27 thoughts on “Greens to get $$ – No Black Staff Please”

1. Maybe the Greens and others like them should try vacationing in Florida.

   1. Then they might as well go to Haiti or Cuba it is much cheaper there.

      1. In Florida they use guns, the finality of the gun precludes an ugly aftermath.

2. Now tell me , which is more revolting , the fact that ” the Greens were attacked by a cutlass wielding man ,and suffered wounds to faces and heads, or that they ..”were taken to the Scarborough Hospital.., received preliminary treatment before being air-lifted to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope…. where Peter described the treatment they received at the Mt Hope hospital as appalling?”
   What’s dat, Justice Minister Volney , and others might be taking cheap shots at the powerless THA, and Tobago citizenry who are essentially victims themselves, for the precarious security and health situation across the Twin Republic?
   I hear dat. Upstart Bajans, and dem Crazy Yardee Jamaicans , are taking much better care of their tourism cash cows, simply because they are less fortunate than we clueless , overdependent on oil/ gas, chiefly below poverty line / Trinis, that sees little value , outside of narrow, neo racial politics, in trying to elevate Tobago out of it’s economically overdependent , despicable ,poor infrastructural state?
   Just cannot argue with that either.
   Lawd put a hand on this underachieving country!
   Dem Jamaicans have at least 5000 murders per year since Socialist mulatto, Michael Manley, and his half Syrian/ Yankee buddy Seaga ,nearly destroyed the country with the help of their , anti Castro CIA pals, yet folks are lining up to visit the country since their leaders understands fully , that a country’s security is not enhanced by over the top, public posturing , and initiation of cheap , unenforcible legislation , implemented by uncaring foreigners.
   Not too sure if any wish to know about such , as having folks across the our country locked in a state of desperate poverty , and degradation , does wonders for the cultural egos of the cross tribal elites represented in the confused 15 century, Feudalistic Trini body politick, yes?
   We wish dem well , for 2011.

3. The Greens were residents of Tobago. They owned a house and some land in Castara.They made a conscious decision to become residents of Tobago, at least on a part time basis.They “fell in love with this tropical paradise”.
   Now, suddenly they are claiming racial discrimination and expressing their horror at the state of the island.There is no question that the attack was horrible and savage. No one deserves to be treated in such a manner. But, crimes occur all over the world and smart people are usually covered by insurance.
   T&T has already spent over $90000 shuttling their relatives to their bedside and putting then up at the Hyatt.
   The Greens, as residents of Tobago should be compensated in exactly the same manner as residents of T&T.
   Their house was broken into and many of their possessions stolen. Who is responsible for replacing these items? The tax payers of T&T or the Greens insurance company?
   The Greens are now demanding that T&T should purchase their house and land for an over inflated price. Is this the responsibility of the government of T&T?
   Many questions need to be answered here. Did the Tobago House of Assembly make promises to the Greens? Remember that the Greens were not presented with any medical bills for their treatment in T&T. Did they have medical insurance?
   Compensation should be paid to the Greens, as victims of crime, but the question has to be asked..Why do the Greens have such unrealistic expectations of the government of T&T?
   The Greens were residents of Tobago for over a decade. The government needs to determine the difference between tourists and foreign residents who often sublet their homes for income when they are not occupied.Is this practice legal?
   The entire area of residency by foreigners should be examined to determine entitlement in T&T.

4. Excellent overall points T-Man, but you know the answer as to “why do the Greens have such unrealistic expectations of the government of T&T?” It’s just the way of Europeans ,whose ancestors have held a stranglehold on a society and it’s people for centuries.
   I wonder if the Charles de Mendez family were given the same courtesies, when clueless London bums murdered him in their neo racial , anti terrorist , over exuberance ?

