23156: (Chamberlain) Popular broadcaster gunned down in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Joseph Guyler Delva

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Gunmen shot and killed a
Baptist minister who was Haiti's most popular radio personality on Monday,
the radio station's owner said.
     The Rev. Jean Moles Lovinsky Berthomieux, better known to listeners in
the poor Caribbean country as "Pastor Moles," was shot several times as he
was leaving his Port-au-Prince home for Radio Caraibes FM, where his
religious program, "The Morning Manna," was Haiti's top-rated show.
     His wife, Verna Berthomieux, who is three months pregnant, climbed to
the roof of her house to evade the gunmen who shot her husband, said
Patrick Moussignac, owner of Radio Caraibes FM.
     The gunmen escaped. Police said they were investigating the case.
     The killing occurred at a time when Haiti is facing a new wave of
violence as rebellious former soldiers who helped oust Haitian President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February challenge the interim government.
     Authorities said there was no immediate indication the killing was
politically motivated. Berthomieux's driver was arrested but not charged.
     Berthomieux presented the Creole-language show for more than 15 years.
He won the hearts of Haitians from all social levels, who listened to him
every morning.
     Dozens of fans rushed to the capital's general hospital morgue to try
to see his body. But relatives said they would have to wait for the
funeral, which could take place at the weekend.
     "I can say I was addicted to his show and his calm voice. I never woke
up a morning without listening to him," Linda Joanis, 29, said at the
hospital.
     Moussignac, the owner of the radio station, said, "He was a man of
principle, a humanist, a very respectful and kind person who had a passion
for life and for what he was doing."
     In April 2000, Haiti's most prominent radio commentator and
journalist, Jean Dominique, was shot to death outside his radio station.
Fumbled efforts to bring his killers to justice became an enduring symbol
of Haiti's political turmoil.
     The "Morning Manna" radio program became so popular that Berthomieux
used it as a trademark for his businesses and denominational activities. He
created a Morning Manna high school, a Morning Manna professional center
and a Morning Manna biblical school.