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Tuesday, May 15 was the day Colombia's free-trade agreement withthe United States took effect. At 11:15 a.m., however, a brutalmessage was delivered, reminding everyone of the ugly problems onthe home front that the country' has yet to overcome, despite itsnew status as a regional economic comer. The message came in theform of a powerful bomb that exploded on crowded Caracas Avenue innorth Bogotá that killed at least two people and wounded 54. A man wearing a wig and posing as a street vendor apparentlyattached a bomb with magnets to the hood of an armored SUV that wasstuck in traffic. The car was also carrying FernandoLondoño, 68, a right-wing former government minister. Theblast decapitated Londoño's driver, killed a bodyguard inthe backseat and showered pedestrians with shrapnel and brokenglass. Londoño, who staggered out of the vehicle covered inblood, had just finished broadcasting his radio commentary program"The Hour of Truth." (VIDEO: Interview with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos) Londoño suffered head and chest injuries but was expected torecover. The psychological impact of the blast, however, was harderto gauge. It was the first major terrorist bombing in Bogotásince 2003 and shattered the notion that the Colombian capitalstands immune from the drug and guerrilla violence that stillplagues remote jungle and mountain regions. The carnage could havebeen far worse: hours before the blast authorities deactivated acar bomb in a Bogotá slum that was apparently meant totarget police headquarters. "What are they trying to achieve? We don't know," said PresidentJuan Manuel Santos after visiting Londoño in a Bogotáhospital. "But terrorists always try to sow panic among thepeople." Gen. Luis Eduardo Martínez, commander of the Bogotápolice force, said there was "strong evidence" that both bombs werethe work of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces, or FARC, aMarxist rebel group that has been fighting to overthrow thegovernment since 1964. The FARC has often used conventional carbombs. Though not seen before in Colombia, the type of explosivedevice used against Londoño was similar to bombs used by thenow defunct Basque separatist group ETA in Spain. There have beenallegations of joint training between ETA and FARC fighters inneighboring Venezuela, according to Jeremy McDermott, co-directorof Insight Crime, a think tank that tracks organized crime andconflict in Latin America. In addition, Londoño received threats from the FARC when hewas interior and justice minister in the early 2000s when he helpedoversee a military offensive that cut the numbers of rebel forcesin half to about 8,000 fighters. On his radio program,Londoño has consistently lashed out at the FARC."Londoño has been an unflinching critic of the guerrillasand the FARC holds a grudge forever," McDermott said. "But Iwouldn't rule anything out." (MORE: Colombia's Comeback: Rebels and Drug Cartels Are in Check,and the Economy's Booming) Indeed, some analysts said it could have been the work of dissidentmembers of the military or other extreme rightists who opposeSantos's efforts to reach out to the FARC and hold peace talks. Bykilling one of their own and blaming it on the rebels, thisargument goes, the mayhem could sap support for negotiations. Itcould also derail efforts by the Colombian Congress to pass aconstitutional amendment that would exempt the guerrillas for manyof their crimes and allow them to participate in politics if theydisarm under an eventual peace accord. "We are not going to allowthe enemies of peace — from either the extreme right or theextreme left — to coerce the Congress," said Sen. RoyBarreras, one of the main backers of the amendment. The bombers achieved their short-term goal of disrupting this cityof 8 million. However, security has vastly improved in Colombiaover the past decade with kidnapping and per-capita homicide ratescontinuing their downward trend. Although the drug traffickingbusiness remains robust, smuggling organizations these days aresmaller and less violent than the cocaine cowboys of PabloEscobar's era. Despite a recent surge in FARC activity, most rebeloperations these days involve land mines and sniper attacks inremote patches of the countryside that have relatively littleimpact on the overall course of the war or public opinion. These improvements have opened the door to an almost tenfoldincrease in foreign investment in Colombia to $13.2 billion in2011. Fueled by oil and coal exports, the economy is SouthAmerica's third largest while last year's 6% GDP growth couldimprove even further now that the trade deal with the United Statesis in place. However, instead of reports on the initial shipmentsof fresh flowers and other duty-free goods entering the U.S. on thetrade agreement's inauguration day, Colombian TV screens werefilled with the images of charred vehicles and rescue workersevacuating bombing victims. Besides exposing real flaws in the Bogotá's security,Tuesday's bloodshed will likely dent Santos's image as an adept,man-for-all-seasons who can extend an olive branch to the bad guyswhile keeping his people safe. It also feeds the perception amongColombians that despite the nation's impressive progress, they willalways have terrorism. An editorial Wednesday in the Bogotádaily El Tiempo urged the public not to resign itself to such a situation: "Wemust not allow the enemies of order, progress and a brighter futureto replay the dark episodes of the past." But that's easier saidthan done. Take the FARC. The rebels recently made headlines with apromise to stop their longstanding practice of kidnappingcivilians. But then the FARC turned around and abducted French TVcorrespondent Romeo Langlois on April 28 amid a firefight with thearmy. Langlois is still being held. (MORE: The Secret Service Prostitute Scandal: Why Colombia Makes ItSuch a Security Risk). I am an expert from polyester-staple-fiber.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Recycled Polyester Staple Fiber Manufacturer , Polyester Dyed Yarn, Hollow Polyester Staple Fiber,and more.
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