Today, Christchurch's paper, The Press has an interview with Awhitia Kohu and Moko Hillman, two Ruatoki residents terrorised by heavily armed Police during last year's October 15 raids. Neither Awhitia or Moko were arrested in the raids but they still had their house searched and were, along with their children, forced out of their homes whilst being 'painted' by rifle laser sights. The Police also searched their 15 year old daughter at gunpoint.

To quote from the article:

"At about five o'clock in the morning I heard a crash and a bang outside," said Kohu. "I went outside on my deck, through the sliding door … and I had all these little red spots all over me.

"The police were yelling out: `put your hands up'."

The red dots were the night-sights used by the police, who were armed with automatic weapons.

The article continues:

"Me and my children were escorted out onto the road. They already had dragged their father outside onto the road, and then the kids saw him getting cuffed, " Kohu said.

"They had him up against the bank and the kids are crying, carrying on, freaking, we don't know what's happening."

Hillman was taken to Rotorua for questioning.

This article should be read by everyone. It succinctly and vividly describes the terror forced on the Tuhoe people by the NZ Police. [Full article]