State of Emergency in Downtown, Kingston as Dudus supporters  engage security forces

Bruce Golding

Golding, in his radio address to the nation at 8:30 p.m., said under the state of emergency which was declared earlier today, security forces will be allowed to limit freedom, search property and detain people without a warrant.

He said while there will be some inconveniences, the move is necessary to restore order to the city which was under darkness (due to a power outage). “Criminal elements bent on violence and mayhem will be detained and processed. The criminal elements who have placed the society under seige will not be allowed to triumph,” Golding said.

He added that the security forces should allow regular citizens to go about their business, and assured Jamaicans that the city is not under total lockdown.

But, he said security forces need to “ferret out the criminals and return the area to a state of calm.”

He said the criminal elements will be “repelled with strong and decisive action” and urged residents to remain calm and support the necessary security measures.

Golding said his government believes that Jamaica should be a land of peace and order and that it was such acts of criminality that earned Jamaica the “unenviable title” as one of the murder capitals of the world.

Schools will be back in full session on Tuesday, the prime minister said.

---

Add this article to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Christopher 'Dudus' Coke

Guns continue to bark in West Kingston and other areas of the capital, where the state of emergency is declared.

Coke, who police are looking to arrest for extradition to the United States, is being protected by throngs of supporters who have mounted barricades in Tivoli Gardens.

---

Add this article to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Patrick Manning

Political analysts suggest that Manning, who called the general elections two years before it is constitutionally due, could not have done so on a whim, especially since he is an astute politician with the full weight of the PNM’s political machinery behind him.

---

Add this article to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Golding apologizes, sanctions Coke’s extradition

By now it is common knowledge that Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has decided to move forward with the extradition of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke and has apologized to the Jamaican people for his handling of both the extradition and his involvement in the related Manatt, Phelps and Phillips affair.

The question that needs to be answered is: What has changed?

The order to extradite Coke for alleged drug- and gun-trafficking was submitted to the Jamaican government from August of 2009. Since then, the Golding administration has fueled national and international controversy by delaying the signing of the order. Golding previously explained that the main reason for the delay was that the evidence procured (by means of wiretapping) by the U.S. to charge Coke, was a breach of the Jamaican Constitution.

---

Add this article to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites