14013: This Week in Haiti 20:38 12/4/2002 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

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                           HAITI PROGRES
              "Le journal qui offre une alternative"

                      * THIS WEEK IN HAITI *

                       December 4 - 10, 2002
                          Vol. 20, No. 38

GUACIMAL PRISONERS FREED

On Tue., Dec. 3, Haitian authorities freed the two remaining organizers of
the union Batay Ouvriye who were arrested last May 27 in Guacimal, near the
northeastern town of St. Raphael (see Haïti Progrès, Vol. 20, No. 11,
5/29/2002).

After months of national and international protest against their prolonged,
uncharged detention, a judge in the town of Grande Rivière du Nord finally
issued an order for the release of Jérémie Dorvil and Urbain Garçon on Dec.
2. The latter has suffered from lack of medical attention to a leg wound
sustained on May 27.

The two were among 11 people, including two journalists, arrested after
unionists clashed with a mob organized by local landowners and officials.
The mob macheted to death two Batay Ouvriye organizers, Fransilyen Exiné
and Ipharès Guerrier, who were buried on the spot (see Haïti Progrès, Vol.
20, No. 12, 6/5/2002).

For years, Batay Ouvriye has sought to win rights and wage hikes for the
workers on the orange tree plantation at Guacimal. The oranges until
recently have been the key ingredient of the world-renowned Remy Cointreau
liqueur.

"We want to thank all those who have worked for the release of these two
unionists," said Christian Lemoine of Rezo Solidarite, a Batay Ouvriye
support group. "But we continue to demand justice for the two unionists who
were murdered and an end to the intimidation, stonewalling, and violence
which has met Batay Ouvriye's attempts to organize workers in Guacimal. The
workers there have rights and must be allowed to organize for better
conditions and pay."


CLOSE-UP ON THE TROUBLES IN GONAÏVES

Since Nov. 25, turmoil has gripped the city of Gonaïves. Demonstrations,
gunfire, and burning barricades have occurred almost daily, fueled by a
vicious circle of retaliation between rival "popular organizations."

The Gonaïves neighborhood of Dèkawo is a stronghold of Jean Pierre, alias
Jean Tatoun, a local leader who rose to prominence during the 1986
uprisings against dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier but then collaborated with
the ensuing neo-Duvalierist dictatorships and with the 1991-1994 coup d'
état. His partisans today call for the resignation of President Jean
Bertrand Aristide.

Facing Tatoun are popular organizations loyal to the government and led by
Amiot Métayer, alias "Cubain," who is based in the city's largest
shantytown, Raboteau. Métayer was briefly jailed by government authorities
before dramatically breaking out of jail last August (see Haïti Progrès,
Vol. 20, No. 21 8/7/2002) but today strongly defends Aristide's government
and party, the Fanmi Lavalas.

On Nov. 28, the Gonaïves Citizens Initiative, an alliance of businessmen,
big landowners, former Duvalierist officials, and former soldiers,
organized a demonstration to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the
killing of three school children. Mackenson Michel, Jean Robert Céus, and
Daniel Israel were killed by gunfire from Duvalier's soldiers on Nov. 28,
1985, and it touched off nationwide protests which brought down the regime
about two months later.

Ironically, former Duvalierist functionaries, soldiers and Tonton Macoutes
(as Duvalier's paramilitary corps was called) organized this commemoration
denouncing the very dictatorship which they served.

The demonstrators rallied in front of the Gonaïves cathedral where Pierre
Robert Auguste, once Duvalier's information minister and spokesman of the
demonstration, delivered a speech calling for Aristide's removal. Things
went sour shortly after Jean Tatoun joined the march and began waving a
U.S. flag. Government partisans began throwing stones and bottles at the
demonstrators and flailing at them with short whips known as "rigwaz."

Five people were wounded by gunfire, including policeman Pierre Richard
Mezil, who was shot in the head and died in the hospital shortly
thereafter.

In response, Lavalas popular organizations set out to burn the house of
Jean Tatoun. In the ensuing confusion, several people were beaten and about
10 houses were sacked.

After the events of Nov. 28, three radio stations - Radio Provincial, Radio
Kiss FM, and Radio Independence - were forced to withdraw their
correspondents from the field and stop reporting news due to the violent
atmosphere.

Although Nov. 29 was calm, things heated up again on Nov. 30. Around 6 p.m.
that day, Tatoun's followers seized the vehicle of a Metayer partisan
passing through Dèkawo, which straddles the city's southern entrance.
Learning of this, Métayer's supporters set out to recover the car from
Tatoun's group. In the confrontation which followed, Evens Auguste, a
Métayer partisan, was killed by gunfire.

On Sun. Dec. 1, the situation worsened. The family and friends of Evens
Auguste went to the Jubilee neighborhood and burned about 20 houses. Among
those burned was the home of Senat Joseph, the Fanmi Lavalas' Gonaïves town
delegate. In the fires, a woman named Mimose and a child were burned to
death.

This sparked a demonstration by more than 1000 people, led by a pro-Lavalas
popular organization, who voiced their support for Aristide. They chanted
that they would not allow the return of the Haitian army and would not go
into hiding again as they had done during the coup. They charged that the
Convergence and the "international community" are distributing money to
create havoc in the country so that the U.S. has an excuse to occupy it
again.

On Mon. Dec. 2, early in the morning, Convergence partisans set up burning
tire barricades in Dèkawo, closing schools and most businesses in the city
that day.

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