ELECTIONS: MORE VIOLENCE THAN USUAL, ALTHOUGH

UNCLAS PORT OF SPAIN 001079 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM PGOV TD SUBJECT: ELECTIONS: MORE VIOLENCE THAN USUAL, ALTHOUGH MOTIVES UNCLEAR REF: PORT OF SPAIN 1077 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: An opposition Congress of the People candidate was attacked and injured in front of his campaign office October 27. Political leaders across the spectrum condemned the attack, but differed on its motives. Police are investigating and have promised to do all they can to protect candidates. The level of vandalism and violence in this campaign is higher than in past election races, but still relatively low. The increase in incidents may be reflective more of the growing levels of insecurity and criminality in society than any centrally-directed political plan. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) COP Laventille West candidate David St. Clair was attacked in front of his local campaign office and severely beaten with a club and the flat end of a machete on October ¶27. He was hospitalized with severe but not life-threatening injuries; he may be released today. The motive for the attack, witnessed by several people, is unclear. St. Clair reportedly refused earlier demands for protection money from a gang and went public with the alleged blackmail attempt; some see this as payback. Another theory, not completely at odds with the first since Laventille is a poor, crime-ridden area and PNM stronghold, is that PNM adherents who are also gang members &picked on8 the COP candidate. A more far-fetched theory is that St. Clair was beaten because the COP had instigated the temporary arrest of UNC Laventille candidate Lennox Smith for violating a domestic protection order and for passing bad checks. Under this theory, the gang members either were connected to Smith or the UNC. ¶3. (SBU) In an earlier incident, UNC activist Sean Douglas was shot to death October 25 near the party's Laventille East/Morvant campaign headquarters. Family members said he had been arguing with a youth about a radio and that led to the shooting; most believe this was not politically motivated. Also on October 25, the campaign manager and driver for the COP candidate from Toco/Sangre Grande were injured when a glass bottle struck the car in which the candidate also was riding. The bottle was reportedly thrown from a car plastered with PNM stickers. In an October 24 incident, a flaming garment was tossed under a van belonging to a UNC supporter attending a political meeting in San Juan/Barataria. It was removed before the van suffered any damage. Earlier in the campaign, the offices of COP candidates Marlene Coudray and Gillian Lucky were broken into and vandalized ¶4. (SBU) Comment: It is difficult to distinguish criminal from political violence, especially in areas such as Laventille and San Juan where delinquency is high. Violence has not been common in past electoral campaigns here and reports of it ) even inconclusive reports like those above ) have unsettled some. At a minimum, the sensationalist press coverage of these incidents has once again raised the issue of personal security to the fore; polls consistently show crime to be a top concern of Trinbagonians and this issue has been a PNM weak spot. Nonetheless, the overall campaign has been peaceful and open and there are no signs there is any central direction of the scattered acts that have occurred. End comment. KUSNITZ