Thread: US issues travel warnings for Jamaica

U.S. issues travel alert for Jamaica

By the CNN Wire Staff
May 22, 2010 10:47 a.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• U.S. alert cites unconfirmed reports of criminal gang members amassing in Kingston
• Official advice warns of possibility of "violence and/or civil unrest"
• Alert warns that potential unrest could close access to Norman Manley International Airport

(CNN) -- The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for Jamaica on Friday, citing unconfirmed reports of criminal gang members amassing in Kingston and the mobilization of Jamaican defense forces.
"The possibility exists for violence and/or civil unrest in the greater Kingston metropolitan area," the alert said.
"If the situation ignites, there is a possibility of severe disruptions of movement within Kingston, including blocking of access roads to the Norman Manley International Airport," according to the alert.
"The possibility exists that unrest could spread beyond the general Kingston area," the alert said.
The U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica's capital, is taking extra security precautions, according to the alert, which expires June 21.
"American citizens should consider the risks associated with travel to and within the greater Kingston metropolitan area," the alert said. "U.S. citizens in Jamaica are advised to monitor local news reports and consider the level of security present when venturing outside their residence or hotel."
The United Kingdom on Thursday updated its travel advisory for British citizens in Jamaica.
The British Foreign Office urged UK citizens to take extra care when traveling away from their homes or hotels due to the "increased risk of civil disorder and street violence in Kingston" and potentially other urban areas.

Sue, glad you posted this.

Earlier today, I'd posted the State Dept. warning issued yesterday (5/19/10) on Tim's "Port Royal to Bring Tourists" thread which discusses plans to develop it as a Cruise destination to bring cruisers to KINGSTON.

Don't know about the rest of you ... but, seems to me, something needs to be addressed about the on-going unrest before bringing cruise pax to Kingston!

LuLu if I were to sail with a stop in Jamaica I would not get off the ship. Granted this is mostly for Kingston but article says it could spread also and mentions the airport. I just wouldn't take a chance.

The only way I would get off the ship in Jamaica is if we were docked in Ocho Rios and we went in to Margaritaville for lunch. The last time we were there "Hogs at Sea" had the place completely dominated so we had another "sea day".

PE

Basically, same as PE! If we were in Ocho Rios docked at what they call the The Cruise Ship Pier right at Island Village rather than the James Bond Pier (about a 15 minute walk) ... we'd probably go to Margaritaville.

In MoBay I'd stay on the ship even though the riots are going on elsewhere. At any point they could become more wide spread!

Certainly, I'd want to be no place near Kingston!

World
Jamaica Declares State of Emergency Amid Violence









David McFadden
AP



KINGSTON, Jamaica (May 23) -- Masked men defending a reputed drug lord sought by the United States torched a police station and traded gunfire with security forces in a patchwork of barricaded slums in Jamaica's capital Sunday.

The government declared a state of emergency as sporadic gunshots rang out in gritty West Kingston, stronghold of Christopher "Dudus" Coke, a Jamaican "don" charged in the U.S. with drug and arms trafficking. His defiant supporters turned his Tivoli Gardens neighborhood and other areas into a virtual fortress with trashed cars and barbed wire.
The Jamaica Gleaner/AP
Alleged drug gang leader Christopher "Dudus" Coke is shown in this undated photo.


A police station in Dehnam Town came under heavy fire from gangsters roaming the streets with high-powered guns. In barricaded Hannah Town, close to Tivoli Gardens, black smoke spiraled into the sky from a police station set aflame by molotov cocktails.

Officers fled the burning station in impoverished West Kingston, where a 2001 standoff between gunmen and security forces killed 25 civilians as well as a soldier and a constable.

Authorities said two security officers had been wounded by Sunday night.

Police said the attacks were unprovoked. It called for all "decent and law-abiding citizens" in the troubled areas to immediately evacuate their homes and said security forces would ferry them out safely.

Police Commissioner Owen Ellington said "scores of criminals" from gangs across the Caribbean island had traveled to West Kingston to join the fight. "It is now clear that criminal elements are determined to launch coordinated attacks on the security forces," he said.

In a gritty section of the capital of an island known more for reggae and all-inclusive resorts, the violence erupted after nearly a week of rising tensions over the possible extradition of Coke to the United States.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding had stalled the extradition request for nine months with claims the U.S. indictment relied on illegal wiretap evidence. After Golding reversed himself amid growing public discontent over his opposition, Coke's supporters began barricading streets and preparing for battle.

Before Sunday's shooting started, police urged the neighborhood boss to surrender, calling the heavy barricades encircling his slum stronghold a sign of "cowardice."

The U.S., Canada and Britain issued travel alerts Friday warning of possible violence and unrest in Jamaica. Most islanders have been avoiding downtown Kingston.

