Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05KINGSTON1802
2005-07-22 20:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Kingston
Cable title:  

KINGSTON POL/ECON ROUNDUP: JULY 1-21, 2005

Tags:  PGOV PREL EFIN ECON EINV KCRM CASC JM UNGA TIP 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 001802 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR (BENT) AND WHA/PDA
STATE ALSO FOR INL/LP, EB/TPP, AND EB/IFD
STATE ALSO FOR CA/OCS/ACS/WHA (RUTH BRANSON)
STATE PASS OPIC FOR TABERNAKI
CUSTOMS MIAMI FOR LOWEN AND MAHABIR
SANTO DOMINGO FOR FCS, FAS, AND LEGATT
STATE PASS USTR FOR A. GASH-DURKIN
DOJ FOR OPDAT/ R LIPMAN
TREASURY FOR L LAMONICA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EFIN ECON EINV KCRM CASC JM UNGA TIP
SUBJECT: KINGSTON POL/ECON ROUNDUP: JULY 1-21, 2005

REF: KINGSTON 01784

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINGSTON 001802

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR (BENT) AND WHA/PDA
STATE ALSO FOR INL/LP, EB/TPP, AND EB/IFD
STATE ALSO FOR CA/OCS/ACS/WHA (RUTH BRANSON)
STATE PASS OPIC FOR TABERNAKI
CUSTOMS MIAMI FOR LOWEN AND MAHABIR
SANTO DOMINGO FOR FCS, FAS, AND LEGATT
STATE PASS USTR FOR A. GASH-DURKIN
DOJ FOR OPDAT/ R LIPMAN
TREASURY FOR L LAMONICA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EFIN ECON EINV KCRM CASC JM UNGA TIP
SUBJECT: KINGSTON POL/ECON ROUNDUP: JULY 1-21, 2005

REF: KINGSTON 01784


1. This week's topics:

-- Hurricanes Cause More Damage in Jamaica
-- Government Leads Opposition in National Poll
-- Police Raids Target Trafficking Victims
-- Murder Leading Cause of Death in Males
-- Jamaica Opens Embassy in Beijing
-- President of Ghana Visits Jamaica
-- Tranquility Bay Runaways Found

--------------
Hurricanes Cause More Damage in Jamaica
--------------


2. Two recent hurricanes caused serious damage in Jamaica,
mostly due to heavy rains and flooding. Parts of the island
are inaccessible as a result of bridge failures, which have
cut off the major thoroughfare between Kingston and Ocho Rios
and have isolated the western parishes of Portland and St.
Thomas. Hurricane Dennis passed to the northeast of Jamaica
on July 6-7, sending thousands of residents to storm
shelters. The Planning Institute of Jamaica has
preliminarily estimated damage from the storm at just under
USD 33 million.


3. Hurricane Emily was a category 4 storm when it passed to
the south of Jamaica on July 16 with winds up to 155 miles
per hour. While most of the island was out of reach of
dangerous winds, heavy rains caused flooding and damage,
particularly in the parish of St. Elizabeth. The Office of
Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is
conducting assessments of the scope of the storm's damage.
Meanwhile, the Office of National Reconstruction, established
in September 2004 to coordinate recovery efforts in the wake
of Hurricane Ivan, announced on July 21 that it would
complete its work by November 2005. The government also
announced that checks for 65,000 people affected in 2004 by

Hurricane Ivan would be distributed this week.

--------------
Government Leads Opposition in National Poll
--------------


4. According to a recent national poll of more than one
thousand registered voters, the governing People's National
Party (PNP) leads the opposition Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) by
just over two percentage points. The position represents a
reversal from July 2004, when the JLP led the government by
two percent. The poll, commissioned by the Jamaica Gleaner,
showed that 30.5 percent of respondents indicated they would
vote for the PNP, while 28.4 percent favored the JLP. Don
Anderson of Market Research Services, which conducted the
poll for the newspaper, said that PNP support is strongest
among middle and lower income residents, females, and those
aged 25 to 44. The JLP, on the other hand, gained its
support primarily from males, young voters, and those in both
the upper income and lower income levels.

--------------
Police Raids Target Trafficking Victims
--------------


5. The Jamaica Constabulary Force conducted at least three
raids during the week of July 11 that targeted victims of
trafficking in persons (TIP). Jamaica was downgraded to Tier
3 in the 2005 TIP Report, and the police raids coincided with
the visit of Department officials to Kingston to evaluate
progress by the GOJ to investigate and prosecute suspected
trafficking cases. The visit was positive, as the GOJ
demonstrated some significant actions taken to combat TIP
(reftel). Details of the police raids and other anti-TIP
efforts will be reported septel.

--------------
Murder Leading Cause of Death in Males
--------------


6. According to Dr. Elizabeth Ward, director of disease
prevention and control in the Ministry of Health, homicide is
now the fifth leading cause of death in Jamaica, and the
leading cause of death among males in Jamaica regardless of
age. The Jamaica Constabulary Force reported on July 19 that
there had been more than 945 murders to date in 2005, which
represents an annualized 2005 total of approximately 1,600
murders, or a 10 percent increase over last year's total,
which was the highest in Jamaica's history.

--------------
Jamaica Opens Embassy in Beijing
--------------


7. Foreign Minister K.D. Knight was in Beijing on July 18 to
open Jamaica's new Embassy in the Chinese capitol. At the
opening ceremony, attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister
Yang Jiechi, Knight made remarks in which he reaffirmed
Jamaica's commitment to the one-China policy and expressed
his hope that the Sino-Jamaican bilateral relationship would
include enhanced cooperation in trade, mining, and tourism,
according to Xinhua News Agency. The opening of the new
Jamaican embassy comes after February's visit to Jamaica of a
large Chinese trade delegation that included Vice President
Zeng Qinhong, and Prime Minister PJ Patterson's June visit to
Beijing, where the two countries signed bauxite and education
agreements. Jamaica's Ambassador to China is Wayne McCook,
former Senior Director of Foreign Trade at the MFA. The
Foreign Ministry reported that the embassy will be staffed by
a total of three officers.

--------------
President of Ghana Visits Jamaica
--------------


8. President of the Republic of Ghana John Agyekum Kufuor
visited Jamaica from July 11-13 with his foreign and trade
ministers for discussions that included the expansion of both
countries, aluminum industries. Following the delegation's
visit to a Jamalco refinery in Clarendon, Prime Minister
Patterson announced that Jamaica would share its expertise in
mining and aluminum, and would provide alumina to Ghana's
newly expanded smelting plant. According to Patterson,
discussions with the Ghanaian delegation also included UN
Security Council reform and negotiations with the EU for
regional economic partnership agreements.

--------------
Tranquility Bay Runaways Found
--------------


9. St. Elizabeth police searched for several days for two
students from the Tranquility Bay reform school in Treasure
Beach who left the premises without permission on July 16.
The two boys, who were able to evade security guards during
Hurricane Emily, were missing until the school on July 20
offered a USD 1,000 reward for information of their
whereabouts. The boys were found the same day and returned
to Tranquility Bay.

TIGHE