irlandés murió al recibir seis balas en tórax y abdomen', translating as 'The Irishman died on receiving six bullets in the chest and abdomen'. While Irish State Pathologist Marie Cassidy's report has not been published, it has been indicated that she found that Dwyer died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Anyone made any headway in providing a fuller translation of the Bolivian autopsy report?

[mattheil]

Part of the problem is getting reliable translations from the Spanish on the desks of Irish journalists while the story is fresh. My Spanish is limited, and I admit I cannot master the more technical elements of the Bolivian autopsy on Michael Dwyer. Utopian Hermit Monk at #2615 translated the section of the autopsy on trajectory of bullets, 'De atrás hacia delante, ligeramente de abajo hacia arriba, con 3 orificios de salida anterior', as 'From the back towards the front, slightly from below upwards, with three frontal exit wounds', indicating that Dwyer was shot from behind. However, I was of the opinion that most accounts indicated that Dwyer was shot in front, eg, La Prensa of 15 May: 'El irlandés murió al recibir seis balas en tórax y abdomen', translating as 'The Irishman died on receiving six bullets in the chest and abdomen'. While Irish State Pathologist Marie Cassidy's report has not been published, it has been indicated that she found that Dwyer died from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Anyone made any headway in providing a fuller translation of the Bolivian autopsy report?

Hey, eg the Irish Times had folks on the ground in April/May...

Inside the jail where prisoners rule - The Irish Times - Sat, May 09, 2009
Photographs of Dwyer group leaked to media - The Irish Times - Thu, Apr 23, 2009

Tom Hennigan seems regularly based in Sao Paulo.

Lack of reliable translation can't be an issue.

[El Libre]

Hey, eg the Irish Times had folks on the ground in April/May...

Inside the jail where prisoners rule - The Irish Times - Sat, May 09, 2009
Photographs of Dwyer group leaked to media - The Irish Times - Thu, Apr 23, 2009

Tom Hennigan seems regularly based in Sao Paulo.

Lack of reliable translation can't be an issue.

Yes, Hennigan has been on the ground and clearly is fluent in Spanish. However, he wrote in a report published in the Irish Times of 25 April last: 'How come three of the five died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest – with not a single head, leg or arm wound between them'. If he has translated the Bolivian autopsy to read that Dwyer was shot in the back he is sitting on a scoop or else his story has been spiked. But was Dwyer actually shot in the back and is there a reliable translation of the autopsy in the hands of Irish journalists? And how many of them are avid online readers of the Bolivian press?

[cactusflower]

A number of posts, my own included, have suggested that he may have been shot in the back, based on the photographs. I would imagine that anyone with experience of treating bullet wounds would be able to tell.

[El Libre]

Still struggling with the translation of Michael Dwyer's Bolivian autopsy, which is difficult both in terms of technical Spanish and legibility of online copy, a section of which was posted here earlier. As far as I can now understand the report, the sections dealing with entry wounds in the 'posterior region of the thorax' and 'at the level of the eighth dorsal vertebra' indicate that Dwyer was indeed shot in the back rather than in front.

[mattheil]

Yes, Hennigan has been on the ground and clearly is fluent in Spanish. However, he wrote in a report published in the Irish Times of 25 April last: 'How come three of the five died from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest – with not a single head, leg or arm wound between them'. If he has translated the Bolivian autopsy to read that Dwyer was shot in the back he is sitting on a scoop or else his story has been spiked. But was Dwyer actually shot in the back and is there a reliable translation of the autopsy in the hands of Irish journalists? And how many of them are avid online readers of the Bolivian press?

Journalists, I mean professional, really interested journalists have access to or access primary sources, have the relevant contacts etc, especially given that Hennigan was on the ground. However, I doubt that Hennigan had the autopsy reports available for his April 25 article. Ernesto Justiniano put it on his website on May 12 and he's quick and well-connected guy. I don't believe the silence in the mainstream irish media is a technical problem like lack of translation capabilities.

