19933; Blanchet: Fw: Latest from Haiti (sent by Haiti Support Group) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>


Two articles in this email
1. Aristide supporters denounce "occupation" (Reuters)
2. Chaos reigns in Haiti's wild and leaderless south-west (The Scotsman)
Aristide supporters denounce "occupation"


Aristide supporters denounce "occupation"
Sat 6 March, 2004 By Ibon Villelabeitia and Jim Loney
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - Thousands of furious supporters of exiled
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide have poured out of Haiti's slums and into
the
streets , marching on the U.S. Embassy to denounce the "occupation" of their
homeland and demand Aristide's return.

The formation of a new government moved ahead with the appointment of a
council of seven "wise men" charged with picking a prime minister, while the
estimate of the death toll after a month-long revolt soared to well over
200.

A crowd estimated at more than 10,000 materialised suddenly in
Port-au-Prince
on Friday, seething at Aristide's flight to Africa five days ago, hurling
slurs at U.S. Marines and calling President George W. Bush a "terrorist."

Hundreds held up their hands, with fingers extended, shouting "Aristide five
years," the rallying cry of those who wanted him to finish his term. Heavily
armed U.S. troops watched from the embassy rooftop as the crowd marched
past.

"Bush terrorist! Bush terrorist!," they chanted, waving Haitian flags or
T-shirts bearing photos of Aristide.

Supporters of Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest whose fiery oratory
from the pulpit helped galvanise a popular revolt that dislodged the
Duvalier
family dictatorship in the 1980s, had been relatively quiet this week,
stunned
by his departure.

They had stayed largely in Cite Soleil, La Saline and other teeming
Port-au-Prince slums as the armed rebels who helped push their hero from
office roamed
the streets, hunting for Aristide's armed "chimere" supporters.

Amid reports of reprisal killings, the Pan American Health Organisation said
the morgue at the main hospital in Port-au-Prince had accumulated nearly 200
bodies since the outbreak of the revolt on February 5.

But that was just in the capital, and the death toll nationwide would be far
higher than estimates of around 100 generally accepted to date.

As the armed rebels withdrew from the capital after a pledge from their
leader, former police chief Guy Philippe, to lay down their guns, Aristide
partisans vowed to demonstrate daily for his return.

'FOREIGN OCCUPATION'

They blamed a wealthy elite, Bush and French President Jacques Chirac for
what they called the "foreign occupation."

"The bourgeoisie joined with the international community to occupy Haiti and
get rid of President Aristide," a demonstrator screamed. "The bourgeoisie
never did anything for us, the masses. Now they took away our president."

Five days after Aristide was ousted by the bloody rebellion and foreign
pressure, a seven-member "Council of Wise Men" was named to start building a
new
government. At least four of the seven are aligned with Aristide's political
opposition.

Haitian and foreign officials have been struggling to install interim
president Boniface Alexandre, who according to the constitution must be
ratified by
the legislature. No one could say when a formal ceremony would be held at
the
palace.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Chaos reigns in Haiti's wild and leaderless south-west
JOSEPH FRAZIER IN LES CAYES  - The Scotsman, 6 March 2004

A WEEK after the sudden departure of Haiti’s ousted president, Jean-Bertrand
Aristide, the presence of United States marines on the streets of
Port-au-Prince has brought a degree of stability to the capital.

US troops yesterday began fanning out across the country, reaching the rebel
strongholds of Cap-Haitien and Gonaives.

But while the feared bloodshed in these cities appears to have been averted,
other parts of the country remain on the brink of chaos.

In the remote south-western city of Les Cayes, no US marines are patrolling
and few people have a clear idea of who is in charge.

Instead, young and undisciplined thugs shove shotguns or crude home-made
pistols through car windows at roadblocks. Men who imply they were a part of
the
rebel force that hastened Mr Aristide’s departure point M-1 rifles in
drivers’
faces and demand to know their business.

Outside the town of Aquin, just east of Les Cayes, stumbling drunks with
shotguns and pistols demand to search bags in a car.

In the days after Mr Aristide’s departure, the city became a battleground in
the power struggle between rebels and Aristide loyalists. The two sides
clashed on the streets, burning houses and looting businesses.

The lawlessness abated when three looters were shot dead and a fourth was
given a severe beating. "Since then things have been relatively calm," said
a
hotel owner, Gérard Charlvire.

Les Cayes is about 120 miles and several bumpy hours from Port-au-Prince and
these days visitors are few. Most of the police have fled. The remaining few
have been joined by former soldiers from the long-disbanded Haitian army.
The
Resistance Front, an anti-Aristide citizens’ committee, also has a presence
in
the city.

"We still haven’t received orders from Port-au-Prince about what to do with
the ex-soldiers," said the police inspector, Yvon Chery. "For now we just
share
the building, we go our own ways. The civilians don’t bother us much for now
but eventually we will ask them to hand over their guns."

Meanwhile, the lack of security has crippled Les Cayes. Banks are closed,
their security guards having been stripped of weapons by Aristide
supporters.
Petrol stations open only briefly and sell only small amounts. Most
businesses
remain closed, afraid to take in money with nowhere secure to deposit it.

"Do you think foreign troops will come give us enough security so banks and
businesses can open?" asked a local reporter, Lazar Pierre Onald.

"The national police were told from the capital that they had no authority
over the pro-Aristide people," Onald said. "Most gave up and left town."

Eventually, Onald said, the Resistance Front attacked and Aristide loyalists
retreated.

"Nobody has seen them since," he said.

The worst problems now are not in the city but in the towns to which they
fled, he said.

______________________________________________


This email is forwarded as a service of the Haiti Support Group.

See the Haiti Support Group web site:
www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org

Solidarity with the Haitian people's struggle for justice, participatory
democracy and equitable development, since 1992.
____________________________________________