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4712061.stm

   Speaking of discrimination claims , these are easy to make , especially when they observe politically ambitious , born and bread nationals , using the race card , left , right and center , for every slight- ‘you know what I am saying ,as some from the once disgruntled enclaves have made it into an art form, ehhh?
   Now if Queen K or any member of …wish to be in the good graces of Masa England , den they better do the right thing by succumbing to verbal tourism terrorism backlash, for according to our traumatized foreign/ locals , all foreigners would return to Europe, South Africa , or Norte Americana , taking their dollars
   . What a comic show, but long live de Privy Council!, and all the Eurocentric security , or health , and construction experts , we imported to replace the Chinese, Cubans, Philippinos,and Nigerians.
   Now why any sensible Tobagonians ,would still decide to sell his land , to a foreigner , when unmentionable , ‘big brothers Trinidadian,’ are grabbing for more, to add to the 100 acres they already possess , so as to invest in , and pass on to their 10th and 20th generations . I have a theory , but prefer to defer to wiser folks . So your call!

5. There is no denying what happened to these people is grossly ungfortunate and we should continue to seek both medical and mental care for each and every one of our citizens. A man weilding a cutlass to hurt anybody must have been known to those in his community as being ‘unstable’, so the community may have to bare some moral responsibility for his behaviour. There is a proliferation of ‘misfits’ in our society and so too is our acceptance of the behaviour they exhibit in public. We should continue to support Mayor Lee Sing in his efforts to eradicate this kind of public behaviour. Where this story ends will be interesting because there are many things involved here. There is the case of attempted murder, the treatment of the victims, the questioning of the type of medical care they received, they were obviously living a dual life of temperate and tropical temperatures. They enjoyed the duality of their lifestyle by government offering the relatives luxury accommodations in our best hotels. One cannot argue that the victims are to be comnpensated for enduring what they encountered but there might also be some questions as to the timing for raising it and the forums used to advertise their adverity to the world. Is this only a case of compensation, citizenship and medical treatment or could there be international politics, sports, economics of tourism and judicial competence involved here?

6. Bridge over troubled waters

   Green relieved following call from High Commissioner

   By Anna Ramdass
   December 29, 2010 – trinidadexpress.com

   Story Updated: Dec 29, 2010 at 11:44 PM ECT

   The disappointment, anger and bitterness British nationals Peter Green and his wife, Murium, felt over delayed compensation in the aftermath of a brutal attack on them were somewhat quelled yesterday after they were assured that they need not worry.

   The assurance came from Garvin Nicholas, Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, who spoke to Peter Green yesterday by phone for half an hour.

   The Greens were both almost hacked to death at their Bacolet, Tobago, holiday home on August 1, 2009, by an intruder.

   They had planned to demonstrate outside the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London today to warn foreigners about the crime in this country and to express their disgust that promises of compensation, which they claimed were made to them by THA Chief Secretary Orville London, were never met.

   Nicholas yesterday told the Express that his talk with Green was “cordial” and they will talk again in the new year.

   Green, in a telephone interview with the Express after the conversation with Nicholas, sounded relieved. In fact, he said his plans to protest were shelved.

   “I certainly feel a lot more reassured. I think his excellency is a true gentleman and I shall always remember him with fondness and he’s a very good man to represent your country. He’s a good ambassador for T&T,” Green said.

   He said Nicholas gave him a direct number to call him again in the new year and although he (Nicholas) could not give any guarantees to them, he (Green) had faith in him.

   Green noted that the maximum compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Unit, which he said was about £5,000, cannot cover their medical expenses, but said he was optimistic that some amicable settlement can be reached.

   “It’s a very small amount, although it might be a very grand amount to some people in Trinidad and Tobago. But I don’t mean to be demeaning, but that sort of money doesn’t go very far here in the United Kingdom,” said Green, who reiterated that whatever compensation is received, part would go to charity.

   While Green praised Nicholas, he lashed out at London for denying that any promise of compensation was made to them.

   “I was in shock… one day I will face him face-to-face. I would love to and I will tell him what I think of him. He’s a dreadful man,” Green said.

   He said the only expenses covered by the THA were two one-way tickets from the United Kingdom to Trinidad for his son, Martin, and another from Toronto to Trinidad for his sister, Ann Vines.

   Green said the entire hotel bill for his sister and son was not covered by the THA, as London claimed, but his son paid some of the cost on his credit card. He added that his insurance covered all expenses, including a TT$1.2 million bill to fly his wife from Trinidad back to London. He said because of the altitude and fear of further damage to her brain, she had to be flown almost around the world to get back home safely.

