Normality continues to return to the city.  Post mortems have still not been carried out on some of the dead, and many family members do not know the fate of their loved ones.  It has emerged that at least two church leaders met with Mr. Coke in the days leading up to the Tivoli incursion and asked him to give himself up, which he refused to do.  Mr. Coke is still at large.  Over three dozen guns have now been seized by the police and the army in their continuing operations and over a dozen gang leaders have turned themselves in.  Members of the private sector have toured Tivoli and photographs of the damage are emerging.  Schools in the area remain closed.  The opposition People's National Party are expected to argue a no confidence motion in Parliament today - it is expected they will ask for Prime Minister Golding's resignation.        

The situation in Kingston is now outwardly returning to normal - offices are reopening, there is traffic on the roads and there are no sounds of gunfire.  Tragically, however, the number of people who died during the combined Army/Police operation now stands at 73.  The press was allowed a limited tour of some parts of the area earlier today, but their reports have not revealed anything new.  Mr. Coke remains at large.  The Red Cross is leading a humanitarian response to the situation in Tivoli Gardens and the residents who have been able to speak to the press, continue to tell of atrocities and loss of family members.  Their stories have so far not been corroborated.      

Many friends and supporters of JET have called or e-mailed us asking for an update on the situation in Kingston, so I thought I'd post updates on our blog.

A basic background is:  Over decades, there are parts of Kingston which have become "garrison-ized" to deliver homogenous voting blocs to both political parties.  These communities are enclaves, led by area leaders often called dons, they have links to both major political parties, deliver political support at elections and receive access to lucrative government contracts.  Also, over many years, the garrison communities have become armed and also have their own sources of income via drugs and legitimate businesses and it is felt that the past political control of these areas has been lost.

In August 2009, the US Government filed a request for the extradition of one such community leader or don - Christopher "Dudus" Coke from the garrison community of Tivoli Gardens.  The Prime Minister is the Member of Parliament for Tivoli and the area has been allied to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party for decades.   The Jamaican government claimed there were legal issues in the way of granting the extradition request until very recently, when under pressure from civil society and the opposition to reveal the details of a deal with a US legal firm to help with "treaty matters" , the extradition order was finally signed by the Attorney General and a warrant issued for Christopher Coke's arrest. 

Almost immediately, barricades were erected at all the entry and exit points to Tivoli Gardens.  The barricades grew as the hours passed and they were laced with barbed wire, live electricity wires and gas cylinders, women wearing white demonstrated in support of Mr. Coke, and the security forces (along with civil society groups) called for the people in Tivoli to remove the barricades and for Mr. Coke to turn himself in.  When this did not happen, a massive joint Army/Police operation was mounted to arrest Mr. Coke and restore access to the community - this started at roughly noon on Monday, May 24th, 2010.  A State of Emergency, limited to Kingston and St. Andrew, was declared at 6.00 pm on May 23rd following attqcks on the security forces.   There is no curfew in place, although Jamaicans are asked to limit their travel to essential journeys. 

Although the violence is mostly contained in the downtown Kingston area, and more particularly West Kingston, there have been outbreaks of shooting and looting in other areas such as Spanish Town, Red Hills and Portmore.  It is not clear whether these outbreaks are related to the situation in Tivoli or if they are opportunistic actions by other gangs.

There was one incident on the road to the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, which resulted in several injuries and two fatalities, some flights were cancelled, but as of today, the airport is operating normally.  Montego Bay airport is not affected by the situation in Kingston.  

From many parts of Kingston, it is possible to hear the shooting, on Sunday there were explosions - we still do not know what these were - and there have been several fires, including attacks on six police stations, at least one school, and housing.  I must stress that getting accurate and timely information has been difficult and there has been much speculation and rumour.  Following the declaration of the State of Emergency, the press were not allowed to go into Tivoli Gardens, so this has not helped the information vacumn.  

Today, Wednesday, May 26th, the situation is as follows:  44 civilians have died in the incursion into Tivoli, they are said to be "mostly" men.  Only four guns have been recovered; none from the Tivoli area.  Over 500 people have been detained, including some women, and are said to be "being processed".  Mr. Coke remains at large.  The political Ombudsman and the Public Defender have been allowed to go into Tivoli and they report that there is no evidence of improper action by the security forces. 

It is not clear, at least not to me, what the situation is with the barricades - whether they are still up or not - and what the plan is going forward.  At a press conference on May 25th, in response to questions from journalists, representatives from the security forces said the operation would continue as long as there was a reason to do so.

Many offices are open today, although those in proximity to troubled areas are either closed or will close early today, to give their workers time to get home before dark.   JET was closed yesterday, but today is open, at least until early afternoon.

These are the facts as far as we know them - I will not include my own feelings and impressions in this posting.  The situation, however, is very uncertain and fluid.  

Thanks to everyone who has contacted us - it is good to know that so many people are concerned about Jamaica and its people.