William H.A. Willbond MSM, CD

ALBERTA’S STOLEN CARS

In nineteen hundred and eighty nine,
In Indonesia I spent some time.
I went out there to visit my brother
Jakarta’s a city that’s like no other!

We drove to Bandong when we left town
on to the punchak with mountains all around
We went for a walk in a little kampong
Where beautiful ladies still wear the sarong

Walking on paths across terraced dikes
small fishes darted in amongst the rice
across a bamboo walk bridge into a town
Where I saw a new Cadillac driving around!

Alberta Licence Plates were on that car
I said to Bob, “Those folks have come far”
Those aren’t Albertans in that new Saville;
They own the tea plantation, just over the hill

Stolen in Calgary, Edmonton, and or in Red Deer
It took about four long months to get it over here
Out of Port of Vancouver, in a container box
Landing in the port of call on the Jakarta Docks

On the Road to Krakatoa stopping at a Chinese Bar
I queried the bar tender about the Canadian car?
Ta syau yi syau[•]; ta hen gau xing[•]; ta gen wo tan yi tan[•]
“Wo ting swo[•] na ge chi che, shr mai de, wo da lau ban[•]”

The Caddie belonged to the big boss who also owned the bar
If you have money you can get the biggest finest car
In Vancouver they laid off, the dockside station Police
And left the door wide open to the International thief.

©Copyright March 7, 2004 by Billy Willbond

Author’s Note: The tea plantation owner and bar owner was owner of everything else around that part of the country. He had lots of money and he did not even bother to remove the licence plates from the stolen vehicle. The bar tender was happy to meet someone who could speak Chinese and we laughed and talked about how the car came to be in East Java.

I TOLD YOU SO

When I was the Secretary of Local XII of the British Columbia Federation of Peace Officers and I worked on the CSPD front desk, the powers-that-be disbanded the Vancouver Port Police who were members of the BC Fed. The headshed brainiacs did it to save $$$$!!!!

As a result of their layoff action, and a vacation, I wrote the above poem about Alberta’s stolen cars during a visit to my Brother Bob who lived in Jakarta. This was in 1989, the year that my Dad took Bobby, Joey and I back to Ireland to visit the place of his birth. Incidentally, if you go to Indonesia, be careful what you eat – dad and I both got terrible Montezuma’s Revenge and were laid up for a couple of days. I doubt if Montezuma ever ate curried rice in the Puntchak Mountains of East Java.

It is now 19 years later; I hate to say I told you so but poets observe and report. What happens to the information? That’s up to the Senate of Canada Committees appointed by (and the years and years of neglect) the Libranos.

The attached newspaper report speaks for itself.

Be well my friends – blessings
Billy
March 24, 2007

A4 Times Colonist Friday March 23 2007

SENATE REPORT: Seaport security denounced as leaky

BY CARLY WEEXS
Can West News Service

OTTAWA — Canada’s ports are “inundated” with organized crime, poorly policed and represent a vulnerable link that terrorists could exploit to attack the country, charges a critical Senate report released yesterday that calls for a public inquiry into seaport security.

Among the most serious problems that faced port security are the facts that only a small fraction of the four million containers that enter Canada by sea every year are inspected, there is no dedicated police force at some of the country’s largest ports, and a high number of port workers have criminal backgrounds, according to the Senate national defence committee.

“It is no secret that Canada’s ports are riddled with organized crime, and nobody seems to be doing much about it,” the report said. “And any hole a criminal can take advantage of, a terrorist can take advantage of.”

The report is a follow-up to the committee’s scathing 2003 assessment of Canadian seaport security. That analysis outlined several critical security issues, including the overwhelming presence of organized crime groups that were creating a threat to port safety.

Despite the fact nearly four years has passed since the last report, few improvements have been made and the most serious problems have been allowed to persist throughout Canada’s marine transportation system. Kenny said.

The report arrived a day after the same committee released a study that condemned the perilous state of security at airports in Canada.

The committee’s seaport security report identified several significant problems that it said pose a threat to Canadian security:

  • Many port workers aren’t required to have background checks that could help determine if they’re a threat to port security. While the government last fall announced a new program for conducting background checks on port workers, the committee has criticized the fact that less than half of all workers will need security clearance and checks are only performed every five years.
  • Port security is “porous,” and inadequate surveillance presents opportunities for organized crime groups and even terrorists to exploit Canada’s weaknesses.
  • The police presence at ports throughout the country is inadequate, with only 24 RCMP officers assigned to Canada’s 19 ports.

Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon’s office is reviewing the recommendations.