JAMAICAN PM UNABLE TO SAY WHERE ALLEGED DRUG LORD IS

Death Toll Climbs To 73

The death toll in the battle to capture the international drug baron
Christopher "Dudus" Coke is expected to climb, with more than 73
people confirmed dead.

The bodies of many killed in fierce gun battles in the city's Tivoli
Gardens quarter have yet to be recovered because of the siege of the
area imposed by the Jamaican army and police.

As operations continued for a fourth day, the government of Bruce
Golding, the Prime Minister, was unable to provide any information on
the whereabouts of Mr. Coke, whose extradition on drugs and weapons
charges is being sought by U.S. authorities.

Despite 500 arrests, Daryl Vaz, the Jamaican Information Minister,
said it was not certain he was still on the island.

Rumours abound about the fate of Mr. Coke, who is alleged to have
masterminded a criminal empire stretching from Tivoli to New York.
Many in Kingston believe he left Jamaica before the security
operation, the result of the government's belated decision to accede
to the extradition request. Others imagine him to be in hiding in a
remote area.

Jamaica's gangs have been an integral part of the country's political
system, providing muscle for elements of the two main parties, the Jamaica

Labour Party and the People's National Party.

Mr. Coke, whose Tivoli fiefdom forms the heart of Mr Golding's
riding, is considered a major threat to the Jamaican establishment
because of his knowledge of senior politicians' corrupt practices.

One report suggests his lawyers may be trying to strike a deal with
Washington for his safe removal to the U.S. to avoid his being
silenced by former associates. His father Lloyd Coke, the previous
"don" of Tivoli, died in a mysterious fire while in prison awaiting
extradition to the United States.

Although the government in Kingston has denied receiving foreign help
in the hunt, a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft has been
seen circling over Tivoli. It is equipped with the same camera as the
Predator drone used in Afghanistan.

The fighting has brought major disruptions to the island, resulting
in the closure of shops, schools and bus services, and the
cancellation of cricket matches between the West Indies and South Africa.

Kingston has been a ghost town after dark, with businesses shutting
early to allow workers to get home before nightfall.

That situation has now eased as the fighting is confined to an
ever-smaller area in Tivoli.

But the ordeal of residents there continues. Food and water are in
short supply and sanitation has broken down.

The government is appealing for donations of blood because of
"critically low levels" in hospitals, which have dealt with scores of
casualties, some of them children, caught in the crossfire.