'Exiles' must be allowed to return home with no conditions

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 3rd Sep 2005

Young Alliance Chairman Ian James Parsley has said

that young people exiled from communities in Northern

Ireland must be allowed to return home.

The North Down Councillor stated: "We have had much

discussion about the return of 'on-the-runs', yet very

little about their victims or about those 1,000 or so

people - mostly young - who have been forced to leave

by others within their communities despite being

entirely innocent in law.

"We will fiercely opposed any more warped legislation

which pays more attention to the needs of the

perpetrators of atrocities than to their innocent

victims. Victims must have access to justice and must

at least know that any 'on-the-runs' have been dealt

with in a court of law. Those exiled from their

communities - many of whom have been forced to leave

Northern Ireland altogether - must be allowed to

return to their communities without fear of

intimidation or reprisal, and without condition.

"The Alliance Party's representatives were elected

because people know they will use their political

influence responsibly. We will continue to try to

influence this legislation before it is passed, rather

than complain about it afterwards. That is what

representative politics is about."

ENDS