   “I was insured and everything was covered, all the airfare, the hotel bills, everything covered by my insurance. Nobody asked Mr Orville London to go out and pay, all he had to do was to submit his bills to my insurance company and it would have been settled, but Mr London is trying to make political gain on our misfortune,” Green said.

   “He (London) is making us out to be villains and we’re not, we’re old-age pensioners who have been struck down by a horrific attack and our lives have been changed forever.”
   —trinidadexpress.com

   Griffith: Tobago taking tourism hit
   TOBAGO’S tourism industry is being severely impacted by the negative publicity arising from the attack on a British couple while asleep at their villa on the island last year…

   Tobago tourism on steady decline

   Cruise ships forsake Trinidad for Tobago
   TWO cruise ships scheduled to make stops in Port-of-Spain and Scarborough next January and February, have since cancelled the PoS stops because of concerns raised by a British travel advisory for TT.

   London: I made no promises to Greens

   Know Your Place
   London upset with Garvin’s compensation for the Greens statement

   British couple call off picket
   British couple Peter and Murium Green’s plan to picket outside the offices of the T&T High Commission in London did not happen yesterday

   Brits selling Bacolet home

   I’m no money grabber
   PETER GREEN yesterday declared he was not a money grabber as he defended his claims for compensation…

   More than one person involved in attack, says Peter Green

   Man in court for attacks on English nationals

7. When I travel, even to the land of my birth, Trinidad and Tobago, I purchase traveller’s insurance which insulates me against almost all the indignities of travel, except the body scanners. It covers airlifting to a major hospital in the US, loss of life abroad, and a deignated person to claim and accompany my body home. Recently, on a trip to Malawi, I told my hosts of the provisions of the policy, and that there was a copy in my documents. What Eve said, made me cry. “Sister”,she said “if you die here, a delegation of my people would accompany you home, even if the government has to lend us the money. No one will have to come for your body.” I thought of that, and of what friendship and love of a place means. Now, I do not know the Greens. Perhaps they had good relations with their neighbors, perhaps not. When they undertook to live in Tobago, without additional insurance that a visitor would purchase, they were throwing their hats in with the culture, values and standards of the island.Did they sense racial discrimination before they decided to buy a house in Tobago? Did they know the health system was substandard? Was that OK with them because they felt they could always go back to good old England, not thinking that they would need the emergency medical services of the island and country? In life, one hardly gets the best of both worlds all the time. What happened to them is unfortunate, but is a risk one takes of going outside one’s house. If, when I go out after penning this piece, to put my trash on the curb, I should have the misfortune to be struck by a drunk driver, would HArris County be liable? They are doing all they can to curb drunk driving- No-Refusal Weekends, Drawing blood on the spot, stiff fines, and a constant awareness campaign, but they cannot stop a criminal from lifting a bottle to his lips. TnT cannot stop a criminal from wielding a cutlass in an attempt to deprive someone of what they have earned. It happens all over the world.
   Incidentally, I took along a white friend on my Malawi trip.An American woman with whom I have a professional good relationship. She had previously been to Europe and China. On the way back, Ethiopian Airlines lost her luggage by directing it to Belgium instead of Dulles Airport, Washington DC, and on to Houston.There were two changes of flight involved in this trip. When her bags were not at the Dulles baggage claim area, her first response was “Damn Stupid Ethiopians!” I watched her in amazement. At the loss(temporarily) of one bag, on a series of flights from Lilongwe to Addis Ababa, with a stopover in Rome, and on to Dulles, she was condemning a people, who own an airline that flies to all major African and European capitals as well as to the US, whose staff remain polite and smiling throughout and who served meals every four hours regardless of day or night, she was damning them all, for misdirecting one bag. It reinforced in me, that white people(Europeans and North Americans) like you as long as you do their bidding, precisely as they instruct you; then damn you to hell if one thing goes wrong. They want you to say yes to all their demands, any inkling of independent thought is condemned.The attack on the Greens and my friends loss of her bag, which she got safely two days later, are far different, but I see the same attitude coming out. Should the ICC take up the case of every person who is a victim of crime in another place, not their primary residence? Does the Government of TnT intend to compensate every person in the country, every homeowner, if they are the victims of a crime? Would they compensate Dr. DAvid Bratt, a white trini who is my friend, if he was attacked in Tobago or his trini residencee or office?In such a case, we would soon go bankrupt. I therefore suggest that the country absorb the medical costs at the hospitals, since such service is free to all seniors, and let the Greens sell their Tobago house so that they will no longer be “Victims of racial discrimination”, which the people of Tobago no doubt learned from their French, British and other overlords for three centuries.

