More burglaries at Parliament

Press, 16 December 1980, Page 3

More burglaries at Parliament

PA Wellington The police and Parliamentary security officials were -yesterday investigating two further burglaries of Maori Labour ’ members’ offices after they left Parliament'on Friday. Several Maori policy documents were missing from the office of Mrs Whetii Ti-rikatene-Sulliva’n, member of Parliament for Southern Maori after a burglary, discovered late on Friday. But it was not until early yesterday . that, security guards discovered . that. the offices of Mr K. T. Wefere, member for Western Maori, Mr P. B. Reweti, member for Eastern Maori, had also been entered . . . . Papers were, strewn about Mr Wet'ere’s office, and somebody had upended a rubbish basket on Mr ■ Reweti’s desk, but according to the director-of-Parliamentary security, Mr R. M.. Urquhart, nothing appears to have been stolen. Mr Wetere said he was particularly disturbed at finding a Tangaroa —

a carved figure of the Rarotongan god of the sea — lying face down on his desk. He was given the Tangaroa by Mr Albert Henry in 1975. “I am a little disturbed about this,” Mr Wetere said. “The indications are that jt might not be a good sign.” Mr Wetere said the police were following up this aspect of the burglary as a possible lead to the identity of the person or persons responsible. Mr Wetere said ainy confidential papers he had were locked in a cupboard which was not disturbed. He said he was at a loss to understand why anybody would want to break into his office, because he had nothing which could be classified secret. Mr Reweti’s office .is across the corridor from Mrs Tirikatene-Sullivan’s on the third floor of the old Parliament Buildings. The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) said he would receive a security report about the incidents.