#2955: Chirac, a non-Haitian View (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: mihoko tsunetomi <miho0087@tctv.ne.jp>

     I could not believe his remark when  I first heard this.
The first step was to try to reach to the original ducument,
for which good friend Remy lost no time to send.  Once
again, I want to thank him.    It did not require any special
knowledge of French, my mininum command was enough.
It is not the matter of language.  Most Japanese have no
command of any other language, but, if something is really
important or necessary, we don't miss the information.

     Considering the public nature of that remark, he may
have had something intentionally, especially the part,
"strictly speaking".  To me, he might have waited for a
question right there, for which he wanted to say something.,
but that opportunity was already lost.

     What remains to the later generations is the fact that
"Haiti has never been a French colony", why?  It is officially
recorded in French archives.  Will that be OK?  Contrary
to Guy's comments, I have studied the History of Haiti from
French side how little they reveal the truth, and whenever
I talked with any French here,they all responded that they did
the right thing by colonizing.  Most recently, one even commented
the Rewandan case, where peace and stability existed while
 they were there, but problems occurred after French left.

     Being a Japanese, loser of World War ", we have been constantly
reminded what we did in the past, and dozens of politicians have
instantly lost their positions just for speaking a word of their belief,
very often natural among us, but not pleasant to China or Korea.
Yes, we colonized Korea for 35years from 1910-45, and there is
not a single Japanese who denies this fact.

     History is sometimes a winner's story.  Therefore, the more,
we must do our very best efforts to watch it, otherwise, we cannot
pass our legacy to later generations, whether negative or positive.
If left alone, no French of next generation will know if Saint Domingue
 ever existed,or was colonized.

    What I feel important here is to submit the official inquiry or protest
from Haitian government, so that at least the official evidence is
kept on the side of Haiti.  Otherwise, it will be understood as agreed-
upon.  This is history, nothing to compare with someone's death.

    I sent E-mail to French Presidential Palace, asking the strict
definition
of a colony.  (I did this strictly as Japanese from a Japanese viewpoint.)
If you do not try to correct, will your bones be welcomed, as Boisrond-
Tonnerre said, in the graves of your forefathers?

                                             Mihoko