12895: Re: 12887: Haiti government backers halt student protest (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: kevin pina <kpinbox@hotmail.com>


NOTE: There seems to be a huge discrepency between the number of so-called
"pro-government" demonstrators. The Reuters article reports "thousands"
while the AP reports "hundreds".  It is not clear to me why two different
reports should vary so widely on such an important and fundamental fact.

Anyone familiar with Kurosawa's epic film "Rashomon"? Perhaps it might be
more appropriate to have studied this event with a "Rorschach" test.

Best,


kp



Aristide supporters and students clash at demonstration for reinstatement of
Haiti's State University director
Thu Aug 22, 8:31 PM ET

By FRANCOIS ROTHSCHILD, Associated Press Writer

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Students protesting the removal of the state
university's director clashed with hundreds of President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide's supporters on Thursday.


The government supporters blocked the gates of a university building, where
students had launched a protest to demand Professor Pierre Marie Paquiot's
reinstatement as head of Haiti State University.

The government removed Paquiot from his post last month, saying his mandate
was up and appointed a three-member interim board until new university
elections were held.

The students accused the government of interfering in university business,
and demanded Paquiot run the school until the elections.

Student organizers said Thursday that people wearing T-shirts showing
Aristide's picture had beaten dozens of protesters when they tried to leave
the buildings for the demonstration.

Inside the building, the students were drafting a letter calling for
Paquiot's reinstatement and for the university to become independent.

After several hours, police escorted the students past the angry crowd, who
stayed outside the school's gates until the evening.

No one was arrested, police said. The government has not yet commented on
the incident.

The students said they would continue to protest until Paquiot is
reinstated.

Elections for a new head of the university are expected in the coming
months. A first election, in which Paquiot did not run, ended with no
candidate winning a necessary majority. Paquiot has said he would run in the
next election, which will be decided by students and faculty votes.

The Aristide supporters accused the students of backing opposition leaders,
who Aristide blames for the Haiti's loss of millions of dollars in foreign
aid.

"We are reacting to the students trying to politicize the university crisis
with their cries of 'Down with Aristide!'" said Theobald Pierre Paul, an
Aristide supporter.

It was unclear whether the students were shouting anti-Aristide statements.

International organizations have withheld aid pending agreement between
Aristide's governing Lavalas Family Party and the opposition on new
elections, after observers said the last ballot in 2000 was flawed.




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