13329: Karshan: Concretizing Democracy: July & August Highlights of Haiti achievements (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

CONCRETIZING DEMOCRACY

Highlights of Government of Haiti achievements
July & August 2002


JUSTICE & SECURITY:

In the second phase of the disarmament campaign police seize weapons of
various calibers by searching cars and homes.

New examining judge, Bernard Saint-Vil, assigned to Jean Dominique case,
continued the interviewing process including interviews with Dany Toussaint.

Rene Magloire, who served as President's Special Advisor against Drug
Trafficking and Abuse, named as head of newly formed government National
Commission against Drug Trafficking.

The Anti-Narcotic Unit (BLTS) of Haiti's Police made many seizures, arresting
several people including one who was in possession of 58 kilos of cocaine and
one million US dollars.  The government turned this person over to the DEA
because he was wanted in the US.  30 BLTS officers were deployed to Jacmel
and Cap Haitian to reinforce police presence in provinces and various ports,
making numerous arrest and seizures of drugs and money.

Arrested police for involvement in drug trafficking, including the police
chief of the South for failure to properly cooperate in investigation into
disappearance of large quantity of cocaine.

The government reestablished calm in Gonaives after a crowd rammed the prison
gate with a bulldozer permitting at least 150 prisoners to escape.  The
government, through the President, Prime Minister and police was determined
not to cause unnecessary bloodshed in a heavily populated neighborhood
(Raboteau) where the prime suspect shielded himself. Raboteau was the site of
a massacre by the military and FRAPH during the period of the coup.  Police
recaptured at least 13 prisoners and the government sent a negotiating team
composed of civil society, clergy, and government representatives to assist
in establishing peace.

Collaboration between business sector and police results in decrease in
insecurity in business section of Port-au-Prince, according to both the
police and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti (CCIH).

Criminal trials by jury sessions opened in Port-au-Prince and Saint Marc.

On the 15th anniversary of the July 23, 1987 massacre of 139 people in rural
Jean-Rabel three judges were assigned to advance the case to prosecution.
Warrants have been executed on this matter, with some people already being
detained, and other arrests still to be made.

PRESS:

The government rapidly responded to news that a radio journalist may have
been kidnapped, and aggressively took action making the government's position
loud and clear that the journalist should be released.  The Prime Minister
and the Secretary of State for Communications denounced violence against the
press while they visited the journalist when he was hospitalized for
evaluation after being found.

HUMAN RIGHTS:

Necker Dessables was named the new Ombudsman for Haiti's Office of Citizen
Protection, which handles complaints of abuses made by government offices or
personnel.  Dessables replaces Dr. Louis Roy, who retired recently.

HEALTH:

Modernization of Haiti's State University Hospital and steps to combat
corruption, with assistance from Pan American Health Organization, World
Health Organization and France's foreign cooperation.

First Lady Mildred Aristide addressed annual international conference on
human rights and health at Zanmi Lasante (Partners in Health) in Cange.

POPULATION:

Critical to planning and development, a Presidential decree authorizes
Haiti's 4th national census examining population and living conditions to be
carried out over next two years. Training of 23,000 census workers and 10,000
guides.

POLITICAL CRISIS:

Agreement signed between Ministry of Justice and various political parties
and their attorneys in which the government committed to pay reparations to
those victimized in the aftermath of the December 17th attack on the National
Palace. An inter-ministerial commission is underway receiving, verifying and
assessing claims for damages in the aftermath of the December 17th attack on
the National Palace.

Thousands of government supporters demonstrated in Leogane against US led
financial embargo on Haiti.

In wake of Haiti's admission to CARICOM an official delegation from Bahamas,
including the Bahamian Foreign Minister, visited President Aristide and
expressed their concern about deteriorating conditions due to the financial
sanctions against Haiti, which in turn forces Haitians to flee their harsh
economic conditions thereby putting a heavy strain on the Bahamas where many
end up or pass through.

