Qormi blast recalls Sliema police station explosion

Peter Bonnici

Dec 27th 2009, 23:31

@ Charles Buttigieg. I take it you've given up trying to defend the indefencible. Happy New Year.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Dec 27th 2009, 20:09

@ Peter Bonnici You are now beating round the bush; you know it and our fellow contributors are intelligent enough to see through you. You seem to be enjoying yourself and you don’t need anybody else to assist you. Have a nice time.

Peter Bonnici

Dec 27th 2009, 11:53

@ Charles Buttigieg. If you are referring to the attack on Tarcisio Mifsud, then you'd better think again about who was behind it, and the reason. Furthermore the perpetrators were brought to justice, punished, and the AG appealed for a greater punishment. You cannot even start to compare. I point my finger at labour because in 16 years, the regime's police brought nobody to justice, not to mention of course that the police force itself was an instrument of violence and oppression. And I can present you with entire publications on this and not 1 or 2 press photos.

@ Claudia Pecorella: Not sure what you meant but I still insist that comparison between the 2 incidents should never have been made. Otherwise, everytime a bomb goes off, or an office burns, or a person is beaten in police custody, we would have to recall 16 years of labour in power.

Claudia Pecorella

Dec 27th 2009, 01:47

the problem is that at the end of the day all that matters is the state of the person. I know fully well that there was politacal violence during my days but the issue is that I can forgive but I cannot and will not forget that fatal night. At the end of the day I was the one who saw the bomb explode and when every 18th December I recall this moment at 21.00 hrs of every year I do it alone as I thank the Lord above that I am still here in this world. It is good to judge when one is not the one to be hurt. When I expressed my feelings towards the mr. Cini's bomb related I was only expressing my feelings as one who was unfortunatly involved in a similar occation during what I can say as the best time of the year. I am sorry that you think that this article has nothing to do with the Qormi / Sliema Police station incident but at the end of the day everyone has his own opinion.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Dec 26th 2009, 18:47

@ Peter Bonnici

Yes Alfred Sant, in 1992, was the one who paved the way for a violent free political ambience yet after 1998 and other general elections we still saw the PN supporters committing violent crimes when celebrating their electoral victories. Are you courageous enough to deny this? I can furnish you with press photos if your memory is short.
According to you Dr. Muscat only offered a so called apology but you failed to answer my questions. My statement was, is and will always be that the two parties have a background tarnished with political violence. You keep pointing your fingers only at Labour thugs, that’s your problem......being in a state of denial.

Peter Bonnici

Dec 26th 2009, 17:57

@ Charles Micallef. "Alfred Sant stopped the political violence"...so it his to stop was it?
And can you please quote what JM said in this so-called apology? What he did say is that what happened should not have happened. Thats no apology, and again, he only said so in reference to Black Monday.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Dec 26th 2009, 17:33

@ Peter Bonnici

Alfred Sant stopped the political violence, the church apologised for its past mistakes, and Joseph Muscat made the apologies. When did the PN show their slightest remorse? Tell me, do you believe that the PN has nothing to apologise for?

Peter Bonnici

Dec 26th 2009, 16:10

@ Charles Buttigieg. I suppose that when you confess your sins, you ask forgiveness. You do not merely admit to them. God needs no reminding of what you've done.
You seem to be making the same mistake as many others before you.
The MLP through Alfred Sant's action acknowledged its participation in violence, but never apologised.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Dec 26th 2009, 14:52

@ Peter Bonnici

When I go to confession I confess my sins not other people’s, does this mean that the others are not sinners? Alfred Sant is an honest person; he confessed the sins, started on a clean slate and allowed the others to follow his good example. The others are the hypocrites that’s all.

Peter Bonnici

Dec 26th 2009, 11:03

@ Claudia Pecorella. The article in question recalled an incident that took place when political violence was rife. Furthermore, the police force was considered by many to have formed an intrinsic part of the violent element within the labour party in government.

In my view it was wrong to compare the Qormi incident to any of those since we don't know enough about it yet.

@ Charles Buttigieg. Thankfully, political violence can be considered something of the past, especially since 1992, when Alfred Sant as labour leader declared that the MLP was no longer in a position to harbour the violent elements that plagued it throughout the 70's and 80's. He inadvertently admitted therefore that the blame for (most of ) the violence was to be placed at labour's doorstep.

