{"id":1132,"date":"2008-11-01T05:06:28","date_gmt":"2008-11-01T13:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bbrace.laughingsquid.net\/wordpress\/?p=1130"},"modified":"2008-11-01T05:06:28","modified_gmt":"2008-11-01T13:06:28","slug":"secret-sand-thieves-on-lagos-ibadan-expressway-rampage-as-toll-in-indias-northeast-explosions-rises-to-77","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/?p=1132","title":{"rendered":"Secret Sand Thieves on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Rampage as Toll in India’s northeast explosions rises to 77"},"content":{"rendered":"

13 hours ago<\/em><\/p>\n

The level of sophistication in the bombings that killed at least 76 people
\nin northeastern India indicate that local militants had help from other
\nterrorist groups to carry out the attacks, officials said Friday.<\/p>\n

Caribbean round grains, favored in creating smooth surfaces for plastering
\nand finishing, are being hauled away by the truckload late at night. On
\nsome islands not much bigger than Manhattan, towns and ecologically
\nsensitive areas are now exposed to tidal surges and rough seas.<\/p>\n

For over 40 minutes, armed robbers were on the rampage on the Lagos-Ibadan
\nExpressway in southwest Nigeria on Thursday, snatching vehicles and other
\nvaluables from commuters.<\/p>\n

The scale and planning behind Thursday’s 13 coordinated blasts in Assam
\nstate surprised authorities, who struggled to determine who was behind the
\nattacks \u2014 among the worst ever in a region plagued by separatism and ethnic
\nviolence.<\/p>\n

The Director of US National Intelligence today disclosed the 2008 budget
\nfor the National Intelligence Program: $47.5 billion.<\/strong> That
\nfigure does not include spending for the Military Intelligence Program,
\nwhich is at least another $10 billion.<\/p>\n

The death toll in the explosions rose to 77 on Friday after more than a
\ndozen people died from their injuries overnight, said Subhas Das, the
\nstate’s home commissioner. More than 300 people were wounded.<\/p>\n

In Puerto Rico, thieves once mined the dunes in the northern coastal town
\nof Isabela, said Ernesto Diaz of the Department of Natural Resources. But
\nnow they are stealing the beaches of the tiny island of Vieques _ 52 square
\nmiles where the U.S. military only recently halted its controversial
\nbombing practice.<\/p>\n

Top government officials in Ekiti State became targets of armed robbers as
\nthree of them have lost their cars to the bandits.<\/p>\n

Assam state Inspector General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said the
\nstate’s largest separatist group, the United Liberation Front of Asom, was
\nthe main target of the investigation, but he added that the sophistication
\nof the blasts suggested the rebel group was “assisted by a force who has
\nadequate expertise in such attacks.” He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n

Among the hardest hit is Grenada, where officials are building a $1.2
\nmillion seawall to protect the 131-square-mile island. Large-scale sand
\nthefts have exposed north-coast towns to rough seas, said Joseph Gilbert,
\nthe minister of works and environment.<\/p>\n

No fewer than 10 cars have been snatched in the past two weeks in which the
\nvictims were held hostage at gunpoint before being made to part with their
\nvaluables.<\/p>\n

Anjan Borehaur, a spokesman for the United Liberation Front of Asom, denied
\nhis group had any role in the blasts.<\/p>\n

One of the region’s largest sand thefts targeted Jamaica, where nearly 100
\ntruckloads were swiped from private property in the northwest, exposing
\nprotected mangroves and a limestone forest to wind and waves.<\/p>\n

Among the high-profile robbery victims are the Commissioner for Local
\nGovernment and Culture, Prince Biodun Bamiteko, Commissioner in the State
\nUniversal Basic Education Board Iyabo Babatunde and the Permanent
\nSecretary, Establishment and Training Lekan Ayeleso.<\/p>\n

The separatist group has never carried out an attack of this size and
\ncomplexity, which closely resembled bombings that have rocked other Indian
\ncities this year. Those attacks were blamed on well-financed and well-armed
\nIslamic militant groups.<\/p>\n

Roughly 706,000 cubic feet of sand were taken in late July, enough to fill
\nroughly 10 Olympic-sized pools, said Jamaica Mines Commissioner Clinton
\nThompson, who suspects government officials were involved.<\/p>\n

Bamiteko and Babatunde were robbed of their Toyota Camry and Toyota Avensis
\n2008 model cars at gunpoint.<\/p>\n

Federal investigators and forensic experts sifted through the rubble of the
\nblasts Friday for clues.<\/p>\n

“I was surprised at the amount,” he said. “This one could not have been
\nstolen without persons knowing about it.”<\/p>\n

Ayeleso’s home at Ado-Ekiti GRA was attacked by robbers who made away with
\nhis car and other valuables.<\/p>\n

Mahanta said that preliminary investigations indicated the militants had
\nused PE-3, a complex plastic explosive.<\/p>\n

Police have refused to comment on their investigation.<\/p>\n

Babatunde told reporters Thursday that five armed robbers broke into her
\nhome at about 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Sunday and in the 45-minute operation,
\nmade away with her Toyota Avensis car, money and other valuables.<\/p>\n

On Friday, police fired rubber bullets to disperse angry mobs who took to
\nthe streets of the state capital, Gauhati, stoning and attacking vehicles
\nand buildings, said C.K. Bhuyan, a local magistrate.<\/p>\n

Illegal sand mining in the Caribbean began in the 1970s, when people with
\nshovels stole small amounts for construction because most homes were built
\nwith wood. But the thefts increased as builders switched to concrete homes
\nand have only gotten bigger with the rise in construction of resorts and
\nhotels _ built, ironically, for tourists drawn by the Caribbean’s
\nimmaculate beaches. An estimated 80 new hotels and resorts are expected to
\nopen in the Caribbean through 2012, according to Smith Travel Research.<\/p>\n

She said many houses in Ado-Ekiti GRA were raided with some of the
\nresidents beaten up.<\/p>\n

Similar incidents had taken place on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Some islands offer local quarries or designate certain beaches for mining,
\nbut large-scale nighttime thefts persist despite police patrols. Front
\nloaders and other heavy equipment are now used instead of shovels to steal
\nsand, which sells for nearly $200 for 1 cubic yard.<\/p>\n

The increasing wave of robbery in Ado-Ekiti has also affected night life as
\nmany fun-seekers now go home early so as not to fall victim of the robbers.<\/p>\n

“If we continue to mine the beaches the way we’ve been doing, we will have
\nno sand to boast about. Just sea and sun,” Gilbert said.<\/p>\n

A curfew was imposed in parts of the city on Friday, Bhuyan said, adding
\nthat no one was injured when police fired rubber bullets.<\/p>\n

National Chairman of the Action Congress (AC) Chief Bisi Akandeand his
\nwife, were among those who ran into the armed bandits at Sapade,
\nIsara-Remo, Ogun State around 9 a.m. (2000 GMT).<\/p>\n

No one knows how much sand in all has been carted away, but the islands of
\nTortola, Anguilla and St. Vincent are now vulnerable to flooding, said
\nGillian Cambers, associate researcher at the University of Puerto Rico. Up
\nto two-thirds of sand dunes in Tortola and Nevis have been decimated, she
\nadded.<\/p>\n

The bombs were planted in cars and rickshaws, and the largest explosion
\ntook place near the office of Assam’s top government official, leaving
\nbodies and charred, mangled cars and motorcycles strewn across the road.<\/p>\n

He had left Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, for Lagos to attend the swearing
\nin of local government chairmen by Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN). He
\nmissed the ceremony.<\/p>\n

On Grenada’s 13-square-mile Carriacou island, population 6,000, the beach
\nis shrinking by 3 linear feet every year from illegal sand mining, Gilbert
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

Bystanders dragged the wounded and dead to cars that took them to
\nhospitals. Police officers covered charred bodies with white sheets in the
\nstreet.<\/p>\n

Amid sporadic shootings, there was commotion as vehicles on the other side
\nof the road turned back.<\/p>\n

In Barbuda, illegal sand miners dug a 23-foot crater that damaged a
\nfreshwater aquifer. Saltwater seeped in, and droppings from cows and
\ndonkeys contaminated the exposed aquifer, which is now unusable, said local
\nenvironmentalist John Mussington.<\/p>\n

India’s northeast \u2014 an isolated region wedged between Bangladesh, Bhutan,
\nChina and Myanmar with only a thin corridor connecting it to the rest of
\nIndia \u2014 is beset by dozens of conflicts. More than 10,000 people have died
\nin separatist violence over the past decade in the region.<\/p>\n

In panic, many abandoned their vehicles and ran for cover in the nearby
\nbush.<\/p>\n

Hurricane damage also has bumped up demand for sand, with residents using
\nconcrete blocks to rebuild homes and sand to finish them, according to the
\ngovernment of Antigua and Barbuda.<\/p>\n

In October, more than 50 people were killed in violence between members of
\nthe Bodo tribe and recent migrants to the area, most of whom are Muslims.<\/p>\n

There was wailing on the road as the armed robbers seized car keys,
\nmolested drivers and forced people to part with their money and other
\nbelongings.<\/p>\n

If caught, thieves face light fines and jail time that critics say are
\nunequal to the crime. Grenada, for example, imposes up to $190 in fines,
\nless than the cost of a single load of sand.<\/p>\n

The region is also home to dozens of separatist groups who accuse the
\ngovernment of exploiting the area’s natural resources while doing little
\nfor the indigenous people \u2014 most of whom are ethnically closer to Burma and
\nChina than to the rest of India.<\/p>\n

Akande, who was stuck in the hold-up, was quickly spirited away by his
\nsecurity aide as the robbers advanced on his vehicle. He took cover in the
\nbush. The former Osun State governor said although he had witnessed
\nrobberies in the past, he had never seen armed robbers at a closer range.<\/p>\n

“One could go out, engage in sand mining, pay all the fines and … still
\ncome out making a profit,” said Randolph Edmead, director of St. Kitts’
\nplanning and environment department.<\/p>\n

“But today we really ran into them and we saw them face-to-face. My
\nsecurity assistant advised me not to wait to confront them face-to-face,”
\nAkande said.<\/p>\n

Grenada legislators expect to triple that amount and extend prison terms
\nfrom three months to two years. Jamaica also plans to approve new maximum
\nfines of $11,000 and allow police to seize sand-mining equipment.<\/p>\n

“I saw people wailing and running towards me when I looked up and I saw
\nmany cars turning. But, before we could turn, many vehicles were behind
\nus,” he said.<\/p>\n

Some islands have considered importing sand to replenish their beaches, but
\nsay it is expensive and worry about shifting the problem elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Akande said he escaped into a wet bush close to a river, with insects
\nswarming all over him.<\/p>\n

Gilbert said he is “appalled” and called for more oversight to prevent loss
\nof the region’s treasured shores.<\/p>\n

He also said respite came about 40 minutes later when policemen arrived
\nafter the armed robbers had left.<\/p>\n

“We should take action now,” he said. “Or otherwise we will lose our
\nbeaches.”<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

13 hours ago The level of sophistication in the bombings that killed at least 76 people in northeastern India indicate that local militants had help from other terrorist groups to carry out the attacks, officials said Friday. Caribbean round grains, favored in creating smooth surfaces for plastering and finishing, are being hauled away by the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[5,10,32],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1132\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bbrace.net\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}