Haiti's National Office on Migration received 71 refugees who explained that
they fled because of their dire economic conditions.

Fanmi Lavalas endorses the initial draft initial accord to end the political
impasse negotiated by OAS but Convergence has yet to agree to the accord.

President Hipolito Mejia appealed to President Bush during their meeting
together to release aid to Haiti citing humanitarian crisis and resulting
impact on Dominican Republic.

First Lady Mildred Aristide addressed Human Rights Luncheon at the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference and explained that the true crisis in Haiti
is "a human rights crisis in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and a
deteriorating ecological system now exacerbated by this devastating financial
embargo…" Regarding media distortion of Haiti, the First Lady said, "The
violence in Haiti on which the international press chooses to focus its
camera, is far from representative of life in our country.  The
sensationalism of this violence serves other purposes and overshadows the
daily violence experienced by people who do not have enough food to eat and
cannot send their children to school."

ECONOMY:

Custom receipts for June 2002 were 411,399,963 gourdes which was a decline of
14.42% compared to 470 million gourdes in May 2002.  However, this reflects
an increase of 26.26% over June 2001 receipts which was 302 million gourdes.

Custom receipts for July 2002 were 389,467,843 gourdes which was a decrease
of 5,084,993,60 gourdes or 1.31% compared to July 2001 and a drop of 5.33%
from amount collected in June 2002.

The Commission on Finances of the Lower Chamber of Parliament met with
officials of the Association of Banking Professionals to discuss a draft law
relating to taxes on revenue.

Parliament passed the budget for 2001-2002 with modifications.

Minister of Economy and Finance held meeting with economists to discuss
deterioration of Haiti's currency and measures to create monetary stability.

President Aristide visited the Tax office (DGI) and while there invited the
private sector to collaborate with the government for development and to
honor their obligations to pay taxes and spoke of the state's responsibility
to provide services such as infrastructure to facilitate private investment.
The President said the state cannot meet its obligations because of the
two-year old financial embargo against Haiti coupled with many taxpayers
being delinquent in their taxes. One such company cited owes the state four
billion gourdes.  The President denounced corruption and theft that has been
occurring at the tax bureau stating that people caught should be punished
under the law.

LITERACY, EDUCATION & YOUTH:

Law library opened for law students

Thousands of school uniforms to be distributed, hot lunch program to reach
200,000 children, 57 schools to be repaired and 38 to be built.  Also,
assistance being provided (teachers' salaries and equipment) for private
schools, school textbooks and supplies (backbags, etc.) subsidized by 60%.
GOH entered into contracts to subsidize textbooks with several publishers for
total of 2,275,400 copies with total value of 113,027,663 gourdes.

Ministry of Justice presented report advocating for policy for the protection
of children including that the state provide for children who otherwise have
no guardian.

National soccer summer program for youth at training camp in
Croix-des-Bouquets.

111,000 candidates took the BAC exam (high school exam), 40% passed this year
compared to only 17% last year.

National Library held a children's book fair

INFRASTRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT:

Government construction of public park, marketplace and road in Cite Soleil.

Presidential delegation to Taiwan in which President Aristide met with
Premier Yu Shyi-kun reinforcing bilateral relations and cooperation, received
40 million dollars in aid and 15 million in loan form for development
projects. Prime Minister of Taiwan then visited Haiti signing a letter of
intention to invest in Haiti.

President Aristide attended 23rd annual CARICOM meeting in Guyana. Haiti
becomes 15th member state of CARICOM.

Mayor of Port-au-Prince announces construction of new cemetery.  Improvements
have started on the old cemetery.

In June Parliament passed law concerning Free Trade Zones which will apply to
the project between Haiti and Dominican Republic at the border as well as to
other regions to encourage foreign investment, create employment and generate
jobs.

