STRESS IN KINGSTON CITY

WITH the ongoing standoff between security forces and gunmen in West Kingston, life in the city is still not back to normal.
Travelling to work today people would have noticed levels of traffic still lower than normal. Meantime the Jamaica Urban Transport Service (JUTC) announced that its service to downtown is still not to resume.
Businesses, including Air Jamaica, have closed their premises downtown. Meantime all schools in Kingston remain closed until further notice.
The Observer has been touring the city all morning including the trouble spot of Red Hills Road in St Andrew where police and soldiers repeated yesterday's work of clearing roadblocks.
Similar actions had to be undertaken in Spanish Town, St Catherine where public transport was delayed until the roads could be cleared.
In sections of Tivoli Gardens residents who have been penned in the crossfire between security forces and gunmen have been calling the Observer reporting that they have gone almost a day without food and water.
"From early this morning soldiers have been firing at buildings when people have been attempting to come out of their homes," said one angry female caller.
She claimed that most of the gunmen were either dead or have fled the community after security forces began their assault yesterday.
She appealed for the authorities to render some assistance. Government has made available buses to evacuate residents from the community.
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