Claudia Pecorella

Dec 25th 2009, 23:13

I cannot agree more with Mr. Sammut. Why is it always down to politics. You guys really have a problem. I did not care way back in the 1985 era that the Labour were in goverment. I only cared that we were in Christmas week and that bombs were exploding in clubs, police station and also in churches. When is Malta going to unite against these certain people who think that just by being a thug than they can do what they want. For me these are just plain cowards. Cowards and people who believe that they are gods but than they do not understand that at the end of the day they will end up in front of my God up above and no one will be able to help them. Mr. Cini hope you are doing well. Merry Christmas to all.

L. Zammit

Dec 25th 2009, 11:16

@Charles J. Buttigieg: Hey!! For accuracy's sake I NEVER mentioned the PL in my comments.

A.Sammut

Dec 25th 2009, 10:33

Some people amaze me how they manage to attribute anything with politics.
For just one time, kindly pray for Philip Cini and his family to overcome this horrible situation they found themselves in.

Fabrizio Gerada

Dec 25th 2009, 10:15

@ Peter Bonnici:

the case in Qormi has nothing to do. But at that time they were obvious. Let's take the case of the PN club at St Julians, I do not think it was someone who did it to against the barman for example, the one who did it wanted to make a masacre.

With regards to the arrests, you are right, the government had all the inteligance, they had not been the PL else they would have been arrested.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Dec 25th 2009, 10:14

@ L. Zammit

Of course I have the answers; I just thought that you didn’t. I join you to shame such cowards who indulged in these horrible acts. Don’t however run away with the stupid idea that the thugs were only on the Labour’s side.

I reciprocate your greetings and add that we should all unite to ascertain that we would never see again the past political violence.

L. Zammit

Dec 25th 2009, 09:00

My dear Mr Buttigieg
I assure you that it was no hoax at all because I lived it and actually saw the blasts go up as I was in the balcony of the club so please do not keep insisting on this.
As to the questions you put, you seem to be intelligent enough and as such I am sure you have the answers.
My initial comment was to shame such cowards who indulged in these horrible acts. Punto e basta and may you all have a merry CHRISTMAS, and we must keep on praying for Mr Cini's speedy recovery.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Dec 24th 2009, 21:50

@ L. Zammit

“Seeing that there are some fanatics who deny that the Nazi holocaust ever happened and that the Americans' landing on the moon never took place, Charles Buttigieg, Victor Caruana and Gerard Cassar should not surprise us after all!!”

What surprise me are people like you who want us to believe that all the PN supporters of the 70s and the 80s were a bunch of pacifists and taking all the stick from the Labour thugs and doing nothing about it. Tell me, do you honestly believe that? Do you honestly believe that Karen Grech, Raymond Caruana and Cardona were assassinated by Labour thugs? And the Sliema Police station bomb, the bombs planted on the doorsteps of Dr. Pullicino, Albert Mizzi and Maj. Grech were also the work of Labour supporters? The list is endless my friend, both parties had their thugs but I insist that the St.Julians PN club incident was a hoax.

L. Zammit

Dec 24th 2009, 21:16

Seeing that there are some fanatics who deny that the Nazi holocast ever happened and that the Americans' landing on the moon never took place, Charles Buttigieg, Victor Caruana and Gerard Cassar should not surprise us after all!!

Gerard Cassar

Dec 24th 2009, 20:12

About the scare of a non existant bomb at St. Julian's P.N. Club read the article of the time by none other than Dr. J. Brincat. The place was full of smell of cigars smoke and cigarettes, but an individual succeeded to smell rhe smoke of a bomb.down the stairs. A phenomenal smelling nose to be included in the Guiness book of records.

Peter Bonnici

Dec 24th 2009, 19:33

@ Fabrizio Gerada. By your reasing, if you can call it so, this week's blast in Qormi the work of the PL, right?
If, as you imagine, opposition supporters perpetrated those crimes, how come no arrests were made when the government of the time had all the intelligence at its disposal? Well actually, the police made 2 infamous arrests. One was framed, and the other was murdered at the police HQ.

As for the rest of the world, perhaps you ought ditch Super1 and start to follow TV stations like BBC, CNN, and RAI, its very different from what you imagine it to be.

Or else stay confused as you said you are and keep voting Labour. You fit the bill perfectly.

Fabrizio Gerada

Dec 24th 2009, 18:02

what I never understood is why in all the countries of the World, the opposition makes such bombs while in Malta you want people to believe that the party in the government was doing these bombs.

At least some one explain this to me so I take off this thought.

@ Peter Bonnici Re: 25 years in opposition has thought nothing to labour... Labour has been thought to defend this little nation from the being abused from the government powers, and finally the opposition found a leader with the guts to do it.

