NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE This weekend (Sunday) there will be a ceremony held in Brest/Loctudy to commemorate the crew of the Breton trawler Bugaled Breizh which was sunk off the Lizard on January 18th 2004. The tragedy has long been surrounded by controversy not least because on the day of the sinking there were submarines in the area associated with a major NATO exercise underway at the time. The military have resolutely denied any involvement in the sinking however the families of those who died still think there are many unanswered questions. The Celtic League campaigned vigorously in the months and years following the sinking we chased up leads in correspondence with the military in both the UK and France however all avenues led to a dead end. There is no doubt that the family of the crew members who died on the Bugaled Breizh deserve answers and the campaign must go on to try to uncover the truth. Sadly however with the passage of time it becomes more and more difficult to get an adequate solution to these mysterious. Ironically the Celtic League campaign, which started after the Irish fishing Vessel MFV Sheralga was sunk by the Royal Navy in 1982 (the crew were rescued), only really got in to gear after a sinking one years off Wexford of the Breton trawler Cite D Aleth with the loss of all ten crew members. (voir le site) The Cite D?Aleth was just one of a number of suspicious sinking?s in the Irish and Celtic seas whilst the undersea cold war between NATO and Russia was waged. Many of the ships lost disappeared inexplicably in good weather, nearly all well maintained boats with experienced crews. The Celtic Leagues dossier of information was cited in a major debate in the Irish parliament in 1989 when Hugh Byrne TD (a vigorous campaigner in his own right on this issue) spoke at length. (voir le site) Before the end of the cold war the International Maritime Organisation did finally act and adopt a resolution on the issue in addition some NATO countries such as the United Kingdom introduced new ?codes of practice? for submariners. But the issue did not go away and no better illustration of that is there then the fate of the Bugaled Breizh whose crew member?s relatives have joined the long list of those seeking answers about the fate of loved ones. Related links: (voir le site) (voir le site) (voir le site) TEL: 07624 491609 J B Moffatt (Mr) Director of Information 16/01/15 Contact: (07624) 491609 (Please note that replies to correspondence received by the League and posted on CL News are usually scanned hard copies. Obviously every effort is made to ensure the scanning process is accurate but sometimes errors do occur.) ISSUED BY THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE. The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on socio-economic issues Internet site at: (voir le site) (voir le site)
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