20850: (Chamberlain) Haitians wary of itchy U.S. trigger fingers (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Michael Christie

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 26 (Reuters) - Married to an American,
and no fan of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Louis Rene Balmir
had no problem with U.S. Marines who landed in Haiti a month ago.
     Now the professional security guard is not so sure as he lies on his
side in a Port-au-Prince hospital bed, nursing the wounds from up to 10
American bullets.
     "It was exactly like an ambush," Balmir told Reuters, drip feeds
attached to both arms after two operations to repair his shredded
intestines.
     "I guess that is the way they do things, the big stick, the big M-16,
and you have to just shut up. I don't think that's the American way, I
refuse to accept that, and that's why I'm going to sue them."
     Skittish U.S. Marines, leading a 3,300-strong international peace
force since Aristide was driven into exile on Feb. 29 by a monthlong
revolt, have shot eight people so far, killing four.
     At least three were suspected Aristide supporters, enraged at the
departure of Haiti's first democratically elected leader in what many of
them see as a U.S.-backed coup, and who had taken potshots at Marines.
     The rest were civilians in their cars, cut to pieces at nighttime
checkpoints after they failed to stop.
     Balmir said he had gone to get asthma medicine for one of his three
children, and was taking a friend home at around the 10 p.m. curfew time
when he ran into a checkpoint he could not see.
     "It was dark, there were no lights. I didn't know what was going on
until I realized I was being shot by Americans," he said.
     "People say they are Marines, they came here to kill people, they're
nervous, they're trigger-happy. I don't care about all that stuff. I care
about getting asthma medicine for my kid."
     New Haitian police chief Leon Charles said a growing fear of the
"trigger-happy" Americans was causing problems.
     "U.S. is losing the hearts and minds of people because there's so many
cases" of shootings, Charles told Reuters.
     "The Marines -- they are military. They are very, very nervous. But
the commander sent out a note saying, hey, we need to calm down, Haiti is
not Iraq."
     U.S. military officials said a note had been passed out.
     Marines in full battle-gear and Kevlar helmets, their fingers on their
triggers, have been the main target of snipers who are still taking the
occasional shot at patrols.
     French and Canadian troops, wearing berets or soft hats, and more
likely to say "bonjour" than "stand back," have not come under direct fire.
     But Marine spokesman Maj. Richard Crusan said none of the cases where
civilian cars came under U.S. fire at checkpoints were caused by Marine
aggressiveness. In every case, the Marines felt they had come under genuine
threat.
     "We do have the right to protect ourselves," he said.
     Col. Thomas Schoenbeck, the No. 3 commanding officer of the
U.N.-sanctioned force, said the Marines were still seeking a balance
between self-protection and "shaking hands." In the daytime now, they wear
soft caps if the situation allows.
     "There is a very fine line between showing determined preparedness
against those criminals and forces that would do us harm, and showing at
the same time goodwill and humanitarian assistance and help to the people
of Haiti," he told Reuters.
     By posting Creole speakers and Haitian police at checkpoints, and
issuing pamphlets on what to expect, the U.S. military hopes locals will
learn how to behave at them.
     "We just want to make sure that word is getting out. Hey, we're doing
this for the safety of the Haitian people, not to harm the Haitian people,"
Schoenbeck said.