Madam, - I am disappointed at the attitude being displayed by Amnesty International (of which I am a member) to the events in Lusk Post Office.
If armed criminals carry out a robbery in the presence of innocent bystanders, the forces of the State have a duty to shoot them dead if they do not surrender.
I compliment the gardaí on their actions.
About two months ago, during a similar robbery, our 90-year-old gardener was threatened with a sawn-off shotgun, and the perpetrators will probably be mollycoddled by the justice system.
Let us please get more realistic about this problem. - Yours, etc,
DARACH CORCORAN, Spencer Street, Castlebar, Co Mayo.
Madam, - The Garda Síochána is to be commended for its actions in Lusk, which prevented the loss of innocent life.
Amnesty International, on the other hand, has diluted its credibility by asking for an inquiry in to the death of two of the raiders. All around the world there are oppressed peoples bravely fighting social and political injustice - this is where Amnesty should focus its efforts, not on greedy criminals who are prepared to kill and maim their way to prosperity. - Is mise,
GEOFF SCARGILL, Bray, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - At last I hear a voice of reason, with the call from Amnesty International for an independent investigation into the shooting dead of the two raiders in Lusk.
All day on Thursday I listened with despair as people rang or e-mailed radio stations congratulating the gardaí on, in the words of the Sunday World's Paul Williams, "a job well done". It was quite sad to note that within three days we have had people throughout the country rightly mourning the loss of the young schoolgirls in Navan, and then gleeful at the success of the gardaí's shootings in Lusk.
Unfortunately many people are all too willing to believe initial news reports suggesting there was a substantial exchange of gunfire and that the gardaí had no choice but to fatally shoot the raiders. Already it seems to have been established that the gang of five were not all, as first reports suggested, "heavily armed" but apparently had one gun and one sledgehammer between them.
Before a torrent of self-righteous abuse is flung back in my direction I would like to say that the point is not that these men very obviously had a major robbery planned in Lusk, but that - having the men under surveillance beforehand and therefore already having the advantage - the gardaí could surely have been able to maim the men by shooting them in the arms or legs, particularly if they only had one gun to contend with. - Is mise,
CLAIRE PRENDEVILLE, Monkstown, Co Dublin.