Back to normal - Tense calm downtown - West Kingston buzzing again

Forbes

NORMALITY WAS restored to the city's west and also the commercial district of downtown Kingston yesterday. Most major roadblocks were cleared and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses rolled again.

"The atmosphere is still a little tense, but returning to calm," was how Police Commissioner Francis Forbes described the situation.

Activity was slowly returning to the Coronation Market on Spanish Town Road; only a few vendors were observed in the market area, the majority chose to remain in the Three Miles area of St. Andrew which they believed was safer.

Despite the strong presence of heavily armed soldiers and police officers in the area, the island's largest cemetery (May Pen) on Spanish Town Road remained closed. Business people operating in the troubled areas closed their shutters. It was like a ghost town.

The troubled community of West Kingston was once again buzzing with activity. People were observed holding conversations at street corners, while others went to and fro about their business.

The three days of unrest started with a running gun battle between members of the security forces and gunmen last Saturday in the western Kingston community. A total of 21 civilians and two policemen were shot and killed in the area.

The Commissioner said the events between Saturday July 7 and Monday July 9, 2001, which resulted in the loss lives and property, would go down in our history as one of the saddest periods of our lives.

"The tremendous fire power openly displayed by criminal elements in West Kingston represented not merely a challenge to the security forces, three of whom lost their lives, but ought to be interpreted as a severe threat to the very state itself.

According to the Police Chief, the other casualties included five lawmen who were among others injured by gunshots and missiles; 38 civilians were reportedly shot and injured. Eight vehicles belonging to the security forces were burnt or damaged, including three from the Jamaica Defence Force fleet.

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