The state of public emergency, limited to the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew, will be in effect for one month unless extended or revoked by lawmakers, the government said.

In a national address Sunday night, Golding said the order gives authorities the power to restrict movement and effectively battle violent criminals. Specifics were not disclosed.

Golding stressed that Kingston "is not being shut down," and schools and businesses outside the battle zone will be open.

Coke is described as one of the world's most dangerous drug lords by the U.S. Justice Department. He has ties to the governing Jamaica Labour Party and holds significant sway over the West Kingston area represented in Parliament by Golding.

Golding's fight against the extradition strained relations with Washington, which questioned Jamaica's reliability as an ally in the fight against drugs. His handling of the matter, particularly his hiring of a U.S. firm to lobby Washington to drop the extradition request, provoked an outcry in Jamaica that threatened his political career.

Coke, who typically avoids the limelight, has remained silent. He faces life in prison if convicted on charges filed against him in New York.

Jamaica's political history is intertwined with the street gangs that the two main parties helped organize - and some say armed - in Kingston's poor neighborhoods in the 1970s and '80s. The gangs controlled the streets and intimidated voters at election time. In recent years political violence has waned, and many of the killings in Kingston now are blamed on the active drug and extortion trade.

Coke was born into Jamaica's gangland. His father was the leader of the notorious Shower Posse gang, a cocaine-trafficking band with agents in Jamaica and the U.S. that began operating in the 1980s and was named for its members' tendency to spray victims with bullets.

The son took over from the father, and expanded the gang into selling marijuana and crack cocaine in the New York area and elsewhere, U.S. authorities allege.

Lawyers for Coke - who in addition to "Dudus" is also known as "Small Man" and "President" - have challenged his extradition in Jamaica's Supreme Court. As a West Kingston community "don," Coke has acted as an ad hoc civic leader and provides protection and jobs.

Not a good time to visit Jamaica! Looks like this is spreading to other areas.

Thanks for keeping us posted, Sue.

Police Commissioner Owen Ellington said "scores of criminals" from gangs across the Caribbean island had traveled to West Kingston to join the fight. "It is now clear that criminal elements are determined to launch coordinated attacks on the security forces," he said.

May 24, 2010

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to Kingston, Jamaica and its surrounding areas because of escalating violence, shootings and unrest. Jamaican Defense Forces are engaged in an operation to arrest an alleged drug and weapons trafficker. Access to the Norman Manley International Airport has been blocked on an intermittent basis by gun battles between criminal elements and police. A number of air flights into and out of Kingston have been canceled. The Government of Jamaica has imposed a State of Emergency in Kingston and St. Andrew. The possibility exists that unrest could spread beyond the general Kingston area. U.S. Embassy Kingston is taking extra security precautions, including cancelling official travel by USG personnel into Kingston. This Travel Alert replaces the Travel Alert issued on May 21, 2010 to warn U.S. citizens against travel to Kingston and to provide updated information on the security and airport situation. This Travel Alert expires on June 23, 2010.

U.S citizens presently in Jamaica should monitor local news and radio frequently before venturing out from their homes or hotels. U.S. citizens traveling to or from the Norman Manley International Airport should use the South Camp Road route. U.S. citizens should contact their air carriers regarding flight status before traveling to the airport. U.S. citizens are urged to exercise heightened security awareness and maintain a low profile during this State of Emergency. U.S. citizens in Jamaica are advised to monitor local news reports and consider the level of security present when venturing outside their residence or hotel.

U.S. citizens living and residing in Jamaica or the Cayman Islands are advised to register their presence in the country through the U.S. Department of State's automated online registration system, https://travelregistration.state.gov. U.S. citizens may also register by visiting the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy or our consular agencies in Montego Bay and Georgetown, Cayman Islands, during business hours.

Emergencies involving U.S. citizens can be reported by contacting the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit of the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section, located at 142 Old Hope Road in the Liguanea area of Kingston, telephone (876) 702-6450; after hours emergency telephone (876) 702-6000; Consular Section fax (876) 702-6018; and e-mail at KingstonACS@state.gov. The U.S. Consular Agency in Montego Bay has moved and is now located at Whitter Village, Ironshore, telephone (876) 953-0620. The U.S. Consular Agency in the Cayman Islands is located at 118 Dorcy Drive, Suite B-1, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, telephone (345) 945-8173.

U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the U.S. Embassy’s website at http://kingston.usembassy.gov and the U.S. Department of State's travel website at www.travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution Messages, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages U.S. citizens to review "A Safe Trip Abroad," found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html, which includes valuable security information for living and/or traveling abroad. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

Grand Cayman as well??????????