April 21, 1997

The gustafsen lake trial of the 18 Ts'peten defenders is coming to a close this week, and still there is precious little coverage of court testimony and evidence which indicts the rcmp, the canadian judiciary, the canadian media, and the attorney general of british columbia, ujjal dosanjh.

Up to 400 rcmp officers and military personnel were employed at gustafsen lake. It became the largest police operation in bc history, costing taxpayers more than $5 million. This heavily armed force came within a breath and a whisper of a full waco-style military assault and consequent massacre of a group of children, women and men camping peacefully at the lake.

And now the trial, in it's 38th week, has become the longest criminal trial in canadian history, costing an estimated $50,000 per day.

The testimony and evidence reveals the rcmp fabricating evidence, lying to the media, and organizing smear campaigns. Did the cops also lie to attorney general ujjal dosanjh? If not, then he too is culpable and ought to resign.

According to the court record, the canadian media were used by the rcmp to report lies, distortion, and propaganda. During the standoff, canadian media pumped out bogus stories of heavily armed terrorists and phantom firefights.

Since then, nary a peep...how come?

The only time there is coverage is when the bald one with cool shades shows up. A flurry of words get written, some weird pictures and clips get aired, but little of substance is produced.

Meanwhile, Wolverine has been in court or in jail for the last year and a half, and his son JoJo ("mental and memory skills equivalent to that of a 6 year old") was terrorized, beaten, heavily medicated, and kept in solitary confinement during much of his incarceration.

The rcmp and the attorney general should be the ones on trial, not the small group of native people and their friends who simply refused to leave their unceded traditional lands.

Ts'peten supporters hope that reports of the trial testimony on the internet will be picked up by media all over the world, forcing the government to initiate a full public inquiry.

Some examples of key evidence and testimony:

Peace process derailed by rcmp...

The peace process initiated by native R.C.M.P. officers was working well and was to culminate in a meeting of all parties on August 21. Yet on August 17, native officers were transferred to other duties and an Emergency Response Team (ERT) was inserted into the camp area. On the stand, Constable Ken Tassell remembered the exact time he picked up the ERT members to drive them to the lake and the exact time he picked them up to bring them back. However he could not recall who gave him the orders to do so. He further stated he took no notes on these two crucial days. (source: S.I.S.I.S)

August 19, 1995: RCMP Supt. Len Olfert held a press conference in 100 Mile House in which he displayed the cache of weapons from the August 11 arrests at Williams Lake and called the people in the camp (by their own Intelligence- Percy Rosette and his family) terrorists. Olfert was quoted by the Vancouver Sun newspaper, (August 20, 1995, Front Page) as saying: "This can't go on forever. We won't sit back and do nothing. We have all the residents to consider and the area has to be secured. There has been an escalation; the threat is serious. We see this as an act of terrorism." (Source: Fornasier)

Cst. Lorne Clelland, who explained the action of the weapons to the media during the press conference, testified that Olfert "misled" members of the press. He agreed with Defence Attorney, Harry Rankin, that the weapons "came from "a separate case dealt with elsewhere." Staff Sgt. Sarich's testimony concurs that he "had no evidence to link the guns to the camp" and he went on to say that none of his members had ever reported seeing weapons in the camp. Cst. Lorne Clelland's testimony, Sept. 10, 1996; Staff Sgt. Sarich, Aug.19, 1996 (Source: Fornasier)

September 1, 1995: Chief Superintendent Johnston makes a note during a phone conversation with Superintendent Len Olfert that "There are 6 hardliners in the camp WHO WILL REQUIRE KILLING." (Source: Crown disclosures)

Police video shows RCMP Chief Negotiator Sgt. Dennis Ryan relating orders from Supt. Len Olfert to "... KILL THIS CLARK AND SMEAR THE PRICK and everyone with him." RCMP Training Tape , February 3, 1997. (Source: Fornasier)

The highly publicized September fourth "ambush" by the natives of an R.C.M.P. vehicle was in fact a collision with a tree branch. The officers panicked and opened fire toward the camp. (Source: S.I.S.I.S) The alleged ambush was used to justify involving the army.

Weapons dealer and "consultant" Aubrey White testified that he received a fax from RCMP assistant Commissioner Murray Johnston requesting two fifty calibre belt fed machine guns. These were purchased by the RCMP for $16,000. Correspondence from BC's NDP Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh to Canadian Solicitor General Herb Gray on September 15, 1995, requisitioned "four fifty calibre Mcmillan Sniper Rifles complete with 4 x 40 Leopold scopes, accessories and ammunition." Dosanjh also holds the portfolio as Minister of Human Rights in BC's New Democratic Party Government.

In another video-clip from the same time Ryan, in a meeting (same?) with the Management Team, asks generally "...Is there anyone who can help us with our smear and disinformation campaign?" And about six minutes later S. Sgt Peter Montague, Chief Media Liaison Officer for BC, adds "Smear campaigns are our specialty." He then offers Ryan a Media Strategy which he has drafted. RCMP "Training Tape", January 6, 1997. (Source: Fornasier)

September 11, 1995: According to RCMP media liaison, Sgt. Peter Montague, on this day "a camp truck knowingly violated a NO-GO ZONE" and was subsequently "disabled by an early warning device." He continued: "two or three ARMED natives then ran from the truck firing semi-automatic weapons at RCMP officers, which sparked a gun battle lasting nearly two hours during which hundreds of rounds were exchanged." (Source: The Vancouver Sun, Sept 12, 1995. Final Ed., Front page.)

RCMP surveillance footage, taken from six to eight thousand feet in the air by Wescam, reveals the camp truck blown-up by a powerful landmine, then two apparently UNARMED people running from the truck which was moments later struck violently by an APC. The camp dog, seen running away from the truck is shot and killed by RCMP fire.

Cst. S.H. Arthur testified that he saw the two occupants running from the truck and that neither were carrying weapons. He also testified that he fired upon the unarmed occupants of the truck as they were leaving the lake with their hands in the air, within what was supposed to be the guaranteed "SAFE ZONE." September 19, 1996. (Source: Fornasier)

Sgt. Armstrong testified that he had been one of the experts that laid the land mines around the camp, one of which blew up a truck on September 11, 1996 when two camp members went to the lake for water. Asked about his orders, he stated that officers had been giving a green light by Supt. Len Ofert to shoot to kill. (Source: S.I.S.I.S)

September 3, 1995: On or around this date Cpl. John Ward is caught on videotape remarking that "this is not the first time we've had to take flak-jackets to the firing range." RCMP "Training Tape" , February 20, 1997. (Source: Fornasier)

Insp. Kemble the Field Commander testified that, upon viewing the Wescam direct-feed in the Command Centre, he determined that the man was indeed carrying a rifle and gave the order to the snipers to shoot him. Defence Lawyer Harry Rankin asked if it was his intention to kill that man. Kemble responded: "That's correct." October 1996. (Ernie's note...video shows clearly that he was NOT carrying a rifle and he was in the "SAFE-ZONE") (Source: Fornasier)

please repost.

ernie yacub...yacinfo@mars.ark.com...250-336-2646

laichwiltach/komeenook territory
box 569, cumberland, b.c. canada V0R 1S0