Archive for the ‘2010’ Tag
Cross, Angry, Miserable…
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, angry, august, bounty, cross, dancehall, jamaica, killer, miserable
Leave a Comment Could only be Bounty Killer of course.
I come across this documentary about him - all the right voices are on there including Killer himself – although some of the things he says should be told through the other voices – which are plenty, some nice shots. I’m not sure of this if the whole thing though, could certainly merit with some structure and added explanations. I wish could have made it properly.
Released without charge – Vybz Kartel
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, arrest, emergency powers, gang, kartel, portmore, prison, release, state, waterford
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After two weeks in police lock-up, the dancehall DJ Vybz Kartel was released without charge on Friday July 16th. Now there are reports that he is going to sue the authorities for loss of earnings.
His lawyer, Valerie Neita Robertson (it was Chris Tavares – Finson before) is quoted as saying that the National Security Minister signed a release warrant for him on July 13th. So it seems odd that the police held him for 3 days on top of that. This is a good article which explains some of the background to the gang affiliations in the area of Portmore where Kartel was brought up.
Kartel was held under the state of emergency powers, but it was never clear what he was even being held for. He gave himself in, when he heard he was wanted for questioning.
Now he’s been released, it does not look good any way you look at it. In terms of the justice system, human rights, detention powers, use or mis-use of emergency powers. If this can happen to someone as high profile as Kartel, just think how ordinary people are being treated, with no-one ever getting to hear about it.
Dudus Lawyer – Tom Tavares-Finson
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, christopher, coke, custody, dudus, finson, jamaica, june, latest, lawyer, tavares, tom, us
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Tom Tavares-Finson being questioned by police outside the army barracks where Dudus was held photo by JA Observer
With Dudus safely out of Jamaica and in US custody, there have been a few things being said.
The lawyer who was rep-ping Dudus until the sh*t hit the fan, and now he is back on board and who is also a govt senator has been talking about a few things.
He has been re-iterating the fact that negotiations for Dudus’s surrender were going on before the Tivoli Gardens bloodshed. That he had wished to be taken straight to US custody from the beginning.
“History in time will reveal all, but I can tell you without fear of hesitation that up until an hour before they moved, there were negotiations going on for his surrender to the American authorities. Those people were killed for no reason”
This is bad because it shows how the raid on Tivoli was unnecessary and could have been avoided if the talks had been successful then. But why weren’t they successful?
What assurances did Dudus want which the govt could not give him?
Tivoli Gardens ‘torture chamber’?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, chamber, gardens, jamaica, june, kingston, may, raid, tivoli, tivoli gardens, torture
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Police say persons were hung by the arms from these nooses and beaten by thugs with a metal baseball bat.
The police and army are in control in Tivoli and it seems that for the first time in many years, they are getting the chance to have a good look around. It is reported they have found a ‘torture chamber’.
A soldier walks past a shallo grave in Tivoli
They also found a number of shallow graves where people were buried. The strict discipline held by Christopher Dudus Coke and his gang in Tivoli Gardens has been known about for some time and is the reason behind his fearsome reputation.
This was found in an area within Tivoli called Java and there’s another place near there called Rasta City.
Police say this room was used as a torture chamber. (Photos: Lionel Rookwood, Jamaica Observer)
This photo is said, by police to have been used for torture, but the detail around how they know this is sketchy, although the baseball bat looks ominous, without proper forensic evidence I don’t think it can be said for sure.
Other interesting news is that the police and army have set up a checkpoint and post in Dudus’s old offices. I’m sure they a re relishing the irony of that but is it really appropriate and what does it say about how one force (Dudus) has just been replaced by another (state security). Is one really any better than the other?
Cleaning up corruption
Filed under: ecpnomy | Tags: 2010, april, corruption, crime, economy, jamaica, metal, scrap, sugar
Comments (1) It seems like the IMF are behind the government trying to clean up their act in getting some simple measures in place to get corruption under control, to the benefit of the whole economy.
Stack em high - photo by ant.photos
First, they are clamping down on the bureaucrats who are selling waivers which allow Jamaicans to import goods from abroad. If they succeed in doing this, they can control the ridiculously high imports entering Jamaica and get that huge imbalance which leaves jamaica in the red and also may kick start local producers and get Jamaica producing for itself. It’s not the easy option but it’s the best.
Escallion Field - photo by Krisannmil
Second, trying to control the scrap metal industry as they buy metal at the expense of crucial agricultual industry. Pumps and irrigation equipment is being stolen and sold for scrap by criminals which is hurting Jamaica’s important farming sector – this is clear example of short term gain for criminals meaning long term damage to all Jamaicans.
It’s small practical things that can achieve so much.
World Bank leading Jamaica?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2010, bank, debt, development, economy, gdp, IMF, jamaican, ratio, strategy, world
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Boy Leading a Blind Man - The World Bank Photo by Ramin Aliyev
The World Bank has given Jamaica 400 million US dollars to prop up the economy and reduce the debt to GDP ratio. It’s part of a four year development strategy which it’s hoped can also help farmers and reduce crime and violence.
This comes after the IMF also finalized a $1.27 billion loan for Jamaica on Feb. 4, the first time in 15 years. I have talked about Jamaica and the IMF on this blog before here.
The inter american bank has also put significant money in. All this has come after Jamaica made a $7.8 billion domestic debt
exchange in January. This means they have exchanged bonds already out there, which they repay to bond holders at interest rates of up to 28 percent, they have exchanged these for longer dated, lower yielding bonds. Read more here. It was hoped this would raise Jamaica’s credit rating, but this didn’t happen as ratings agencies deemed this whole thing a debt default. Although the ratings agencies did agree that this move would be good for Jamaica in the long run.
It’s an ambitious strategy, there’s money to play with now, let’s hope the politicians spend it wisely and that there is a real committment to stamp out corruption, so that it can actually lead to growth and stability. If this opportunity is squandered, the next generation in Jamaica will be even more screwed than it is already.
Jamaican Prison riots
Filed under: Gun Crime, health | Tags: 2010, adult, anti, centre, crime, gang, gangs, horizon, jamaica, jamaican, justice, kingston, nelson, prison, prisoners, remand, riot, riots
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Photo by Anthony Chammond
The prison riot at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre in Kingston is just what is happening to Jamaican society as a whole. The riot was predictable as this has happened before and also happened another time and another time – too many times to mention in fact. Will any lessons be learned? Well none have been learned so far.
Will there be an investigation that will amount to anything? Probably not and the reason is because the Jamaican government and society think that they have more important things to worry about, rather than looking after its’ prisoners and criminals. But this kind of thinking would be a big mistake because if you don’t care about the people in jail, then you probably don’t care about other people you don’t know, it’s about lacking sympathy, lacking forgiveness, not caring.
I’m in a harsh mood because I was talking to some elderly Jamaicans about how things used to be in the 1960s (not that long ago!!) and how you used to be able to trust people, but nowadays people are more likely to want to cheat you, rape you, lie and threaten.
Back to the subject matter – this riot was predictable – if you’re not going to give people water then what do you expect? The human rights group, Jamaicans for Justice are trying to push for an investigation (someone needs to give Dr Gomes a gold medal). The prisons are overcrowded and underfunded – god knows what’s going to happen when the anti-gang drive comes into force in March – the national security minister says that he wants to put them all in prisons – it seems he’s asking for more riots. if I were a prison officer in one of any of Jamaica’s jails, i would be even more worried than usual!
