Sunday April 25, 1999

• Gleaner News
  • Waiting for answers
    
    • C'tee to present gas hike options. LOWER INTEREST RATES, raising property taxes and the selling of prized Government assets have all been suggested to the task force reviewing the hikes in fuel taxes, which led to prolonged protests last week.
  • Overseas Jamaicans concerned
    By Janice Ansine, Staff Reporter
    
    • CONCERNED ABOUT VIOLENCE DURING THREE DAYS OF RIOTS and demonstrations here, and the toll it has taken on their homeland, Jamaicans living overseas expressed relief that by the end of last week events had returned to normal.
  • Born in a crisis
    
    • Mother delivers during protests. WHILE THE NATION SUFFERED under the weight of violent protests last week over a gas price increase, a young woman in an unfurnished house in the hills of St. Andrew was feeling another type of pain.
  • Protests cost tourism US$7.5m
    By Karen Jones, Staff Reporter
    
    • IT WILL TAKE AN ESTIMATED US$7.5 million to repair the damage wreaked on the tourism sector following the upsurge of violence during last weeks' three-day nationwide riot which claimed nine lives.
  • PNP claims unity
    By Erica Virtue, Staff Reporter
    
    • THE RULING PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) plunged firmly into the middle of a nationwide crisis following the Government's decisions to hike gas prices, is claiming the party's unity has remained intact.
  • Mixed fortunes for exporters
    By Patricia Watson, Staff Reporter
    
    • JAMAICAN EXPORTERS SUFFERED mixed fortunes although all shipments scheduled to leave the island during the three days of protests last week were canceled.
  • Minimal damage to utilities
    
    • LOCAL UTILITY COMPANIES CLAIM THEIR facilities escaped major damage during last week's demonstrations..
  • Exams re-scheduled
    
    • JAMAICAN STUDENTS WHO COULD NOT sit the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) food and nutrition practical test last week, because of islandwide demonstrations, will do new exams early next month.
  • Protests cloud 'Insider's Jamaica' project
    By Janice Ansine, Staff Reporter
    
    • WHILE SOME SMALL hotels were gearing up to reap the long-term rewards from the recently launched "Insider's Jamaica" marketing programme, with early bookings up to June, there are concerns that the recent events in the island could hamper what has been a successful response so far.
      
      

Saturday April 24, 1999

• Gleaner News
  • Riots Hurt Dairy Farmers
    By Sylvia Lee, Freelance Writer
    
    • ABOUT 160,000 LITRES of milk, valued at more than $3 million, have been given away or dumped over the last four days as a result of the blockage of roadways in rural areas earlier this week to protest against the gas price hike.
  • JLP promises united motorcade
    
    • IT WILL be a meeting of persons from a wide cross-section of society when the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)-organised motorcade hits the streets tomorrow morning, according to the party's deputy general secretary, Prudence Kidd-Deans.
  • PNPYO deplores criminality during riots
    
    • THE PEOPLE'S National Party Youth Organistaion (PNPYO) yesterday condemned what it called the "wanton criminal and destructive acts, unleashed on the society" during the three days of islandwide demonstrations over the recent hike in the price of gasoline..
  • The riots of structural adjustment
    By Michelle Faul, Associated Press Writer
    
    • International journalist traces gas protests to globalisation. P.J.Patterson thought he could get away with what no Jamaican leader has before: impose a huge hike in gas prices and survive the wrath of the people.
  • Riots sink $100m in cruise ship earnings
    
    • JAMAICA LOST at least $100 million in tourism earnings as a result of the the three days of riots earlier this week, as three cruise ships were unable to dock in the island.

Friday April 23, 1999

• Yahoo News
  • Jamaica counts cost of three days of civil unrest
    By Earl Moxam
    • Calm returned to Jamaica on Thursday after the government said it was willing to lower a fuel tax hike that triggered three days of protests, arson, gunfire and looting in which seven people were killed.
  • Most Jamaican Riot Deaths by Police
    By LLOYD WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer
    • Foreign embassies lifted travel warnings Friday for Jamaica, and police raised the death toll from this week's rioting to nine, admitting that seven people were killed by officers.