   The nonsense has to stop.One can no longer expect total feedom anywhere. Brits get attacked in their homes in Britain, as do Americans in the US and Canadians in Canada.There is no paradise, even Eden had a serpent.

8. An iteresting comment on the case:

   I do not wish to make slight of the Greens. From the photos I have seen posted online, and the reports of the injuries sustained, it is clear that they suffered horrendous physical injuries, along with the obvious mental trauma that accompanies the attack.

   Still, if the readers are even slightly objective, it would appear that the Greens’ stories change as rapidly as the wind blows.

   In the initial story, robbery was ruled out (see Daily Mail in UK) as items were openly left (verified by Sup Nadir Khan). Now we find out thousands of £ worth of items are missing.

   In the initial story, Peter was attacked first (again, Daily Mail, UK and Sun, UK) and then Muriel. Now we hear it was two men in a simultaneous attack.

   First they were in the garden, now it is in the patio. Now it is a case of mistaken identity for Taut, the German fellow. Recently he was saying it was because he willed his property to a certain individual when he dies. Which is it??

   Initially, the greens did not seek compensation. Now they are hotly pursuing it.

   Initially, they praised the authorities and were thankful. Now they are critical because they cannot get ‘free’ money.

   There are several other anomalies, but these are the most obvious.

   I have concerns that Alexis was charged only after police from Trinidad obtained a confession after Tobago police FAILED TO DO SO!! I suspect he was beaten into a confession, as is the norm. Of course, I have no proof, but ask any Trinbagonian of their experience with the police and see how much support this theory will get.

   I have concerns about the Greens ‘treating two young girls’ to all expense holidays. Are they really that altruistic? Somehow, I doubt it, from the nature of their complaints. Mayhap it may prove useful to track down these girls and find out what it cost them, and what were the intentions of the Greens.

   I admit, the police, the THA and now the government could have handled this better. However to give money to the Greens while Yanik Quesnel and Carolina Barry-Laso had to go through a painful and long court process to obtain compensation for their medical bills is just ridiculous. Let them apply for compensation as is the law and wait their turn.

   1. I applaud your thoughts, my sentiments exactly. Form a line for all victims of crimes in trinbago and let the Greens await their turn. This to me has some stink of the Greens being egged on by someone in authority, the signals are mixed.

9. I wonder if they were the ones who paid for the two small girls to come to Tobago on the ferry from Trinidad alone, but who were stopped by the officer selling the tickets at the Port Authority because they were eight and nine years old, and were going alone, and could not say who was meeting them or who paid for the tickets?

   I met the wife of the South African Vice-President under Mandela Mrs. LeKlerk, at a reception in Houston about fifteen years ago, sponsored by the Greater Houston Partnership. A few years later, she was murdered by her gardener. Investigations revealed that she had had him do a lot of extra work for which she refused to pay. The notorious pro-Aparthied guy who was murdered in South Africa, TerBlanche, was also a case of getting work done by poor people, and refusing to pay them. Such people, apparently use their tools-work tools in such murders.
   There is only one version of the truth, the truth itself. Every time someone alters the truth, one must ask why? and what are they hiding?

   A panel of inquiry should be set up by the THA to look into bank accounts, and other activities.Talk to their neighbours and the neighbours’ maids. Did their initial jobs in England indicate an income that would allow for the purchase of such a house, or was the house a front for something more ominous.
   Its time to hit back, TnT. If there is something there based on the previious post, did it up. I have waled the streets of Tobago, stayed in guest houses, stayed in hotels, been stopped by police at roadblocks and gone to the sea alone at 7.00 in the morning, over a period of 25 years. Still safe and sound. Of course I also look sort of like the people whose ancient land this is.

