Jamaica leader under fire as bodies pile up

KINGSTON, May 28, AFP Jamaica’s leader faced growing criticism Friday over a nearly week-long assault on a slum to capture a powerful drug don as decomposing bodies of civilians lay unclaimed for days.

The operation has left 73 civilians dead by official count and has divided the island, with many Jamaicans hailing what they see as a chance to fight rampant crime but some alarmed at the heavy humanitarian price.An overpowering stench of death hung over a cemetery in the capital Kingston, where more than a dozen bodies were left in simple wooden coffins. Flies hovered over one, from which an exposed leg stuck out.

Faced with rising allegations of abuse, the military and police went on the offensive, portraying residents of the destitute Tivoli Gardens area almost as an insurgent force that had hidden explosives and girded for heavy combat.Forces descended Sunday into the district seeking gang leader Christopher “Dudus” Coke, who is wanted in the United States on drug trafficking charges but is hailed by many residents as a Robin Hood figure who offers security and small-time jobs on some of the world’s toughest streets.Jamaica’s police chief, Owen Ellington, pledged a thorough investigation of all allegations but voiced confidence that the operation enjoyed popular support.“Five days ago, there were concerns in this country as to whether the security forces have the capacity or the will to go inside Tivoli Gardens and disrupt Christopher Coke,” Ellington said.

“Today, he is on the run. And we will catch him.”He acknowledged that the forces did not know Coke’s whereabouts but said he was believed to be in Jamaica, dismissing widespread rumors he may have fled the country.

Ellington said bodies had been left outside for police post-mortems, following accusations they were trying to secretly dispose of corpses to hide the death toll, but that they could be a public health hazard if left inside.But many of Coke’s sympathizers inside the barricaded area accused troops of firing indiscriminately.

Sonia, 42, who fled from Tivoli Gardens, said she did not know if Coke was even still in Jamaica.“Who said he here? Is that a reason to destroy our place?” she said angrily. “Nobody knows where he is. We all just here, mourning our dead.”

The slum dwellers received support from former prime minister Edward Seaga, who used to represent Tivoli Gardens in parliament and is considered by some to be the architect of Jamaican politicians’ close ties with the underworld.

Seaga estimated that the real death toll was up to 150. He called for the resignation of incumbent Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who succeeded Seaga as the ruling Jamaica Labour Party’s parliamentarian representing Tivoli Gardens.“I cannot think of any reason to cause the government to continue with this very, very wicked act,” Seaga said in a televised interview.