Posted on 04/19/2009 11:03:59 PM PDT by prisoner6
Edited on 04/19/2009 11:46:28 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
CNN) -- Passengers were reportedly taken hostage on a charter flight at a Jamaican airport.
They were boarding the CanJet flight from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay to Halifax, Canada, late Sunday when the security breach occurred, said Elizabeth Scotton, a spokeswoman for the company that manages the airport.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Nope, just a garden-variety criminal. Too many of them in Jamaica, unfortunately- I’d rather go to the Bahamas or Trinidad.
I was once in Moatego Bay on a cruise ship, and we left two passengers behind — arrested on the dock on drug charges.
Scuttlebutt had it that their cabbie turned them in to get a reward.
Jamaica is a nightmare. Avoid avoid avoid and avoid Mexico. If you go just make sure to take out a life insurance policy.
Went there on our honeymoon. Big mistake. Will never go back and have advised several friends not to go there. We were solicited (aka harassed) to buy every drug imaginable from the moment we got off the plane. Harassed constantly to buy trinkets from the locals.
Shady characters, rampant druggies and criminals everywhere. We were advised by one local not to frequent certain parts of Montego Bay, otherwise “we won’t come back” were his exact words.
Unbelievable poverty in that country, very sad especially to see the children.
The British Virgins are much safer than the American Virgins. IMO
My Jamaica drug-bust story (post 42) fits in with your Jamaica drug-sale story.
The probable drug-bust racket is simple, efficient, and profitable.
My guess is this drug bust scam works this way.
Tourist gets set up. They spend half the day in jail and are scared witless. The local judge or police cheif offers a deal to pay a fine. The local bank wires a few thousand from the pasty tourist’s bank account to get them out of jail. Sort of like the old days of speed traps in the south to catch Yankees driving to Florida.
Avoid Mexico, Jamacia and other hell holes like Guatemala.
That's definitely staying ahead of the curve. Visiting Third World Hell Holes, but staying out of permanent trouble. Not for the feignt of heart, nor the easily intimidated with the "deer in the headlights" look when things go downhill, fast.
Harry Belafonte owns a large, well kept ranch in Jamaica. He lives in NYC most of the time, though.
Does Harry have a rent control apt in NYC? Mick Jagger’s ex Bianca had one. It was a part time residence. She went to court to try to hold onto it but lost.
Spent the rest of the time on the beach drinking, reading, swimming, etc.
Also, the golf was outstanding...some gorgeous holes along the beach and then even prettier holes up in the mountains (even saw Johnny Cash's house on one of the mountain holes).
We went there on our honeymoon in 1994. If we were to do it over, I’d’ve never chosen to go there.
That said, we did the “all inclusive” in Ocho Rios. I thought we were going to die on the ride out there from Montego Bay. Driver of our van (which was supposed to be a new, air-conditioned motor coach with refrigerated and frozen drinks aboard) was an hour late. I think we had ten couples crammed into the van - no a/c. Driver laughed like he was stoned when we asked what happened to the above-mentioned bus. When we asked about drinks, he popped open a cooler tied to the back door. Two of us dared to ask about “frozen” concoctions, and the driver proceeded to pop open the hood so he could plug in a blender. Sadly, the driver had no ice. But doncha worry mon — he’d be making at least one stop on the way out to O.R. - a little shack selling warm “coke” bottles out of the case.
The resort was poorly managed. Many people were standing in long lines when we arrived.
One morning we walked off the property to buy some souvenirs. OMG, the poverty, the stares, the offers to buy weed, etc. On another occasion we took to the water in a little sailboat. No problem — husband sailed at the Naval Academy. As soon as we were about 20 yards offshore, several Jamaican men paddled out of nowhere in little canoes smoking weed. “Wanna buy some ganja, man?” Followed us all around, until Jamaican guy threw up his hands and started yelling profanities at us for not participating in his grass business.
And our worst mistake was thinking I would take one on one instruction and become Padi certified at the resort. Was too innocent to have known the instructor would be stoned, too; giggling the entire time as I nearly drowned in the pool. One time, I rose out of the water, and the instructor was *gone.* After a few minutes, he came falling out of the bushes with smoke seeping out his nostrils. Good Lord, I will never go back there.
Oh my...wow, this sounds all too familiar.
We went in January 2005 to an “all-inclusive” place. We also thought we were going to die on the van ride from Montego Bay airport. Our driver was over an hour late. He showed up in a rickety old unmarked cargo van. He seemed stoned, offered us weed the second we got in. We were the only couple. Looking back, we should have gotten out and called the resort.
He drove insanely fast, did not speak at all. It was nighttime. At one point, I told my new husband that I was genuinely concerned for our safety and wanted to get out. My husband kept asking the guy where exactly we were and how long it would take to get to the resort; all we got were grunts and mumbo-jumbo talk back.
Our resort was also poorly managed and poorly kept up. Our room was a dump. Even better, the ‘resort’ was filled with children! Apparently many Canadians and Europeans take their kids to Jamaica in January and let them run wild. It was crazy - dozens of half-naked (and some totally naked) children taking over the place. We complained several times to the “managers” but were met with blank stares or “yea mon.” Food was awful, no activities, we were ready to go home after only a couple days.
We tried to transfer to another resort, but that was so much red-tape that it wasn’t worth the hassle.
We did go into Montego Bay one night with an “escort.” We went to a casino and were promptly hassled by coke dealers trying to sell. My husband was hassled by hookers on the street, pimps, druggies, cons.
The poverty is unreal. The poster who mentioned the “revolution in the air” is exactly right. The men seem to spend their time stoned, fishing, laying on the beach. Women and children beg, prostitute, con. It’s a very sad existence. And not a good honeymoon story! Hopefully we’ll go somewhere better in the future ;)
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1514539
“Hijacked CanJet passengers feared for their lives: ‘We are happy to be alive’”
Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, April 20, 2009
SNIPPET: “Mr. Golding promised a full investigation into the security breach that allowed a 21-year-old Jamaican man, identified as Stephen Fray, to burst onto the plane Sunday night at 10:22 p.m. local time with a gun. Mr. Golding said the man is being interrogated and has not yet been charged with any crime.
“I’m extremely relieved that it is over and nobody was hurt,” he said earlier Monday. “I spoke with the passengers last night and apologized.”
Passengers who were released safely from the hijacked aircraft said the gunman was demanding to be flown out of the country. They described the “surreal” encounter with the gunman and credited the flight crew with defusing the situation and allowing them to safely leave the plane.
“This is a real hijacking, this is f-—ing serious. I want out of the country,” passenger Suzanne Ferguson, recalled the gunman saying.”
“people coming up to you every 3 seconds trying to sell you pot “
I had that experience once, on the beach at Ocho Rios. Politely told the Jamaican basically to sod off, and he walked away. Of course, this was 1975. I imagine they’re more aggressive today;)
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