10. Pay these people so they can go away ahready, they have the perfect name Greens, that is what they want, let them have it. Money never make any body happy, or well, or satisfied, or will take away their pain and grief, mo money mo problems. Tobago will prevail and will always be there for the next generation of tourists who looking to have fun in the sun.

    1. Agree. I don’t see citizens of Trini being compensated like that for crimes against them. We always treat “these” foreigners with superiority. No wonder they look down on us and treat us as “third world trash”.

11. I read, and reread the comments concerning this crime. There seems to be a feeling of “what they expect? This is TNT”…with some comments. I think the damage the Greens have done is correct, in bringing what they experienced to the people. I have no reason to doubt them , look into things if you desire but obviously someone wanted to kill them. I have been to TNT about 7 times. I loved it, I enjoyed the people, I went with very little money because I have very little money . I am a woman, white, and I travel alone because that’s the way I like to do things, by myself. I am aware of how risky it can be to travel alone in a lot of places, TnT is one of them. I am also a mother. I want to return home after I visit a place, so I am careful. I don’t party, I’m not there for men, I am just looking at other cultures I like to. I feel sorry for many of the people who wrote in more or less telling the Greens they got what others get in TNT. Chopped, broken into, etc. Some of the posts sound like reverse racism..it’s just a shame. There are beautiful people everywhere and there are criminals mixed in too. I hope the Green’s get the money they are looking for. I think they went to Tobago thinking they could bring something good, helping out and also making enough to live off, and in the end they almost lost their lives, and now it sounds like people are MAD that they are standing up for themselves. Coming from other areas of the world TNT can LOOK like paradise . The whole Caribbean area can, but it’s history is rich with tragedy, with mistreatment of it’s people, and with torture and violence. That is the history of the area. Some of the posts sound like jealous people, angry people and maybe it’s because the Greens are white, maybe it’s because they supposedly had money, maybe it’s because they could afford to buy property, who knows. You never really know what a person has gone through to get where they are today, so to judge that is wrong. I wish I had discovered Tnt before the 1980’s when crack cocaine hit the area, when drug dealing became big business, and before the guns came. I know it would have been a beautiful time to be there. I hope TNT eventually gets a handle on it’s violent crime, on its treatment of women,( rape is also a big risk there and remember rape is not a sex crime it’s a violent crime) and even on how it treats it’s young people. In all honesty, it is not for the timid, and it was not for the Green’s. I feel bad for them nobody deserves that, when they were minding their own business, bringing money into the area, and helping out.

12. About Peter and Murium Green
    According to an article in last Wednesday’s Newsday, Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Orville London said that some aspects of a story in the Daily Mail could have a negative impact on the UK (tourist) market, “one of our biggest markets on the Europe front.”

13. http://www.arlindo-correia.com/120604.html

    http://www.isiswomen.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=294&Itemid=207

    The above Book ‘ World on Fire,’was part of a reading assignment I had, for a paper , in an eye opening Conflict Resolution , International Relations class ,about three years ago, and might shed some light on some of the problems Euro -tourist dependent Tobagonians ,and other socially imbalanced places, such as our twin Republic ,finds themselves in.
    I am referring to an economically desperate majority , forced to co exist , with a grateful smiles, alongside wealthy, exploitative minorities -or in the case of Trinidad, an equally successful, competing majority, with a divergent history, and aspirations.
    This can be a combustive situation, than can often lead to erroneous interpretation , by equally exploitative intellectuals , such as this author, with skewed agendas.
    2011 New Years message notwithstanding, our PM ,who rode into power touting a ‘change mantra,’ but has walked locked step with every 12 century policy of her clueless PNM predecessors- including an overwhelming obsession for importing European / foreign experts, at the expense of more competent broad base locals-claimed that her government’s biggest challenge moving forward ,is crime reduction ,and enhancing security.
    Hopefully, this is not limited to paltry physical security , but entails the more holistic concept of ‘Human Security,’ favored by us progressive global humanist.
    These are matters of economic liberalization job creation mechanisms, whereby conglomerates are kept in check , political empowerment of the weak, health care improvement, curtailing environmental degradations,equal playing field justice, and equitable sharing of the natural resources for all our people , which of necessity would include at some point,full respect for the vastly neglected folks in our Twin Island Tobago , that has not seen a single iota of the benefits of our abundant resources, or necessary ,proportional infrastructural developments, since Massa England departed , and 5 successive, neocolonial elites ,ruled the political roost ,from Port of Spain.
    I admonish the real power brokers ,to do whatsoever is necessary ,to make the Greens happy ,in their moments of tragedy, for that is what I expect to be done for all victims across our nation, irrespective of who they are.
    However , their issues, and it’s attendant fallouts, are just scratching the surface of what ills our country are confronting today, and what can prevail to a greater degree, throughout our Twin Republic, if leaders , and the negligible successful Trinis,refuse to drag their collective Ostrich like heads, from out of the sand,due to the naive notion ,that they are safe, protected in private selective enclaves, with a warm passport by the bedsides, and ever expanding private bank accounts in unmentionable quarters.
    However, I have been wrong before , and this might just be another case in point .
    Best wishes T&T , as we move forward to another decade in de 21st century.

