Fallout of the Bombing in Trinidad and Tobago

Sirius, one of the people behind the Port of Spain bombing Flickr account, has written a few things about the Port of Spain Bombing aftermath which are worth noting.

...As news reports rolled in, there were also bomb threats yesterday at Trincity Mall and the Ministry of National Security. The threat at the Ministry was curious because it occured at 11:30am, some two and a half hours before the Frederick Street blast. Today, the threats have continued. I have thus far received word of threats to T&TEC(electricity company), TSTT(telecommunications), Mid Centre Mall and possibly several banks along Independence Square. Some of these are likely pranksters, out for some cheap thrills. However, given the number of them, I am led to believe that at least some of these threats are from whoever set the bomb on Frederick Street yesterday.

The FBI have apparently landed to lend a hand with the investigations, and I have recently received word - and confirmed - that Chaguanas has been shut down due to the number of threats. Imagine, they've started shutting down towns! Well this is nothing short of chaos...

It's good that Sirius is on the ground, and I thank him for writing. That Chaguanas has been shut down seems surreal at this point. For those of you unfamiliar with Trinidad and Tobago, Chaguanas is probably the fastest growing part of Trinidad. It lies between Port of Spain and San Fernando.

The other bomb threats are interesting as well. Bomb threats are strange in that they warn people to get away from where there will be harm. This brings me back to the original reports from the day of the bombing where it was said one person had gunshot wounds. I wrote that off as shrapnel, and the press has let that die (apparently) probably because it was shrapnel. Still, an argument could be made that there was an alert about a bomb threat, that someone spotted the bomber and that they shot the bomber. That's all pure speculation. The Trinidad Express has some coverage on this. There were apparently some bomb threats in Port of Spain as well.

The government response? Make the Minister of Tourism the Minister of National Security. Surreal. He held the position before, and is partly to blame for the present situation in the country...

Terrorism? This picture of 'Ground Zero' shows how empty that word seems. It's a dustbin. A garbage can. I sincerely doubt that Al Quaeda or any other terrorist organization would say, "If they don't follow our demands, we'll start destroying their dustbins!". It's not like people in Port of Spain seem to know what they are for, most of the time.

It's equally unlikely that someone saw a cardboard box, picked it up and threw it away because it's litter - unless the box looked valuable. And maybe on seeing what was in the box, they threw it away. There's enough fertilizer coming out of politicians a short distance away in Parliament anyway.

But then again - one of the injured is being questioned. That makes sense, and is an interesting lead. Done right, the police and the incoming FBI may well make up for the scattering of evidence by the Police Commissioner's helicopter (which was denied as a problem here. Brilliant). People in Trinidad and Tobago do have habits that may seem strange around the world, but liming (hanging out) around garbage receptacles is something even vagrants do not do. They usually check and move on.

Of course, that man isn't the only one being harassed, apparently - Yvonne McIvor's son was busy as well. It's a sad day when a relative has to go through that, but the medical system of Trinidad and Tobago is another problem altogether.

Trinidad and Tobago is severely out of control in many ways. In 'State of this country', Sirius gives his perspectives on what I had last year in 'Crime in Trinidad and Tobago' - I don't feel as alone having read that. Doc Searls and Andy Carvin stared at me like I was Zaphod Beeblebrox when I talked about the problems in Trinidad and Tobago at the Berkman Internet Society. And the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce Makes The Point As Well.

The TinyGrasshoper has been reading Sirius's stuff as well as IMing him, and I think Sirius is probably the central blogger involved with this. He's on the ground, he's informing us, and he's involved in the Podcasts and photo gallery. Great work.

Meanwhile, Emily approaches from the South.