One year after city bombings

ONE YEAR ago on Tuesday, Port-of-Spain was shaken by the first of a series of four bombings. Since then, the highly controversial and long debated Anti-Terrorism Act of 2005 has come into effect.

Its conventions include considerations for bomb-making and the detonation of such devices. In addition, there have been several technological improvements in surveillance and explosive disarmament to prepare the nation for terrorist threats.

In spite of these measures, many citizens say they still feel insecure about walking through the nation’s capital. The bombings all took place at peak times, with the first three within two hours of midday in Port-of-Spain and the fourth taking place during the popular “Friday lime” at Smokey and Bunty Bar.

The bombings took place a month apart, with an average interval of 32 days and all but one were detonated in the midst of garbage. Senior police investigators said bomb fragments recovered from the scenes had similar characteristics. Police reports indicated that the first two were clock bombs.

Police Commissioner Trevor Paul, told Sunday Newsday he thought it imprudent to detail the anti-terrorism measures taken by the police since the bombings. All he was willing to say was that the police service “has not dropped its guard and will continue to do what it has been doing.”

Deputy Commissioner of Crime and Operations Winston Cooper, agreed that the issue was sensitive and it was risky to make any statement on the safety of the city. However, Port-of-Spain Mayor Murchison Brown was willing to comment on the matter. When asked about the level of security in the city one year after the first bombing, he sought to assure the public that the city was a safe place.

“The city is very safe as far as I am concerned. There are frequent police patrols and people have been going about their business around the city daily.

“I didn’t recall that it was a year since the bombings. Those things are not in my focus. There are other positive things which I plan for the city so I won’t allow such things to deter me,” he said.

That view was a far cry from the one Brown expressed immediately after the Frederick Street bombing. On that occasion Brown said the event showed that “we” are not immune to attacks and stressed the need for taking “all the necessary precaution.”

When reminded of this and told that certain persons said they would not be coming into Port-of-Spain on the one-year-anniversary of the bombing, a confident Brown commented, “We are just too pessimistic. I walk the city everyday. I’m not going to allow those things to prevent me from doing what I have to do in the city. I was in Germany recently and when we went into the city there was a bomb scare. These things happen.”

Officials of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) say they are thoroughly dissatisfied with the state of affairs in the nation’s capital since the bombings. DOMA President Gregory Aboud, who praised the security services at the time of the first bombing, considers the recent performance of the protective services throughout the country to be poor.

“It is our view that Port-of-Spain is not more safe or less safe than any other area of Trinidad and Tobago. We admit that we are constantly challenged by law and order issues and that the presence of law enforcement officers has reverted to sporadic and inconsistent,” Aboud declared. The DOMA president added: “You cannot run a quality football game without an active referee, and in the same way you cannot run a city or country without an active police force. The citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are accepting mediocre service in many areas of national life without complaint. If the people are prepared to accept poor service and if the people are prepared to endure difficult and unsafe conditions then that is what they will get.”

Two days before the first bombing, Prime Minister Patrick Manning had declared that with the assistance of radars and helicopters there would be a “net of security” over the nation. There were also assurances from the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Martin Joseph that law enforcement agencies were “on top of the matter.”

However, despite their attempts to allay fears several individuals continue to feel unsafe. Among them is a Frederick Street vendor who was a few feet away from the blast. Her daughter suffered injury to her inner ear in the explosion. The vendor, who continues to sell at the blast site, accused the police service of misallocating its resources. She suggested they spend less time “harassing vendors” and apprehend the “real criminals.”

“I am selling here for 39 and a half years now. I used to sell with my father right on this corner. People out here making an honest living and the police only harassing us. The Prime Minister and the Mayor of Port-of-Spain don’t care about us. We out here making an honest living and we getting arrested.

“When the owner of Top Value was robbed right behind the mall last week the police wasn’t there to help. They are here to arrest honest people though!” said the vendor, who preferred to remain anonymous.

Yvonne Mc Ivor sustained critical injuries in the Frederick Street blast and eventually had her left leg amputated from mid-thigh. During her time in hospital, Mc Ivor said she was traumatised and had psychotic episodes during which she hallucinated about the explosion. However, unlike the vendors, she has not returned to the city since.

“I don’t feel unsafe because I don’t go into Port-of-Spain. I leave home to go to the bank, to the grocery and to the malls. I really miss going down Charlotte Street to buy mauby and bay leaf and I’m running low on these things. It has been a whole year since and I miss it but don’t have the enthusiasm to go back since the bombing,” Mc Ivor lamented.

Mc Ivor now walks with a prosthetic leg and has therapy several times a week. She said her condition has been improving steadily since the amputation. However, because the amputation was done above her knee she had to “learn to walk all over again.”

Tuesday will mark an exact year since the initial bombing.

HISTORY

Bombing 1

On the afternoon of July 11, 2005, bustling Frederick Street was rocked by the detonation of an explosive device placed in a green cylindrical dustbin. The sophisticated device was later found to consist of a bottle containing a flammable substance with two clocks. The explosion left 14 persons injured, two of whom were hospitalised in critical condition but were later released.

Bombing 2

The second bomb was detonated below a light pole on George Street on August 10, 2005. The device was found to have similar characteristics to the Frederick Street bomb. No one was injured in the incident.

Bombing 3

Patrons of KFC Independence Square Port-of-Spain were forced to flee the restaurant at midday on September 10 when a garbage bag exploded in a dumpster to the side of the establishment. Susan Pierre, a cleaner employed with KFC, had moved the bag from the main eating area mere seconds before the explosion. She suffered minor injuries.

Bombing 4

The fourth bombing took place on October 14 in front of the popular Smokey and Bunty Bar in St James. Twelve persons were injured, two of whom were listed in serious condition, including a 65-year-old woman.

Since the Bombings:

June 24 2006: The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service commissioned 140 new vehicles (There are 50 more which are expected to arrive soon.)

May 24 2006: Minister of National Security, Martin Joseph, launched Dial 555, an anti-crime hotline.

May 6 2006: The US Embassy donated “cutting-edge” bomb disposal and disarmament equipment to the Police Service along with training six law enforcement officials in the use of such equipment.

May 22 2006: Sixteen cameras installed in the downtown Port-of-Spain area by DOMA were activated.

December 23 2005: Two Arima Jamaat members were arrested for possession of materials for and the making of an explosive device.

December 22 2005: The Government of Trinidad and Tobago ratified a convention at the Organisation of American States aimed at involving the nation in a global war on terrorist acts.

December 2 2005: The main suspect in the Port-of-Spain bombings, who was arrested, and held for 12 days, was released without charges being laid.

October 10 2005: British anti-terrorist officials visited Trinidad to question suspected London bomber.

September 14 2005: Team formed specifically to investigate Port-of-Spain bombings.

August 29 2005: Anti-Terrorism Bill adopted.

July 17 2005: $20 million Blimp took flight.