MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Penguin News Update.

Headlines:
Handing over command of the British Forces; Gibraltar takes on Argentina; Man jailed for attacking wife.

Handing over command of the British Forces

COMMODORE Ian Moncrieff has taken command of the British Forces in the South Atlantic. He succeeds Air Commodore Richard Lacey who held the job for eighteen months. Commodore Moncrieff, who joined the Navy in 1976, has most recently been working as the Assistant Chief of Staff (Communications and Information Systems) to the Commander-in-Chief Fleet and Director CIS (Navy). He was commander of the Royal Navy's Antarctic patrol ship HMS Endurancefor two years. During that time he deployed twice into Antarctica and conducted extensive defence diplomacy work in South America and Africa, as well as counter-drugs operations in the Caribbean. Married in 1986, he and his wife Marion call South sea home. They have two teenage sons, Andrew and James. Photo:Air Commodore Richard Lacey (left) hands over command of the British Forces' Mount Pleasant base to Commodore Ian Moncrieff. Picture: Photographic Section, MPA

Gibraltar takes on Argentina

Leader of the Opposition stands up for the Falklands at the UN

GIBRALTAR'S Opposition Leader has spoken out in defence of the Falkland Islands at a United Nations Seminar on decolonisation. Before addressing the meeting on issues relating to Gibraltar, Joe Bossano made a "robust rebuttal" of a call from the Argentine delegation for the seminar to adopt a recommendation that Falkland Islanders do not have the right of self-determination. Argentina's argument was that decolonisation of the Falklands was a matter of territorial integrity and its people had been transplanted to the Islands illegally by the "occupying power". Mr Bossano, who visited the Islands in 1992, called this "utter rubbish". He said Argentina was trying, "...no less than to alter the Charter of the UN...which says that all peoples have a right to self-determination and, by virtue of that right, they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development." Mr Bossano picked holes in Argentina's argument about the "occupying power". "What I would like to know is which was the occupying power that provided the honourable gentleman with his genetic code because he does not look like an Aztec or an Inca to me. "What we have in South America, in Argentina where he comes from, are the people of the occupying power eventually rebelling against their mother country, Spain, and decolonising. By his criteria they would not be entitled to that right." He continued, "As if that were not enough, the honourable member presents himself before this seminar and produces self serving arguments by deliberately selectively quoting from the UN established documents list. "The UN has never said that the people of Gibraltar or the people of the Falkland Islands don't have the right to self determination because there is somebody that wants the place in which they live, and they have been living there in the case of the Falkland Islands only since 1833 and in the case of Gibraltar only since 1704. That is utter and complete nonsense." The Falkland Islands were not represented at the seminar and Mr Bossano told the meeting it would be a "travesty and indeed a democratic deficit" to consider Argentina's argument "when the Falkland Islanders are not here to put the contrary case for themselves." He urged the gathering to "totally ignore the suggestions and recommendations from the distinguished delegate from Argentina." The motion proposed by Argentina was not carried and there solution was not included, only ?noted'. On Tuesday, Falklands councillors wrote to Mr Bossano to thank him for his "robust rebuttal" and for his support. Councillor Roger Edwards said he thought Mr Bossano's speech was "excellent." "The Argentine delegate was trying to put an amendment in, Joe stood up and gave a very firm rebuttal and they didn't even vote on it." He said the move by Argentina was "not totally unexpected - it's what they are always likely to do." He added, "It was a shame that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or ourselves didn't have someone there looking out for us. "We must in future make a marker to try harder to get to that meeting." Councillor Edwards said that councillors do not often attend the UN Seminar - a precursor to the New York C24 meeting in June - as it clashes with the annual budget session. However he added, "I think the future council should revisit that decision." He said this episode "highlights once again" the need for the Falklands to have representation overseas, "... or you can lose out by default." "We are very lucky to have strong support from Gibraltar."

Man jailed for attacking wife

A STANLEY man has been jailed for six weeks following a "severe" attack on his wife. In court on Wednesday, David Martin Crowie pleaded guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He admitted hitting his wife on the morning of May 22, after a conversation about their troubled relationship. In a statement to police, Mrs Crowie said that "out of the blue" the defendant told her, "you think you are so macho," then hit her. She said he pinned her down and hit her around eight times with the full force of his fist. A medical report presented to the court - which included photographs of Mrs Crowie's injuries - stated that her cuts and bruises were consistent with multiple punches. Defence lawyer Richard Marlor said his client was not a violent man but that a "red mist" had descended upon him when Mrs Crowie "bluntly" admitted a one-night affair. On the telephone the night before the attack, Mrs Crowie had hinted to her husband that she had been with another man, in revenge for Mr Crowie's having committed adultery with her sister. Mr Crowie held a previous conviction of assault in 2000 against a former girlfriend. Mr Marlor said the attack on Mrs Crowie can be viewed as an isolated incident; he added there had been "provocation in both incidents." He said Mr Crowie was sorry for his actions: "...it happened and he can't take it back, though he wishes he could." He added that Mr and Mrs Crowie are attempting reconciliation. In sentencing, Senior Magistrate Clare Faulds said it was undoubtedly a "severe" attack, with the blows to Mrs Crowie's head being "potentially quite dangerous." Mrs Faulds said she did not accept that the incident in 2000 should be viewed separately and that this was a "repeated incident of violence." She said Mr Crowie's six week sentence could be considered a "cooling off period," and may present an opportunity for the couple to work through their difficulties. Mr Crowie was ordered to pay £70 prosecution costs.

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