14. My dear “Stillin”. I discovered the USA in late 1960’s when it was a paradise for some people. I enjoy the benefits of living here, and particiapating in the political process. Now the grocery where my friend shops, in an area of US $250,000 homes and up, was robbed at gunpoint a day last week.here was a shooting inside the store. A bank near me had a hold-up including a shoot out. Three immigrants tried to rob a jewelry store and were shot dead by the owner, who also took four bullets, and lived; and on Christmas Eve aa woman kidnaped and killed a litte 12 year old boy, then went over and had drinks with his mother and stepfather; and later dumped his burnt body in a ditch. You can check att this at http://www.chron.com.
    Now, can you tell what ethnic groups there people were?The jewelry store was owned by an Hispanic, and the three dead burglars were Hispanic. Whites and Afro-Americans were involved in the other crimes.

    I have not read anything that said people felt the way you describe. My point is, I choose to live in America- a sophisticated but criminal society where judges go to jail for raping their staff and so do sherrifs, and police officers.Crime is no respecter of persons. This was well illustratd a few yers ago when three members of a prominent family, two visiting from abroad, were murdered by a grandson and his friend, in one of Trinidad’s posh areas.
    In Britain, they have arrested a father and uncle for the murder of their Iranian born child, because she left the husband they had chosen for her. This young woman was a British citizen, who lived in England for twelve years, and right now, the police in Bristol, England are investigating the murder of a young woman, and have arrested her landlord, a former school teacher, in the case.www.guardian.co.uk
    Crime is everywhere. If I chose to move to Bhutan or Nepal because I love fresh tea, and rain, and the smiling large eyes of the children there, I cannot claim exemption fron the diseases that ravage those societies. In Trinidad and Tobago, crime against persons and property, is a disease. I hope you understand.
    No country can insulate visitors from crime, nor citizens either. I do not like tourism. It tries to hold a society back, for the entertainment of visitors who like grown children to play with. But that is my personal opinion.
    I would not expect the people of any country I visit to treat me as if I am God’s gift to them, because I am not.

    L.E. Edwards
    Educator and author

    1. Dear Linda,
       I like the way you phrased it, that in Tnt, crime against persons and property , is a disease. Very well said. I don’t quite follow the last line, about being treated like God’s gift to them…because of course nobody is. It’s that kind of biting dig that I mentoned in my earlier post about the “tone” of much of the blog mail in this instance, the Green’s. I never considered myself a tourist as I wasn’t there for tourist sites, I didn’t come into Tnt on a cruise ship or anything, but then I read another persons view that a tourist is just someone visiting. I do like to visit Tnt crime and all. Love to see the art, eat food, walk around in the sun, swim, things I cannot do where I live here in the states because it is too cold right now. Could be 40 degree’s below 0 so yea, I like to go to Tnt. Crime may be everywhere, it certainly seems to be, but it is not where I live , or should I say, it’s manageable, we do not have murder, or attempted murder. Maybe it’s too cold to go outside and do that to people I don’t know…all I know is nobody deserves to be hacked with a machete, no matter what country or continent they are living in or on. Just my opinon, stillin.

