Letter: Murder island
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Let us hope Kenneth Taylor's chilling account of the growing numbers of British-Jamaican pensioners who have been murdered after retiring to Jamaica ("Paradise lost", 19 March) will finally force the Jamaican government to move away from its usual defensive stance on such reports, and do whatever is necessary to stop these slaughters of innocent pensioners when they return to what they genuinely hoped would be "home sweet home in paradise".
For too long, the Jamaican government and many Jamaicans have tended to be defensive when issues such as the appalling levels of crime and violence in Jamaica are exposed in the foreign media. The common complaint, particularly from the Jamaican High Commissioner here in Britain, is that Jamaica always gets negative reporting in the British media and stories are often reported "out of context".
The reality is clear: in 1998 alone, over 900 people, including a number of pensioners from Britain and the USA, were murdered in Jamaica, a country of just 2.5 million people.
If the Jamaican government is serious about wanting visitors and expatriates to "come to Jamaica and feel all right", then it had better start finding solutions quickly to its biggest challenge, the frightening reality of crime and violence in Jamaica.
B D BURRELL
North Greenford, Middlesex
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments