13765: (Chamberlain) Thousands of students in Haiti protest shooting of students (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

Thousands of students in Haiti protest shooting of students wounded in
Wednesday demonstration

                  By MICHAEL NORTON

                  PORT-AU-PRINCE, Nov 21 (AP) - Thousands of students in
three cities took to the streets Thursday demanding President Jean-Bertrand
Aristide's resignation, a day after four students were shot in a clash with
authorities.
                  "Aristide is a criminal! Aristide must go!" high school
and university students in the capital chanted, as more than 3,000 marched
from the Ministry of Education building to the vicinity of the National
Palace.
                  Along the way, the students dispersed a pro-government
demonstration with a hail of rocks. No injuries or arrests were reported.
                  In Petit-Goave, where the four students were shot and six
others were injured Wednesday, more than a thousand high school students
under police escort marched through the town calling on Aristide to step
down.
                  Several schools in Gonaives, Haiti's fourth largest city
about 110 kilometers (70 miles) northwest of the capital, closed after
hundreds of students poured into the streets protesting the Wednesday
shooting.
                  They defiantly lowered the Haitian flag at the Gonaives
police station, but police did not retaliate. Later, police did not
intervene when a group of heavily-armed Aristide partisans shot into the
air and threw rocks at the protesters who quickly dispersed, reported
independent Radio Vision 2000.
                  Government supporters also threatened local reporters
covering the event, independent Radio Signal F.M. reported.
                  Thursday's protests marked the fifth day of
anti-government demonstrations since Friday, reflecting a growing antipathy
with Aristide's leadership.
                  On Wednesday, anti-government protesters forced their way
into a police station courtyard in provincial Petit-Goave, 70 kilometers
(44 miles) west of the capital. A clash resulted, leaving 10 people
injured, four of them with gun shot wounds. The gun shot victims were in
stable condition.
                  Witnesses reported that police opened fire on the
students, which police deny, saying "infiltrators" among the students were
responsible. A Ministry of Interior team was dispatched to investigate the
shooting.
                  The students were demonstrating Wednesday against the
high cost of living and a rumored increase in final exam fees. A government
communique later denied there was an increase in exam fees. Before invading
the police courtyard, the demonstrators lowered the national flags at
several public buildings.
                  Haiti's economic and political stability has deteriorated
since May 2000 elections, which observers said were flawed. The elections
gave most victories to governing party candidates.
                  The government and opposition parties have been in a
stalemate since then. Failure to agree on new elections has held up
hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid, and poverty has deepened in
Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.