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PARTS MANUFACTURED BY a company in Kerry have been found in a drone used to target civilians in South Sudan, according to the findings of a Channel 4 investigation.
Journalists with Channel 4′s Unreported World, who recently gained unprecedented access to the Nuba Mountains in South Sudan, said that parts of a drone shot down near to the newly-independent country’s border last March bore the words “Made in Ireland” and the name of Kerry-based company, Tillotson, was also found stamped into some debris.
Another part of the unmanned aircraft displayed Farsi words and is believed to have been manufactured in Iran, Stephen Starr reported in the Sunday Business Post this weekend.
Tillotson’s website clearly states that its HR Series Diaphram Carburettor can be used in “military spy drone”.
Irish companies are legally allowed manufacture and sell military equipment, however under UN and European regulations they cannot supply military technology to either Sudan or Iran.
Tillotson, which is based in the Clash Industrial Estate in Tralee, did not return calls from TheJournal.ie.
A spokesperson for Amnesty International Ireland highlighted an upcoming meeting of UN member states in New York this July, where a treaty concerning the regulation of trade in conventional weapons will be discussed.
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Ermm..take it up with whoever fired it, not the Kerry person who pressed a button that drilled a hole in some steel, to make a carburettor, to earn a living.
Oh for god sake, we are now an integral ally if the Iranian war effort, the infidels will pay ( tongue in cheek) its a carburettor folks
When some drug dealer gets shot in Dublin do we blame the company who manufactured the trigger fitted to the gun?
It’s good to see an Irish company exporting.
So much for Irish neutrality.
There is a difference between neutrality and non-alignment. We are far from neutral.
It proves that the weapons industry is one of the biggest in the world.
An Irish company has sought a slice of this venture.
Possibly not knowing what it was for.
The engineer must have been eating Kerry Gold sandwiches! – can’t beat them!!
They are a private company and have nothing whatsoever to do with Ireland’s pussy neutrality status! Stupid point
Made in Ireland – is it any surprise the thing got shot down!?
..
Rob…
LOL. Rolling around with laughter.
Funny comment.
Go on the Irish we number one at everything
Except grammar:-/
If they have an export license, which I believe is necessary particularly as the company appears to publicly advertise military use, then our authorities know about it, which means our authorities support the military usage of the part in Sudan. Incidentally, there is a difference between neutrality and non-alignment.
The parts are dual use so that’s how they get away with it. Phoenix magazine regularly bring this up as there is quite a lot of it going on.
It’s the man behind the gun.
I’d like to hear the Labour Party Leader Eamon Gilmore The Minister for Foreign Affairs whom sits at the UN issue a statement on this matter ? His portfolio also includes foreign trade ….so he can speak out of both sides of his Mouth!!!!!
Roflcopter
We should have nothing to do with this industry !we would be far better off using our engineering skills for good
How could you know?? suppose you make resistors?? I’m sure there are plenty of resistors in that drone. Will we just stop making any technology that might be used to build any sort of weapon?
That’s a thick Kerry Huare for you … I really don’t think any Irish company should supply any military with anything.
Why not? Just because the government chooses to be neutral doesn’t mean that indigenous companies have to suffer. Rogue states like Iran and Sudan obviously pay top dollar do fair play for selling stuff to them. Just don’t tell the Americans. They will be super cross
they probably don’t, they just have to supply aerospace manufacturers with parts – could be for anything.
Yeah..and..so..what..
have your say