US embassy cable - 05KINGSTON1802

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 
 
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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