APEC Command Post Bugged
Feds Refuses to Disclose Many of the Tapes

New evidence is coming to light at the APEC Hearing, after it was revealed
that the RCMP bugged their own command center.  The command center,
know as "APEC Command" was located at the Beatty St. Armory, and was the
hub of the APEC operation.  From November 16th to November 25th, 1997,
the RCMP bugged at least three phones in the command center and recorded
all conversations on the phones.  It is a decision they are surely
regretting.

The Government is currently refusing to release (or even examine) many
of the tapes, stating that it would require too much work to listen to
them. This afternoon one of the unrepresented students will argue a motion
demanding that the tapes be disclosed.

However, some of the tapes were disclosed to complainants yesterday
night, and a few of the conversations will be filed tomorrow afternoon
at the APEC hearing as part of the disclosure motion.

In one conversation, two top RCMP officers (who have already testified),
discuss telling APEC delegates that great care had been taken to ensure
that they would not be embarrassed by demonstrations.  One of the
officer then cautions the other that their phone conversation is being
"bugged".

A conversation between the head of APEC security (Superintendent Wayne
May) and a representative of the Chinese delegation will also be filed,
in which the RCMP are asked to ensure that there are enough police to prevent
banners and slogans.  Supt. May replies by saying that one of his
officers will ensure that their concerns are addressed.

In another conversation, the officers lament over having to deal with
political issues, and discuss the fact that they were "ordered" to place
trees around General Suharto's hotel (to prevent him from seeing banners),
or else he wouldn't come to the conference.

The tapes also contain conversations between RCMP brass and senior officials
in the Prime Minister's Office and the Department of External Affairs. 
The tapes reveal that the PM's hatchet man, Jean Carle, gets called "sir"
a lot, and the PMO became obsessed for two solid days with a bunch of hippie
protesters camping in a pup tent.

In one very sexy conversation which was recently disclosed, Supt. May
says "But right now, the Prime Minister of our Country is directly involved
and he's going to start giving orders, and it might be something that we
can't live with, or is going to create a lot of backlash in the final analysis."

The refusal by the Government to examine the tapes comes a few weeks
before complainants ask for a subpoena for the Big Cheese Himself.
Given the sexy nature of the new tapes, it is expected that the Commission
will order that all the tapes be examined.

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