Jamaicans Angry Over U.S. Treasure Hunt

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Snip from The Guardian
By STEVENSON JACOBS

Associated Press Writer

PORT ROYAL, Jamaica (AP) - Jamaicans have long suspected the waters off their southern coast are teeming with shipwrecks and sunken treasure from the days when the island was a haven for pirates. But they have always been happy to leave the mystery to the sea.

Now some islanders are angry to learn that their government has not only given an American treasure-salvage company permission to explore the area - called Pedro Banks - but also to keep half the bounty. They say all the artifacts - precious or not - are part of their history and belong in Jamaica.

``You're not just dealing with treasure here,'' said Ainsley Henriques, who resigned as director of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, the state agency overseeing the project, to protest the government's decision.

Admiralty Corp., which launched its expedition this week from Port Royal, a colonial-era pirate town once dubbed the ``wickedest city on earth,'' has promised to conduct a proper archaeological recovery.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4093750,00.html