Chinese business owners in Jamaica warned over robberies and police extortion

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Overseas Chinese dance to welcome the Chinese Navy "Peace Ark" hospital ship in Kingston, Jamaica in 2011.

Published: 12:35pm, 16 Jul 2013Updated: 5:19pm, 16 Jul 2013

An “unoptimistic security situation” in Jamaica has prompted China’s Ministry of Commerce to warn Chinese business owners and visitors there to stay alert, to travel in groups and to avoid carrying large amounts of cash.

The “Jamaica safety reminder”, published on the ministry’s website last month, follows media reports and first person accounts of robberies and attacks against Chinese nationals in the country.

“In recent weeks, a dozen robberies were committed in a Chinese neighborhood in Kingston,” reads an online post by a Chinese resident “Gordonjamaica”. “Some were robbed of thousands of US dollars, others of tens of thousands. They [criminals] ate food in our fridges, and I heard that they raped some Chinese women.”

The rape allegations have yet to be confirmed.

When the Chinese sought help from their embassy after these attacks, "Gordonjamaica" said the embassy treated them insensitively - like they were “bad guys".

“Only after we begged them for a long time, did they invite a police officer to meet with us, ” he said. But this didn't help. “The police officer at the meeting told us the case was not his responsibility.” Another Chinese family were also robbed the same night, he revealed.