 

• Halifax Herald News

• Jamaican leader softens stance
  From Our Wire Services
  • Calm returned to Jamaica Thursday after the government said it was willing to lower a fuel tax increase that triggered three days of deadly protests and dealt another black eye to the Caribbean island's crucial tourist industry.

• Gleaner News
  • NORMALITY RETURNS
    
    • THE COUNTRY began gathering momentum yesterday in its return to normality after three days of islandwide protests against increased gas prices which resulted in the virtual shutting down of the countrys.
  • Church leaders rally for 'immediate roll-back'
    
    • LOCAL CHURCH leaders yesterday demanded an immediate roll-back of the recent tax hikes on fuel and insisted that this should precede any committee discussion on the matter. Roman Catholic priest Father Richard HoLung, head of the multi-denominational group Christian Unity for Peace and Justice which met in Kingston and presented a petition to be forwarded to Prime Minister P. J. Patterson, spelt out the message.
  • Public transportation rolls again
    
    • THE WHEELS of public transportation started to turn once again yesterday as the public disorder which had ripped the country ends.
  • US, Britain rescind travel advisories
    
    • THE BRITISH and American governments have withdrawn their advisories cautioning their citizens about travelling in Jamaica.
  • UWI exams unaffected by riots
    
    • THE THREE days of civil unrest have not affected regular examinations at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies. These exams are slated to begin on Monday, April 26, Assistant Registrar for Examinations on the campus, Cordell Nelson, said yesterday.
  • JCTU won't join review c'ttee
    
    • THE JAMAICA Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) has declined the Government's invitation to serve on the committee to review the fuel tax saying "no useful purpose can be served by a committee that is seemingly placative, prohibitive in scope and guided by expediency".
  • Governments in crisis
    By John Rapley
    • JAMAICANS MAY be forgiven for feeling supremely disadvantaged this week, what with gas price demonstrations having shut down the country. In fact the country enjoys good company. This past week there were also nationwide strikes in Bangladesh and Romania, Canada's largest city was shut down by a transportation strike and workers in South Korea started bringing their country to a standstill with an escalating strike.
  • 9 killed, 152 arrested in three-day protest
    
    • NINE PEOPLE were killed, 14 policemen injured, 16 police vehicles damaged and more than 152 people arrested in the three days of protest over the increase in gas prices.

Thursday April 22, 1999

• Gleaner News
  • Moses heads committee to examine gas hike
    By Carl Wint, Political & Current Affairs Editor
    • PRIVATE SECTOR Association of Jamaica (PSOJ) President Peter Moses, has been named chairman of the broad-based committee constituted by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to examine the gas price hike and recommend adjustments.
  • Seven shot dead
    ByGlenroy Sinclair
    • Millions of dollars in property damage, Airline flights disrupted, 152 persons arrested and charged, Roadblocks being cleared. SEVEN PERSONS have been shot dead and five are nursing gunshot wounds among the casualties of three days of islandwide protests against the hike in gas prices.
  • Banks, businesses expect to reopen today
    
    • AFTER THREE days of protests, lock downs and disorder, most large banks and businesses are expected today to open for business at normal working hours.
  • Cancellations rock tourism
    By Garwin Davis, Freelance Writer
    • Major cancellations in both the cruise shipping and hotel sectors are threatening to derail the country's tourism industry as the fall-out continues from the three-day all-island gas price demonstration.
  • More unrest in western Ja
    By Lavern Clarke, Staff Reporter
    • sections of Montego Bay's outskirt communities continued to see roadblocks, and sporadic fires, while skilful manipulation by the security forces resulted in the containment of a potentially explosive demonstration in Montego Bay on the third day of the gas protests.
  • Getting tougher on criminals ­ Forbes
    
    • "YOU ARE likely to see harsher police action against criminal elements," says Police Commissioner Francis Forbes, as the security forces attempt to bring an end to the violent demonstrations which have shut down the country since Monday.
  • Controversy surrounds soldier's death
    
