MONTEGO BAY, St James – While regional leaders, including Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Jamaica’s Prime Minister P J Patterson and Caribbean oil ministers were meeting with the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez in the posh Ritz Carlton Hotel, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of this resort town to protest against rising prices.

The protestors mounted roadblocks, choking off vehicular traffic from most entrances and exits to the town.

There were also demonstrations in Flankers, Glendevon, Rose Heights, King Street, Albion, Salt Spring, Catherine Hall, Bogue, Johns Hall, Somerton, Paisley in St James, crippling commercial activities in the parish.

At Barnett Street, firefighters and workmen from the National Solid Waste Management Authority were kept busy clearing along Barnett Street of debris placed by the protestors, mainly supporters from the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party.

But the protest in St James was in the community of Flankers, where more than 300 placard- bearing demonstrators made it difficult for vehicles entering and leaving Montego Bay.

Although these demonstrators did not mount any roadblocks, they maintained a presence in the road, which created difficulties for motorists.

At the same time, roadblocks created hardships for scores of commuters who wanted to go about their legitimate business as taxis were not allowed to go beyond manned roadblocks.

Officials attending the PetroCaribe oil summit at the Ritz Carlton also experienced delays because of the roadblocks.

There were also demonstrations in:

. Wakefield;

. Clark’s Town; and

. Rio Bueno, in Trelawny.

. Hopewell; and

. Lucea in Hanover; and

. sections of Hanover and St Elizabeth.

Jamaica Labour Party deputy leader for Western Jamaica, Dr Horace Chang, said the day’s activities were successful.

“I think we had an excellent day in Montego Bay. We had some roadblocks, we had a lot of demonstrators and pretty much well behaved as well. We had one or two areas where they might have gone overboard but I think that given the context of demonstration in Jamaica everybody behaved very well,” Chang told the Observer.

“.We more than met our objective. The idea was to make a statement to government that they have become arrogant and insensitive to growing problems of the people. While we have had the ability to speak in Parliament they have still not listened and we have decided to speak in a more decisive way on the streets and we now expect to hear from them on some of the issues we have raised, then we will have to re-evaluate and move again,” said Chang.

Meanwhile, head of the Area One Police Division Assistant Commissioner Keith “Trinity” Gardener says that the police were able to stay on top of the situation yesterday.

“We have been able to deal with the situation without much confrontation. Police have been exercising restraint.”, he said.

– hindsh@jamaicaobserver.com