[Cathar]

The silence in the media is normal. Only in blogs will this be aired properly ,

Today's La Prensa has an article on Revesz organising a trainingsession forthe guerilla group between the 1st and 10th of December. It uses the photo I identified Revesz witha a question mark in the background of a photo with Flores. The identification is not definite imho. Im afraid that this thread is feeding the Bolivian media that we are feeding from. The article references the courses advertised on the cahil.tk website. (now available only in the photosniper google cache.
The article includes a brief interview with Elod's sister.

From an irish point of view it confirms that that both Dudog and Dwyers family were told their sons travelled to Bolivia for a course. That both had worked in IRMS.

[lostexpectation]

strange article in the sindo i can't find it on line, cathal mccarthy waffles on about how rumours should stay on the internet not on rte, somebody was speaking about rossport on marian finuncane show and then said well look at michael dwyer what was he up to in boliva, cathal was outraged that rumours would be heard unchalleneged on rte, marian apparently said nothing in response, and that a dead man be besmirched.

im pretty sure sindo themselves have said the same.

very strange this whole he's dead so we can't criticise him thing. i just don't get it.

[El Libre]

strange article in the sindo i can't find it on line, cathal mccarthy waffles on about how rumours should stay on the internet not on rte, somebody was speaking about rossport on marian finuncane show and then said well look at michael dwyer what was he up to in boliva, cathal was outraged that rumours would be heard unchalleneged on rte, marian apparently said nothing in response, and that a dead man be besmirched.

im pretty sure sindo themselves have said the same.

very strange this whole he's dead so we can't criticise him thing. i just don't get it.

Here's the online link to McCarthy's hostile Sunday Independent article: Conspiracy theories belong on the internet, not RTE - Analysis, Opinion - Independent.ie I heard Colm Rapple on Marian Finucane's programme on Saturday wondering about possible links between Dwyer going to Bolivia and his work for Shell in Mayo, but Marian did not appear to be interested - scared or just plain unbriefed?

For those who might have surfed on in here on account of the above link, here are some facts which might suggest there is something more to Rapple's comments than Dan Brown-style paranoia:

(1) Michael Dwyer was recruited for the Bolivian trip by Tibor Revesz and both worked for Integrated Risk Management Services (IRMS) on Shell security work in Mayo.

(2) Revesz leads a shadowy right-wing Hungarian paramilitary group called the Szekler Legion, whose website photosniper.freedom.hu has now been pulled, but the Google cache still holds information on links with IRMS, specifically an advertisement for an IRMS training course including weapons instruction.

(3) IRMS was founded by two former Irish Army Rangers and advertises itself as an international operation, but its website has been down since shortly after Dwyer's death and the firm refuses to answer questions about the Bolivian affair (as must now be widely known, one webpage offered 'Special Services' and 'International armed and unarmed security').

(4) Revesz issued an online recruiting call last October for volunteers to go to Bolivia via his group 'Foireann Cahil/Charlie Team', a name he appears to have borrowed from one of the IRMS security details on the Corrib gas project, and in addition he formerly sold triumphalist insignia, teeshirts and hoodies on his website commemorating the work of the security teams and 'Operation Glengad Beach' (in which Mike Dwyer distinguished himself).

(5) Shell of course has interests in Bolivia which have been badly hit by Evo Morales's programme of nationalisation, so that when some of its former(?) security operative from Mayo turn up in that country questions may legitimately be asked.

All points worthy of investigation rather than sneering by Irish journalists, one would have thought. Strangely enough, that crusty right-wing Irish Independent journalist Bruce Arnold may have surprised a lot of people by writing an article very critical of the Irish state's handing over of gas resources to Shell, posted on another thread here: http://www.politics.ie/green-party/6...s-debacle.html

Having apologised to Morales for allowing right-wing subversives to use Ireland as a training ground and recruiting point for an assault on his regime, our government might have a few words with his people as to the mechanics of er, renegotiating the Corrib gas deal with Shell.