23292: Stephenson: Re: 23251: (Chamberlain) Ousted Aristide mourns victims of Haiti storm (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: PatrickStephenson <patrickstephenson@videotron.ca>


  Aristide has good reason to mourn, he is part of the environmental
problems that has plague Gonaives during the last 10 years. Last but not
least he has spent millions to build a bunker of scrap containers so that he
can safely give a parade to his friend Thabo Mbeki for the bicentennial of
Haiti Independence. Instead of the masquerade that he had held to celebrate
the 200 years of Haiti Independence with his wealthy drug warlords, spending
en passant over 12 millions dollars, he would had better use this money to
modernize and protect the city of Independence from flash floods by building
protection dams and reforestation of this important shelter belt. Instead of
playing the politics of the sad man, and capitalizing of people suffering,
he had better sent some of the millions he has in the Swiss numerical
accounts.




  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Bob Corbett" <corbetre@webster.edu>
  To: "Haiti mailing list" <haiti@lists.webster.edu>
  Sent: Friday, September 24, 2004 7:58 AM
  Subject: 23251: (Chamberlain) Ousted Aristide mourns victims of Haiti
storm (fwd)


  >
  > From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>
  >
  >                          Ousted Aristide mourns victims of Haiti storm
  >
  >
  >      JOHANNESBURG, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Deposed Haitian President
  > Jean-Bertrand Aristide mourned the deaths of more than 1,000 people in
  > Tropical Storm Jeanne and said on Thursday he stood in solidarity with
his
  > suffering people.
  >      "It is with great sadness that I watch reports of the devastation
  > wrought upon Haiti ... Gonaives, the cradle of our independence, has
  > suffered enormously," he said in a statement issued from his exile in
  > Pretoria, South Africa.
  >      "Condolences and courage to an entire nation that has seen much
pain
  > and suffering in this tumultuous bicentennial year."
  >      Haiti has begun burying hundreds of flood victims in mass graves,
  > while emergency food was being distributed to some of the thousands of
  > people made homeless by the raging storm.
  >      The death toll rose to 1,008 in the Artibonite region around the
  > northern coastal city of Gonaives and 72 in Haiti's Northwest province,
a
  > Haitian government official said.
  >      Aristide has kept a low profile during his exile in South Africa,
  > which has sparked opposition criticism that the government is tainted by
  > association with a man accused of rights abuses back home.
  >      Pretoria says Aristide was the victim of a U.S.-sanctioned "regime
  > change" and has backed a United Nations probe into the events
surrounding
  > his departure from Haiti on February 29 amid an armed revolt. President
  > Thabo Mbeki has been a strong supporter of Aristide.
  >      The government has rejected opposition and media criticism over its
  > funding of Aristide's exile -- including his rent and two daughters'
school
  > fees -- saying he arrived in the country without any possessions or
money.
  >
  >
  >