CROWD CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES - Omega Research Foundation

water cannon were identified as Mercedes Benz vehicles but is unknown who actually constructed and
supplied the vehicles. The UK water cannons were manufactured by Glover Webb (a subsidiary of
GKN Defence) and supplied by Procurement Services International. Having permitted the export of 3
Tactica water cannon in 1994 and another 6 in 1995, the United Kingdom agreed an export licence in
December 1996 for a further 7 water cannon and 303 Internal Security vehicles in complete disregard
of numerous reports of the use of such vehicles in undermining human rights. 414
However, despite quite prolific use of crowd control weapons such as tear gas and plastic bullets
there is little hard data on which countries are providing the transfers of such weapons and munitions.
Past transfers of riot control weapons to Indonesia have included Mecar bullet-trap rifle grenades 415
and small amounts of tear gas from the UK. 416 One possibility is that indigenous companies have
established local production of such weapons and munitions through licenced production agreements.
For example PT Pindad manufactures a range of small arms and ammunition under licenced
production agreements from European companies including FN Herstal, Browning (Belgium) 417 and
Beretta (Italy). 418 It was reported in 1995 that PT Pindad could supply a range of pyrotechnics including
)Grenades, anti-riot, tear gas CN, hand launched(. 419 Such licenced production agreements (where a
European based company permits a third-country manufacturer to produce products under licence)
raise grave concerns that European Union embargoes and human rights based export criteria will be
undermined.
8.4 Zambia. On 30 July 1997 events at Freedom House, the UNIP headquarters in Lusaka, indicated
the political nature of policing opposition political parties in Zambia. A coalition of opposition political
parties had planned a march through downtown Lusaka to protest a Supreme Court ruling against them
in connection with a petition contesting President Chilubas reelection victory in 1996. A heavy police
presence broke up the march with tear gas, and a large number of demonstrators -- many women with
small children -- came into the UNIP building to seek refuge.
An estimated 100 police officers gathered at the entrance of the building with riot batons, at about
9:45am that day. The police siege would last until 10:00 pm that night. To force people from the
building into the street outside, where they would be beaten, police officers used teargas inside the
building. Several witnesses confirm that police gave no warning before stepping inside and began
shooting tear-gas from a gun launcher down the internal corridors of the building. Rabbison Chongo, a
UNIP official, said: )Ive never seen so much tear gas. They broke doors of Freedom House and they
fired tear gas into the building. So much tear gas, you couldnt see down the hall five feet in front of
you. So much that you cant get air in the lungs, you cant breath(. 420 Another person in the building that
day, Melania Chipungu, said she began to suffocate because of the tear gas.( 421 Apparently the police
prevented the Zambian Red Cross from providing medical assistance to those affected by police
beatings and tear gas on this 422 and other occasions 423 .
SECTION C. TECHNICAL ANNEX
The technical and analytical material used to prepare this report has been collated into a series of 8
appendices to which this report refers. It is recommended that both documents are read together.
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