MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands Governor defends Police over flag incident.

The Falkland Islands Governor Mr. Alan Huckle has defended the policy adopted by the local Police Force after a group of Argentine 1982 war veterans raised an Argentine flag in the Cemetery at Darwin on Monday 2nd April, the 25th anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the islands. Many islanders questioned why the Police did not forcibly prevent the veterans from displaying the flag on British sovereign territory.

Several members of the local Police Force were in attendance at the Argentine Cemetery, seemingly having been 'tipped off' that the veterans would attempt to display some form of Argentine nationalistic emblem at the site. The Governor said that he supported the policy of the Police, who he said had maintained a 'discreet distance' from the incident, having decided not to intervene, and he supported the Chief Police Officer's opinion that it was a 'private act by the veterans'. Mr. Huckle did not condone the incident, describing the Argentine veterans actions as being 'inappropriate' and 'an unfortunate incident', but he said it was not 'an illegal act to display the Argentine flag here' (Falklands). Speaking on Falkland's radio, Mr. Huckle said however that further similar acts by Argentines visiting the Islands might lead to reconsideration by Councillors of a planned visit by 3-400 Argentine next-of-kin to the Argentine Cemetery in November. Former Councillor Roger Edwards, interviewed on Falklands radio, described the Falklands Government's response as being 'too lenient' and 'unacceptable' and demanded that action be taken against the veterans. He said that it followed a similar flag unfurling incident by an Argentine pilot on a private visit which resulted in the pilot being refused permission to visit the Falklands when he next applied to fly into the Islands.