356 / 494
355
24 May. The information we got prior to going in to Tivoli
was that there were a lot of suspicious men in the area. We
had a list. I did not detain these men on the basis that
there was reasonable suspicion. Within the first 48 hours,
other residents were restricted. They were told not to come
out of their houses. I saw no persons who were made to lie
on their bellies or kneel... Each commander established his
own detention centre.”
10.249.
Maj. Kennedy also testified about the attire of some of the
detainees. He said –
“Many of those detained wore white shirts and jeans and
that provided reasonable suspicion and those men were
taken into detention.”
(iii)
Maj. Cheverria,
10.250.
Maj. Cheverria admitted that his Company (Charlie) “set up
temporary holding areas” –
“typically verandahs and other places where we held persons
until they were sent to Seprod… Barbed wire could also have
been used to create a caged area but I don’t recall if we had
any.”
10.251.
In answer to Mr. McBean, the Major reiterated that he could not
recall if an area protected with barbed wire had been established but he did not
rule it out. “It could have been.”
10.252.
He was more certain about the detention of persons.
“Where persons could not tell us why they were in the
community, they were detained. I can’t estimate how many
were detained. It is possible that persons from Tivoli
Gardens were detained. There were several reports from
my platoon commanders of large numbers of men in houses
who could give no satisfactory reason for being there.
These were all reported to the JCF to be dealt with.”