    2. Excellent Post!

15. Where the grass is greener
    It is alleged that on August 1, 2009 Clint Alexis chopped Tobago residents Peter and Murium Green. The Greens remain blameless so far and required major restorative surgery. Peter remained in a coma for a while and the couple is, understandably, deeply regretful of their semi-permanent move from the UK to Tobago more than five years before. Now as the story of their brutal attack resurfaces and details of their claim for compensation are exposed, three possibilities are evident but only one outcome seems likely.

16. Greens claim death threats
    Peter and Murium Green, the British couple who were victims of a brutal cutlass attack at their home in Tobago in August 2009, claim they have received death threats.

17. The more Peter speaks …
    The savaging of British couple Peter and Murium Green in an August 1, 2009 cutlass attack stands out as one of the most evil acts this country has witnessed. When details of the attack were made public, citizens of this country gasped at the grisly act, were bewildered at the motivation for the brutality visited upon these two seniors, and were collectively astonished that they survived such a nightmare; the religious would likely label their survival a miracle.

18. If the government pays them any money then this leaves the door open for every tourist (which they are not) to seek compensation if something happens to them. I recently visited Tobago, the boat ride was very rough that I was vomiting for most of my one day visit. I guest I should seek compensation from the government for ruining my vacation especially since I traveled on a government vessel to get to Tobago.

19. Ain’t it rather interesting as to what again is dominating the discussion , drivers dominating dis here information highway?
    Most definitely , a very tragic event- that should never be condoned -as occurred to the Greens, but please folks ,do not forget the revolting , despicable ,cross party , politically orchestrated ,historical ,socio economic, neglectful situations,which Gonians Island warders , have endured since 1962, that warranted them -and in too many forgot-as fellow citizens, to have to repeatedly resort to demeaning ,feet kissing gestures ,to appease the sensibilities of neo racial foreigners, who will never ever have theirs ,and by extension ,the country’s full interest, at heart?
    The bigger question is , should any foreigner be allowed to come to our small land scarce country, and purchase lands ,especially when it’s evident most lacks a serious commitment to concrete investments?
    And many still wish to know why resource laden ‘Sweet , Sweet T&T , aka Rainbow Country ,’remains a perennial underachieving nation , and of course , the laughing stock of the entire region.
    Cut through the chase , and rise up ye mighty people, so as to put pressure on your cross cultural/ racial/ ethnically diverse leaders , in efforts to retake your country.
    As the wises lady that ever lived , always admonished me , ‘de longest rope has an end,’and rest assured that the 99.9 % ,mostly Christian, couple thousand folks that make up the island ward, might someday inevitably add a line from their ‘BlackSunGod’ Bible , “if your right hand offend you, cut it out,”yes?

20. What has happened to them is a tragedy, and certainly no one can deny that. But compensation beyond what is mandated by law and constitution should not be considered. The value of any person or persons in T&T cannot be premised on their race or ethnicity, or even the circumstances of their presence in the country.

    That said, I noticed very little reaction to the blip in the story that they did not wish dark skinned nurses attending them. This should not cause any dissipation in the sympathy and empathy being expressed for their pain and suffering, but if true certainly impeaches the laudatory character references being heaped on them. In addition, the failure of authorities to conduct deep investigations into the circumstances of two little girls travelling to their homes is an indication that we are still locked into that imperial time warp where some folks wre valued more than others.

    If that had occurred in the US or the UK, and involved two little white girls travelling unchaperoned to the home of an expatriate, you bet there would be an investigation. And while one should never rationalize crime on the basis that it exists elsewhere, the proposition that its manifestation is more bestial in former colonies is ridiculous. What is more bestial than killings where the killer consukmes the carcass of his victims. As far as I know, we have not yet crossed that depraved rubicon in T&T.

21. I have seen on one ofmy favorite shows “Law and Order” rape victims freaking out if male doctors come into their room, or male police officers. This could be why the Greens specified “No Black Staff Please”. I do wonder, however, if they had been attacked in Bath on the south of England, or in Puket, in gentle Asia(?)whether they would have specified no white staff or no Asian staff. There may have been some latent racism there all along, that may have led to the attack in the first place. The attack was wrong, make no mistake about that, but all white people living in Tobago were not ruthlessly chopped about the face. What are we doing to find out what really was the relationship between these people and their attacker? Is there really such a thing as an unprovoked attack, by other than mad people?

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