THE EDITOR, Madam:
AS A travel writer myself, I feel a need to address some of the concerns raised by one of your readers in his letter 'The Rescue dog and first class citizenship'. Aside from any feelings of sympathy I naturally have for a colleague and fellow American, I believe that the disappearance of a writer for one of the world's most widely read travel guidebooks while in your country cannot be seen as anything other than very bad for all Jamaicans.
This is not to say that visitors to my city (New York) have not been known to go missing or worst. However, allowing the Kirschhoch case to remain unresolved will only lead to more lurid speculation in the world media about such possibilities as underground slave traffic, etc., which can only further damage Jamaica's prospects in the vital sector of tourism.
In this respect it would seem your government acted in the ultimate best interests of the citizens of Jamaica by co-operating with the FBI, as well as belatedly admitting a rabies-free American search dog into your country. Although Jamaican officials can justifiably take pride in keeping the island rabies-free, the motivation for barring the entry of a search dog which certainly did not carry the disease was not widely understood in our country, and gave rise to suspicions of obstruction or at least a lack of will to get to the bottom of this unfortunate disappearance.
It is no slight upon the Jamaican Constabulary, who bravely risk their lives protecting Jamaican citizens as well as visitors, to point out the fact that the lack of a specific Missing Persons Bureau is a serious handicap in this sort of investigation. Therefore it seems only sensible to accept help from aboard to augment whatever expertise that might exist at home. In fact, is it not so that many in Jamaica are calling for assistance from overseas in combating crime in other areas?
If there was a crisis in the production of bauxite, or blight of unknown origins devastating Jamaica's sugar cane, would it not be the duty of the officials involved to seek whatever help necessary, even from other countries, in ending such a crisis? Tourism is a resource that should be safeguarded with no less seriousness, in fact perhaps more, as it is one sector of Jamaica's economy that has the greatest potential for growth.
I can certainly understand how seeing a fellow citizen's home searched by a dog and foreign police in the company of constables can upset national sensibilities, especially coming so close to Independence Day celebrations. However unpleasant, such is the manner in which a thorough missing persons investigation is conducted, yes, down to sniffing folk's sheets and more, and must not merely be seen as the undue concern for the safety of a single American at the expense of 2.6 million Jamaicans.
It is important for Jamaica's reputation as a desirable travel destination to be seen as using every means available to solve this mystery. I believe it is equally important for Jamaica to be ready to accept whatever the final resolution of this tragic affair may be, and move on from there.
As to your reader's well put-question of how many missing Jamaicans would it take for the US to waive any laws, I certainly can't say.
However, any answer must be viewed not only in humanitarian terms, but in the context of how vital the finding of these Jamaicans would be to the American national interest, and if America was seen to be in the possession of the means to find them.
I am etc.,
PETER ZAREMBA
E-mail: sergeimill@Aol.com
Brooklyn, New York
Via Go-Jamaica
