May 23, 2010
State Of Emergency In Jamaica
Based on the advice of Jamaica’s security forces, and in an effort to ensure public safety, Prime Minister Bruce Golding has declared a state of public emergency in Jamaica, which is limited to sections of Kingston and St. Andrew. The decision was made at an emergency cabinet meeting earlier, and became effective at 6:00 pm today.
A release from the Office of the Prime Minister said “The Cabinet took the decision to advise the Governor General to issue a Proclamation pursuant to Section 26 of the Constitution declaring that a state of public emergency exists in the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew.” The proclamation shall remain in force for a period of one month, unless extended by the House of Representatives or revoked earlier.
As the instability of the capital continues, with criminals seeking to prevent the arrest of alleged crime lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, there is growing unrest in the downtown Kingston area. Sporadic gunfire has been reported in sections of Downtown Kingston and in West Kingston, and several police stations in the area have been attacked by gunmen, with one police station in particular – the Hannah Town police – being burnt to the ground. It is reported that the police abandoned the Hannah Town station as part of a strategic move, and that after they left, thugs ransacked and looted it, and then set it ablaze.