    • THE CONTROVERSIAL killing of a 44-year-old Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldier in Seaview Gardens, St. Andrew, on Tuesday evening has left the community at odds with the police.
  • Women march for justice
    By Vernon Daley , Staff Reporter
    
    • A SEA of bodies covered the Half-Way-Tree area in the vicinity of the Mandela Park and spilled over into nearby roadways yesterday, as the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) staged a women's march to protest government's hike in the price of gasolene.
  • Golding says Gov't should change economic model
    
    • PRESIDENT OF the National Democratic Movement (NDM) Bruce Golding has called on the Government to change its economic model to put the country on a growth path.
  • Church group plans gas hike protest
    
    • AN ECUMENICAL group embracing clergy and lay persons will join protests against the recent hike in petrol prices with a demonstration in Liguanea Park, New Kingston, today under the leadership of Father Richard HoLung of the Brothers of the Poor and Father Gregory Ramkissoon of the Mustard Seed Communities.
  • Gov't to tell 'full story' of budget
    
    • THE GOVERNMENT has promised to take the budget debate out of the Parliament and into the constituencies in order to tell Jamaicans "the full story" about the new tax measures announced last week.
  • Stop it now!
    
    • THE ORGANISERS of the gas price demonstrations cannot continue to pretend that they are peaceful picnics of people protest. Not in the face of at least eight deaths, multiple roadblocks, fires, looting, and wanton mayhem.
  • Debts and riots
    By Morris Cargill
    
    • THE INCREASED taxation in the Budget speech has set off, as you all know, a wave of rioting, road-blocking and looting. The whole thing has, I think, been spontaneous and not political

• Yahoo News
  • Air Canada resumes flights to Jamaica after riots
    
    • Air Canada (AC.TO - news) said it resumed its flights from Toronto to Jamaica on Thursday, one day after canceling two flights because of deadly riots in the Caribbean island country.
  • Jamaican Protests Over Taxes Ends
    By LLOYD WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer
    
    • Schools and businesses reopened Thursday after the government indicated it would back down from proposed tax hikes that sparked deadly riots, threatening Jamaica's tourist industry.
  • Jamaica Calms After Government Bends On Gas Tax
    By Earl Moxam
    • Calm returned to Jamaica Thursday after the government said it was willing to lower a fuel tax increase that triggered three days of deadly protests, arson attacks and clashes with police.
• Jamaica May Nix Gas Price Increase
  By LLOYD WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer
  • Jamaica's prime minister says his government is ready to back down on a proposed increase in gas prices that sparked deadly riots and brought business on the island to a near standstill.
    
    
• Jamaica Riots Trigger Gov't Response
  By LLOYD WILLIAMS Associated Press Writer
  • Jamaica's prime minister says his government is ready to back down on a proposed increase in gas prices that sparked deadly riots and brought business on the island to a near standstill

• Halifax Herald News
  • Rioting over gas price hikes kills four in Jamaica
    From Our Wire Services
    • Protesters exchanged gunfire with security forces and barricaded streets with wrecked cars and burning tires in the Jamaican capital Wednesday as the death toll rose to four in unrest over fuel-tax hikes.

Wednesday  April 21, 1999

• Radio Jamaica
  • GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER PARTIAL ROLL BACK OF FUEL TAX
    • Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, speaking in Parliament Wednesday afternoon declared the government's willingness to consider a partial roll back of the controversial fuel tax hike that sparked the ongoing public disturbances.
  • MORE TRAVEL ADVISORIES ISSUED
    • The British Government has issued a travel advisory warning its subjects not to travel to Jamaica in wake of the fuel tax protests.
  • POLICE CONSTABLE LOSES FINGER
    • A constable attached to the Christiana Police station in Manchester lost a finger Wednesday morning when he fell on a tear gas cannister which he was carrying.
  • PROTEST DEATH TOLL NOW STANDS AT FOUR
    • The death toll as a result of the disturbances now stands at four.

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