PRIVATE Peter Burke should have celebrated his 34th birthday yesterday. But 13 years ago, the Dublin soldier was shot dead in the Lebanon along with two others, Cpl Greg Morrow (20), and Pte Thomas Murphy (19).
The families of the murdered UN soldiers handed in a petition with over 2,000 names at the Dail, yesterday to protest against the temporary release of their killer, former Army private, Michael McAleavey. He leaves Mountjoy Prison each weekday for a training workshop in north Dublin.
This is the first step towards his eventual release, after serving just a third of his 30 year sentence, say the families.
"Minister Owen sent us a letter on May 31st telling us this was a first step towards rehabilitation into society. Our lives were shattered by what happened and we were just beginning to pick up the pieces. Then we heard about this. The Minister for Justice seems to be more worried about this man's future than the future of the families who were affected," said Mrs Mary Burke, Pte Burke's mother.
About 17 family members handed in the petition tub a representative of the Minister for Justice. They said they would fight the cause until they were sure the convicted murderer served his full sentence.
McAleavey, now 35, turned his rifle on his colleagues while manning a United Nations checkpoint in 1982. Afterwards, he tried to lay the blame on Israeli troops.
Yesterday's group included Pte Burke's parents, Noel and Mary and his brother, Richard, Cpl Morrow's wife, Collette, his parents, Mary and Sean, and the daughter he never met. She is now 13 years old.
They explained that the Department of Justice had offered to arrange a meeting between them and a prison officer today.
"What's the point in that we explained our case to one Department official who will pass it on to the Minister. What is the point in doing it again tomorrow with another? We want to meet with her personally," said Mrs Morrow.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said yesterday the Minister could not meet the family because of "extreme work commitments".