Home' Trinidad and Tobago Guardian : January 24th 2017 Contents news A5
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 guardian.co.tt
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Security agencies are moni-
toring the situation following
receipt last Sunday of death
threats on the life of President
Anthony Carmona,National Se-
curity Minister Edmund Dillon
The anonymous death threat was
received at the Police Command
Centre before noon last Sunday,
at approximately 11 am, it was
confirmed by police sources. The
caller - reportedly male - claimed
to be from the "army," they added.
The person threatened the life of the
President and "all ah dem." They
also stated they were "waiting by
the Savannah to offload shots for
The caller further threatened to
"bomb" police stations.
In confirming the threat yes-
terday, Dillon said there was as
yet no "credible evidence" on the
matter, but said security agencies
were continuing to monitor it as per
"And we continue to ensure the
security of the head of state. The
Defence Force and Special Branch
have been informed accordingly -
through the Police Commissioner
and Chief of Defence Staff - and
are taking the necessary action,"
Police, who have procedures to
respond to all manner of threats,
"moved appropriately" when the
threat was received on Sunday,
Following that development, a
senior Special Branch official met
with the President for a half-hour
meeting at his office just before
noon yesterday, officials confirmed.
Contacted yesterday, the Office
of the President confirmed that in-
formation had been received from
the police about a threat being made
on the President's life very recently.
The office also confirmed Carmona
met with a "high ranking police of-
ficer" yesterday morning, but they
could shed no light on that.
Since Carmona began serving as
President in 2013, there has never
been a threat of this nature - con-
cerning a specific telephoned alert
to police - on his life. However,
when Carmona was a High Court
judge there had been a death threat
against him around 2011, when he
had been dealing with a high profile
case concerning a known Central
gang leader. That person was killed
last year. Carmona had been given
security when the threat was re-
President's House operations
during Carmona's tenure - which
ends next year - have recently been
the focus of scrutiny regarding ex-
Last year May, security agencies
were also on high alert following
social media "Isis" bomb scare
threats regarding malls. A man was
subsequently jailed for 21 days for
one "hoax" call.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act
(section 21), it is an offence to know-
ingly communicate false informa-
tion of an explosive or toxic device,
or a weapon of mass destruction.
This carries a maximum penalty of
up to 15 years imprisonment, Gov-
ernment has said.
Rains affect early voting
While early morning rains
poured on yesterday's Tobago
House of Assembly elections,
few problems were reported up
to afternoon by participating
Elections and Boundaries Com-
mission (EBC) officials said rains
which occurred during the morning
didn't affect a steady flow of vot-
ers. Rains halted later in the day,
they noted, and while the flow of
voters was steady, extremely long
lines were not seen during the first
half of the exercise, which began at
People's National Movement
Tobago Council chairman Stanford
Callendar said the party hadn't ex-
perienced any problems, save that
there was intermittent rain in some
"But it hasn't really affected us.
Our voters usually come out early,
can't do so in the morning. Tobago
isn't a place that traditionally has
very long lines though," Calendar
told the T&T Guardian.
Other PNM campaign leaders
said their survey of the voting up
to noon showed the PNM ahead in
all 12 seats. But they could not say
if this would continue into conclu-
sion of the polls. They, however,
confirmed the turnout up to noon
indicated there might not be the
record high turnout that occurred
in 2013, when the PNM swept all 12
THA seats. That was 60 per cent.
Tobago Forwards leader Christ-
lyn Moore said her party's Bon Ac-
cord candidate reported that the
gate had been shut at one Bon Ac-
cord polling station when vehicles
registered to be on the compound
had attempted to enter that com-
pound when it was raining.
"It became pressing due to the
rain, since the registered vehicles
should have been able to enter the
compound," she said.
"But our party was told that se-
curity guards were instructed to
keep the gate shut, even to those
vehicles which were registered to
enter the compound. That's neither
practical nor right."
Watson Duke didn't reply re-
garding his Progressive Democratic
Party's activity yesterday.
Of yesterday's exercise, former
public service head Reginald Du-
mas, who lives in Tobago, said, "I
expect the PNM to win, but I'd like
to hope one of the other parties
will have some voice and pick up
a couple of seats so you can have
an Opposition in the THA."
He added, "The 12-nil situation
which we had for the past four years
isn't healthy politically and demo-
cratically for Tobago, and also for
the entire unitary state. So I hope
there'll be an Opposition - however
small - for the next few years."
Moore to expose 'vote padders'
Tobago Forwards political leader
Christlyn Moore says her party plans
to expose individuals involved in
voter padding in yesterday's Tobago
House of Assembly elections.
She made the promise yesterday, short-
ly after casting her vote at the Lambeau
"We have maintained throughout this
election cycle that there has been mischief
afoot in the camp of the PNM. We have
maintained that there has always been
a plan that thwarts the will of Tobago-
nians, where you have persons who are
engaged in short term contracts in Tobago
who have been persuaded or induced to
change their voter registration so that ena-
bles them to vote here," she told the media.
"As you know, you only have to live in
Tobago for three months in order to qual-
ify as an elector on this list. We say that
is a huge irregularity that subverts the
intention of the act, the spirit of the act,
and what it does, it allows Trinidadians
to determine the destiny of Tobagonians
and we are passionately against it."
Moore said her party and polling agents
were on the lookout for some specific
names of people who are not Tobago-
nians but were the beneficiaries of short
term contracts. Describing them as "paid
agents," Moore said the necessary alarms
would be raised and the Elections and
Boundaries Commission (EBC) will be
Moore said any Trinidadian going to
Tobago to subvert the democratic will of
Tobagonians should go back home.
She also said her party did not have a
problem with visitors to the island, since
visitors play a vital role in the economy.
However, she said her party had a problem
with people who have "been imported into
this space to change the will of Tobagoni-
ans... nobody invites somebody into their
house so they could destroy their house."
Moore said she was optimistic her party
would get the votes to put its members
in the THA.
"Tobago stands on the winds of change
at this point in time. We are clear in our
minds that 12-nil is something we will
never see again, we know that we are the
only credible voice for change in this en-
vironment and the only true opposition
for the PNM."
Security placed on high alert as...
President Anthony Carmona
Tobago Forwards leader Christlyn Moore at the party's office checking the results
tally last night. PHOTO: SHASTRI BOODAN
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