JAMAICA OBSERVER

JAMAICA is seeking US$1 billion in loans and grants to help remove dons and rebuild the poor communities they have long dominated, reports *la*hmberg News.

The money will also be used to raise the complement of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) from its current 8,500 personnel towards its target of 12,000.

Government officials have been meeting with donor countries and international lending institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter American Development Bank (IDB).

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) administration believes that it has improved its credibility following its assault on organised crime in the garrison community of Tivoli Gardens, which lies within the West Kingston constituency of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

Our investment partners have recognised that this government is demonstrating it knows how to deal with the crime problem," Minister of Finance Audley Shaw told *la*hmberg in a telephone interview.

The United States welcomed the recent action by Government, prompted by Prime Minister Bruce Golding agreeing after nine months of drama to comply with the United States' extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, reputed don of Tivoli Gardens.

However the international media reports are raising questions about the deaths of 73 civilians in the West Kingston operation and the relationships between politicians and dons in Jamaica. Meantime Coke remains at large.

Golding is hoping that his new anti-crime crusade will help rebuild his political fortunes after he was forced to offer his resignation as prime minister over the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips affair, the US law firm hired by his governing JLP to lobby the US government against the extradition.

Areas of Kingston remain under a State of Emergency, declared for one month on May 23.

Jamaica Seeks $1 Billion to Rid Island of Drug Gangs, Shaw Says

*la*hMBERG(USA)

June 3 (*la*hmberg) -- Jamaica is seeking $1 billion in loans and grants to rid the country of cancerous drug gangs that have taken over poor neighborhoods on the Caribbean island and hurt economic growth, Finance Minister Audley Shaw said.

Government officials met May 31 with representatives from the World Bank, Inter American Development Bank, United Nations, the U.S. and European countries to seek funds to expand the police force and rebuild poor communities where drug lords have become de facto governors, Shaw said today in a telephone interview. The violence cant be allowed to continue, he said.

It saps the energy of the country, it saps all productive capacity, he said from Kingston. Our investment partners have recognized that this government is demonstrating it knows how to deal with the crime problem.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding declared a state of emergency May 23 to contain gang violence related to the governments efforts to extradite an accused drug lord to the U.S., which Shaw said was the beginning of a broader campaign against gangs that control parts of the capital. At least 74 people have been killed during the hunt for Christopher Dudus Coke, who remains at large.

Shaw emphasized that most of the violence is in Kingston, miles away from the beaches, resorts and golf courses popular with tourists on the countrys north shore.

What we want to do is make sure we deal with this cancerous problem, Shaw said.