Happy Christmas and a Happy new year.

Peter Bonnici

Dec 24th 2009, 12:09

@ Victor Caruana. Re. your 2nd point. Are you referring to the bomb for which Nardu Debono was placed under arrest and 'interrogated' at the police depot? Don't you remember how that story ended???

L.Zammit

Dec 24th 2009, 09:53

It is incredible. So Charles Buttigieg and Victor Caruana must not have been living in Malta at that time. Or is it that they want to rewrite history in their own way.

Peter Bonnici

Dec 24th 2009, 09:42

@ Victor Caruana. Your reply to L Zammit is typical of one who hates to be reminded of a disgusting and shameful past. Keep it up, we do not expect you to change.

@ Charles Buttigieg. Bomb Hoax my foot. I heard the blast from across the bay, went hurriedly because I knew that my brother might have been there. Police investigations were inconclusive because their only interest was to clear the scene and make it seem that nothing had happened.

Seems like 25 years in opposition has thought labour nothing.

victor caruana

Dec 24th 2009, 09:13

@ L Zammit

1. TELL IT TO THE MARINES
2. INCIDENTALLY YOU FORGOT TO MENTION THE BOMB (REAL ONE) PLACED BEHIND THE FLAT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE.
3. AGAIN: TELL IT TO THE MARINES

Claudia Pecorella

Dec 24th 2009, 09:09

I also recall that there was a bomb in a Valletta church soon after the Sliema police station bomb.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Dec 24th 2009, 07:53

@ L. Zammit

I do remember the 1984 St. Julian’s accident but I do not recall the two huge explosives after the sack was thrown on the rocks. My recollection is that the bomb threat was a hoax. It was either the result of a sick mind who wanted to scare the PN supporters in the club or a political plot to claim martyrdom. The police investigations were inconclusive.

J. Mifsud

Dec 24th 2009, 06:10

Whilst condemning these cowardly and dastardly acts, I cannot help but remember the atrocious murder of Karin Grech, an innocent bystander in a valley of hatred, during the Yuletide celebrations of 1977, when Roman Catholics should have been praising the birth of our Dear Lord Jesus Christ.

I cannot imagine how the people responsible for her murder could have lived with their heavy consciences.

One good thing is that they would one day be judged for their terrible actions by God Almighty. There is no way that they could escape that judgement. No confession will ever erase their murderous intent.

And for what was she murdered? Only because her father was carrying his duties as a doctor.

May I take this opportunity to wish a speedy recovery to Mr Philip Cini and let us say a prayer for ALL victims of these dreadful acts.

I M Dingli

Dec 24th 2009, 00:37

@ Dorianne Brincat

It seems that those dreadful times can still occur at the present day or rather era!

Dorianne Brincat

Dec 23rd 2009, 21:44

@L Zammit. I also remember 26th December 1984. I was one of the 50 dining on the upper floor. My life would have been taken away at the age of 17 had it not been for the late Paul Cremona who saved the lives of all of us. Those were really dreadful times!

jesmond zammit

Dec 23rd 2009, 21:35

kien hawn min qabillu jiftakar f dan l incient biex il mizien jibbilancjah ghax hadd ma ftakar fih imma f dak ta karin grech . il hazin hu li min dawn l incidenti li setaw saru min nies li kellom interess jidistabilizzaw il pajjiz ,sal lum ghad hawn min irid jaghmel kapital politiku,ghax qabillu u ghax jaqbillu , sar vittma meta seta ma kienx . solidarjeta mal professur grech li min jaf il memorji kif geddidhom b dan l incident.

L. Zammit

Dec 23rd 2009, 20:43

26th December, 1984 could have been another day of shame for such cowards who seek vengeance by these means. I refer to the powerful bomb that was placed under the staircase of the PN club in St Julian's, when circa 50 persons were about to dine on the top floor. I was on the first floor with some friends and the smoke that was coming from downstairs was frightening but did not think for a second that it could have been a bomb or anything. It was when the smoke became very thick that I realised it could have been something serious and told a friend of mine who was with me, to go in the balcony for some fresh air. Then we saw a certain Paul Cremona who had been having a drink at the bar, crossing the road and throwing a dark sack (it must have been a duffle-bag) on the rocks. About ten seconds later two huge explosions followed. What would have happened if the late Paul Cremona did not pluck up courage and dispose of the sack in that manner? God only knows. Yes, Mr Cini, our prayers are for you in this dreadful moment.