Petit Goave: inauguration of renovated town square park, school bus for town,
cyber cafe at high school, promised installation of phone lines, announced
increase in children to receive hot meals with the opening of 8 new schools.
So far, 11, 841 people in Petit Goave graduated from literacy classes. There
are 36 community restaurants linked to literacy programs in Petit Goave.

Construction of the new annex (Delmas 33) to the State University Hospital is
well underway and the entire Delmas 33 road completed.

Minister of Environment met with mayors of metropolitan region, announced
arrival of approximately ten new garbage trucks, created detailed schedule
for garbage collection, environmental agents to be dispatched around capital
to priority zones, disciplinary sanctions to be enforced against those who
violate measures.  Program to keep the Croix-des-Bossales marketplace clean
being carried out.  Already trained 1,045 environmental agents and 41
environmental coordinators for environmental protection.

Ministry of Agriculture provides the Office for the Development of the
Artibonite Valley (ODVA) five tractors for use by local farmers to aid in
national production.

500,000 fish eggs put in Azuei Lake to increase fishing capacity.

Meeting between government of Haiti and the Dominican Republic re: regulating
border and development of marketplace at Dajabon, and the International
Hispaniola Fund created March 5 between the two countries at a meeting in
Santo Domingo.

Parliament ratified an accord between Haiti and the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (FIDA) to reinforce national production by financing
various projects in rural areas.

DISASTER:

The Haitian Red Cross and Office of Civil Protection respond to flooding in
South (May 23-31) in which 44 persons killed , 4,963 families left homeless
in South and 3,292 homeless in Grande-Anse. Considerable damage to
agricultural production and road infrastructure.  Government spent 4 million
gourdes in response, assistance also donated by foreign governments and NGOs.
Office of Civil Protection launched campaign educating public about upcoming
storm season, preventive measures and response to disasters.

HEALTH:

Ministry of Health holds seminar in La Cayes on HIV/AIDS.

The Haitian Red Cross held a 16-session summer course in first aid which was
largely attended by young people.  Also did a training for trainers.

1199 donates medical equipment valued at $70,000 US for Haiti's
Port-au-Prince TB Sanitarium that is undergoing modernization.

Government of Haiti participates in 14th International AIDS Conference in
HIV/AIDS at Barcelona.  Representatives of 15 CARICOM countries including
Haiti signed contract with six pharmaceutical companies for reduced cost
medications to address persons with HIV/AIDS.

COOPERATIVES:

President Aristide meets with cooperative depositors and directors of some
cooperatives, and talks about newly legislated and published law governing
cooperatives.  The government implements numerous steps to protect investors
and to assist those who lost their deposits.  Cooperatives are put under the
supervision of Haiti's National Bank (BRH). All cooperatives required to
register with the National Council on Cooperatives (CNC), and must deposit
funds with BRH that would be an assurance against accounts on deposit.

CULTURE & RELIGION:

Ministry of Culture holds summer music festival of music, comedy and dance in
locations throughout Port-au-Prince area, including Cite Soleil, Champ de
Mars, Saint-Martin, Carrefour.

Government sponsors Christian choral recital at the National Stadium

Copyright office opens in business district

Widely televised music concert produced by the Ministry of Culture featuring
Haitian music from the 50s bringing singers from that time together and
honoring others.

TOURISM:

Mid-July, 80,000 pilgrims from around the world visit Saut-eau, a commune
measuring only 178 km, to the site of the vision of Mary and the sacred
waterfall giving thanks to the Virgin Mary for all good that has come to them
in the past year.  Government improved the mountainous road Morne Cabrit road
since the previous year.  Lots of police presence makes the annual event
safe.

ENVIRONMENT:

To protect the environment, the government of Haiti signs Protocol of
Montreal agreeing to limit import of CFC gas and refrigerators using this gas
by the year 2010.  Alternative technology will be introduced.

===========================================================
For press releases and speeches in French, please visit the National Palace
website at http://www.palaisnational.org

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