By Garwin Davis, Assistant News EditorNEW SECURITY measures went into effect yesterday at the Ocho Rios cruise ship pier, amid heavy police presence.
Dozens of policemen from Kingston, St. Mary and Portland stood by to stave off any violent protests by angry taxi drivers who are now required to stay some distance away from the pier.
The taxi drivers charge that the new security arrangements at the town's cruise shipping pier have been "cooked up" to appease other business interests.
They argue that while they were no longer allowed to park their vehicles near to the pier, water sport operators continued plying their craft freely. The taxi men contend that visitors were now being directed to "special locations", leaving the rest of Ocho Rios "to suffer".
"Look by the pier. Wouldn't those pleasure boats and jet skis which are docked so close to the facility be more of a terrorist risk than vehicles parked outside the gate?" Anthony Lawson, a taxi driver, asked. "Why is it that all the walking tourist traffic now seems to be going into one main location? How can there be peace with all of this happening?"
However, the taxi men who earlier had vowed not to go along with the planned relocation, seemingly had an 11th hour change of heart and instead, took their vehicles to the designated holding area some three miles away. They were then called by radio to the pier in a serial order to do pick-ups.
Tourism authorities say the new arrangements are necessary following the implementation of new security rules at ports worldwide by the United States authorities. This, they say, came about as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. The taxi men, however, remain sceptical.
"Why is it that we have never seen a letter from one of those U.S. agencies saying why nobody should be allowed to park outside the pier?" asked taxi operator Peter Roberts. "Let's face it; we are not talking about on the pier now, mind you. Wouldn't the boats, one of them which caught fire the other day ... be more of a danger than taxi men outside the pier? Wouldn't those jet skis that come all the way up to the jetty be more of a threat? Why are they still there and we are shipped out of town? Everyone knows that a bridge is to be built from the pier to take visitors into a particular location... this was a plot all along and they have succeeded."
Aloun N'Dombet Assamba, Minister of Industry and Tourism, said Wednesday that everyone stood to benefit from the new arrangements.
"Ships are coming in record numbers and everyone will benefit," she said. Asked whether the system would not now allow for a few people to benefit at the expense of the majority, she said she was committed to seeing the tourism pie being distributed in an equitable manner.
"It can't be and it won't be that only some will benefit," she promised. "We just have to get our house in order and enough will be there for everybody."
She said the situation at sea whereby boats are docked near to the pier would soon be dealt with.
