Chichester-Clark draws closer to Paisley

BARRICADES and checkpoints were set up on roads all over Ulster yesterday—manned by 2,000 men of the Ulster Defence Regiment, many of them former B-Specials.

The road-blocks were set up as Lord Balniel, Tory Minister of State for Defence, arrived in Ulster to revien the British forces there. With him went Genenal Sir Geoffrey Baker, chief of the general staff parliamentary storm over premier Clark's reported support for the formation of a "people's militia'.

The suggestion for the formation of such a fonce came attack after a private meeting at Stormont Castle on Wednesday between Clark and the two Protestant Unionist MPs, William Beattie.

Labourite Chichester-Clark later hastened to deny that such a force was being formed. It was, he said, 'possibly being considered'. In any case, it would be confined to 'peacekeeping duties'.

In a later official statément, the premier's ollice said: "This suggestion was made as one of many which have been put to the prime minister from time to time. He is bomb inside Cambodia drawal of US troops from Nguyen also declared: Cambodia. 'The victories Mr Nixon In fact, it still continues boasted of are merely a prounder one form or another, duct of his imagination, he said. aimed at camouflaging the S Vietnamese forces, and heavy defeats inflicted by those of the US puppet the Cambodian people and Lon Nol regime, are DOW Liberation Army on the joined by the Thais, also American aggressors and the Saigon puppets. always anxious to give full consideration to any representations, by MPS intending but he to imply that he was now considering the formation of such a body.' Paisley's main campaigning plank is for the re-formation of the B-Specials.

It, as seems ikely, the proposed people's militia is another name for a revived Bter-Clark, has been driven to the right.

With the reform programme in ruins, Chichester-Clark has no option but to move closer to the Paisleyite camp, however much he kicks and screams in the way.

Shooting

Balniel and Baker are expected to discuss the attempt last night on the life of Green Tory Stormont MP Austin Currie, who was nearly killed by small arms fire at his home near Dungannon on Wednesday night.

The shooting at the Currie home took place as riots broke out in the mid-Ulster town of Coalisland, during an Orange parade through the town.

A hail of stones, bottles and slates were thrown at police and soliders as they tried to farce the Orange manch through the overwhelmingly Catholic town.

Seventeen canisters of CS gas were fired by soldiers trying to drive back the rioters who set the local brickworks alight.

Four policemen were injured in the fighting and there were ten arrests.