Jamaica: Hostages Released   · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Breaking news in Jamaica this morning is that a hostage situation has developed with the crew of a Canadian jet at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.  Canadian mainstream media is since reporting that the situation was resolved without any loss of life when “an anti-terrorism unit of the Jamaican military stormed the plane and disarmed the gunman”, but bloggers Caribbean-wide and throughout the diaspora are still in disbelief.
Bajan Dream Diary posted regular updates throughout the incident, while fellow Barbadian blog Barbados Free Press thought it better to take advantage of the tourism marketing opportunity the incident presented:
While the truth is, the situation could probably have happened just about anywhere — it didn’t. It happened in Jamaica, a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world and a gun culture that is even reflected in popular music. If any of our Canadian readers are thinking of a vacation in Jamaica, may we suggest you reconsider that Barbados is a much friendlier and safer vacation place.
Jamaica Salt agreed that:
The hijacking of a plane at Sangster international airport is what Jamaican tourism needed like a hole in the head.
This is the worst thing that could have happened to Jamaica as it faces major economic trouble. International headlines like this could not have come at a worse time.
But there is a silver lining:
On the bright side, at least everyone got out of it unharmed, that’s a major blessing.