St James State of Emergency

[TuffGong]

Won't stop me from visiting but the "optics" of getting to Negril might be slightly different in the near future:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/l...gency-st-james

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared a state of emergency in St James.

This means that extraordinary powers have been given to the security forces and some rights have been suspended.

Members of the security forces may also search places without a warrant.

The declaration coincides with an increase in violence including murders and shootings.

The latest incidents occurred three hours apart near the round-a-bout to the Sangster International Airport on Tuesday leaving one man dead and three others seriously hurt.

St James ended 2017 with a record 335 murders, that's 66 more than reported in 2016.

Since early this morning soldiers and police have been blanketing parts of St James carrying out searches.

In making the declaration this morning, Holness said in as much as some rights have been suspended, the security forces were expected to be humane to all citizens.

[Odinson]

Partial Martial

[Rob]

Here is the latest from a press conference called by Prime Minister Holness as covered by the Observer:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lates...s?profile=1228

[Rob]

Here is the RJR coverage of the same press conference:

http://rjrnewsonline.com/local/prime...t-for-st-james

[heater]

Huh? Sounds pretty scary...

[Rob]

The latest from the Gleaner:

"Finally! - - St James Residents Welcome State Of Emergency

Residents of several volatile communities in St James yesterday welcomed members of the security forces with open arms as the Government's latest initiative to quell the parish's rampant lawlessness started with a joint police-military operation and subsequently evolved into a public state of emergency.

"This is the best thing that could happen to Montego Bay at this time. It is like a belated Christmas gift," an elderly resident of Salt Spring told The Gleaner."

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/l...tate-emergency

[Rob]

And from the Observer:

"Gov't gets support for public state of emergency"

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...3?profile=1373

[Rob]

The "volatile" areas mentioned above echo the areas listed in last week's travel advisory, namely Flankers, Canterbury, Norwood and Rose Heights.

This action has been floating around discussions for a while now.

Calls for a state of emergency have been made by the public and media last year in July as well as November.


From IRIE FM:

"PM Holness: state of emergency will not affect Montego Bay tourism"

http://iriefm.net/pm-holness-state-e...o-bay-tourism/

[JohnNYC]

I pass through Penn Station in NYC everyday. Every 50' there's a group of National Guard with semi automatic weapons and riot gear, NYC Police and State Police as well, and who knows how many under cover. All this to try and prevent a terroist attack. Once I leave Penn Station I deal with what crime going on in the city itself. It's a shame the world has come to this, but it doesn't change my plans or activities in any way. I still feel safe in JA. Maybe as a precaution I'll roll my window half way up while driving through Mobay. To me this is a huge issue for locals and those who live in JA, but as a visitor I won't think twice about coming to my favorite place on earth.

[cleome]

I sometimes stay at at The Royal Decameron in Montego Bay after staying in Negril .This upcoming trip will be only Negril, this warning is scary, but great for safety. This will probably make people scared to travel to Jamaica, but usually the violence isn't directed at tourists.