CYNICAL SINN FEIN EXERCISE

FRESH outbreaks of vigilante activity in Tralee and the north Kerry area
suggest the IRA are once again taking the law into their own hands and
dealing with alleged drug pushers in their own inimitable fashion.

Despite Sinn Fein's strong denials, there is little doubt among gardai that
republicans were behind the latest incident in which an alleged dealer was
abducted and threatened with a gun.

There can no place in Irish society for this sort of violence which mirrors
the punishment beatings employed by terrorists on the streets of Belfast.

What passes in the guise of protecting the public is nothing more than
blatant criminal activity. Vigilantes are no substitute for the gardai who
have met with considerable success in combating drug trafficking in the
Kerry area. With Euro elections looming, the renewed vigilante activity is
seen locally as a signal that Sinn Fein is once again tapping into the
drugs issue in a cynical electioneering exercise.