Thursday 28 October 2010

Guns R Us: Manston and Ostend

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/ostend.htm



“Bulgaria and Slovakia are major sources of arms to be transported to war zones. Airports from where the arms' transfer is organised or effected are mainly Burgas and Plovdiv in Bulgaria, Bratislava in Slovakia, a number of Russian airports, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and the airport of Ostend. The arms are subsequently delivered to the Sudanese airport of Khartoum, to Sierra Leone, Angola, the Congo or other war zones. All the airports mentioned above are still visited by aircraft from Ostend.”



Info above (simply Google “gunrunning Ostend”) on gunrunning in and out of Ostend.


Manston – less so now – used various known gunrunners for the “Ostend hops” eg DAS, MK etc etc (plus aircraft already banned from EU) and in the last 7 days there’s been another unmarked and rather tatty 747 flying in and out. Plus various smaller aircraft.

Presumably also EgyptAir.

And several out-of-hours flights and unchecked flights.

Infratil’s new Director Charles Buchanan – formerly London City Airport – has stated in the last month that it’s not Infratil’s responsibility to check what flights are coming in and out of its airport.

I thought it was.

Along with CAA and Police/Customs – unless they’ve lost control of the airport and UK airspace.

As Infratil “have form” with MK etc shouldn’t the flight logs from the control tower be provided by CAA? And the Infratil Directors placed on a blacklist?

And a transport review of CAA/Customs/Police/Flight logs at airports?

Any – or most - banned aircraft should be identified from a two minute Excel sheet search.

All the specified flight routes are still being ignored by Infratil: at what point does the CAA seek fines and jail sentences?

Or even - I know, foolish when they can't even paint a park bench - TDC.

Arms to dodgy regimes is one thing but blatantly flying them in and out of airports is another.

Separately, still silence on the toxin levels and cleanup at Manston, Thor and Richboro.

There was a half page article in the Sunday Times just gone on the dangers of mercury.

Silence on why Thor was still open for 20 years.

Nothing on dumped jets at Manston.

And ships off Cliftonville and the Blue Flag beaches.

Nothing on KCC's staff costs and pensions by department.

Nor TDC's.

Not even RTC's report and accounts (the whole report and accounts!) - personally promised by Richard Styles a fortnight ago - after being singed off 3 months ago.

Shush.

Not for you to know.

It does make a difference when you can see the services provided and the actual cost doesn't it?

Time for Change.

No comments: