Trinidad and Tobago remembers victims of 1976 Cubana airline terrorist attack

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne says while there is a symbolic plaque at the Piarco International Airport in honour of the people killed during the 1976 Cubana Airlines terrorist attack, something must be done to ensure more pay attention to it. He said it is a "very important symbol" that represents a moment that shook the region.

He was speaking at a wreath-laying ceremony at the airport on Sunday to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the October 6 attack.

On that day in 1976, a total of 73 people aboard Cubana flight 455 – including people from Cuba, Guyana and Korea – were killed as bombs were planted on the aircraft.

The flight began in Guyana and was destined for Cuba, but had stops in TT, Barbados and Jamaica.

The two Venezuelan terrorists left the flight in Barbados and returned to TT, where they were arrested.

Browne said he is "quite pleased that our society, on an annual basis, has found it important to pause for a moment and to commemorate an absolute tragedy that didn't occur on the other side of the world, but occurred right here in our region.

"It's a reminder of not something academic or hypothetical, but real-life events that destroyed lives right here within our region."

He said younger generations may not be aware of this. He said the people on board were "completely innocent, much like people who were boarding flights during his speech in Piarco.

"This was not an air force flight, these people were not military personnel, they were not bearing arms, they were not wearing uniform...and in one instant of terror and death, they were removed from this earth."

He said members of Cuba's national fencing team were also on board, adding, "And if you know anything about sport in Cuba, you might suspect this was not an ordinary sporting team. This was a gold-medal-winning team."

On board that flight, he said, were not just lives but dreams and aspirations which were all cut short.

"We honour their memory as we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters from Cuba.

"(That was) a watershed moment for all of us, when the zone of peace was assaulted. We in TT will not allow the legacy of that day to fade."

The commemorative plaque was placed in the airport in 2016. It reads, "The government and people of TT express profound solidarity with the families of those who lost their lives, friendship with the people of Cuba, and grateful appreciation for the role of the TT Police Service and other officer representatives in the state in apprehending the perpetrators of this terrorist act."

Speaking about the plaque, Browne said, "Many of our passengers transiting through this airport may not notice or observe or pay attention (to it). Maybe we can find some way to pull eyes to this particular zone, (which is) very, very important.

"You will not find many airports in the world with something like this."

Browne also renewed his call for Cuba to be removed from the US' list of state sponsors against terrorism, as well as "the very unjust embargo.

"And that call is not in a whisper or 'by the way.' It is bold, it is clear, because it is based on principle."

He continued, "Terrorism should have no room in our world, whether it's committed by friends, foes, allies, people we like, people we don't like. An act of terror is an act of terror. And, really, in 2024, it should not be difficult to call a spade a spade, especially when the card is so obvious, so clear and so disruptive."

Cuban ambassador Gustavo D Veliz Olivares said the act was "one of the most cruel events in the history of the Cuban revolution."

He said it was not the only one.

"Fidel Castro, the historical leader of the Cuban revolution, was the target of more than 600 assassination attempts. The introduction of diseases like haemorrhagic dengue and swine fever in Cuba were other versions of terrorism acting against Cuba...This week, the US authorities decided to release Alexander Alazo, the individual who on April 30, 2020, fired 32 rounds from a machine gun at the Cuban embassy in Washington."

He said terrorism continues to cause "serious problems" around the world.

"The economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba is equally an act of criminal hostility and an expression of terrorism against Cuba by the US government.
"The Palestinian people are cruel victims of terrorism and genocide against their population; Venezuela currently is also a victim of state terrorism."

Cuba, he said, practises peace and he thanked TT and all other Caribbean countries that stand in solidarity with it.

Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher and Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) leader David Abdulah also attended.