23343: (Chamberlain) Haitian police arrest Senate president in standoff (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

     By Joseph Guyler Delva

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Police stormed a radio
station and arrested Haiti's Senate president and two other members of the
Lavalas Family party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide after a
day-long standoff on Saturday.
     Dozens of heavily armed police surrounded the building of independent
Radio Caraibes FM in the capital, Port-au-Prince, to arrest the Lavalas
partisans.
     They were arrested in connection with the killing of three police
officers during a series of violent protests in which 12 other people also
died during the last three days, officials at the radio station said.
     After an 11-hour standoff, the officers stormed the building and took
the trio away in handcuffs.
     One of those arrested was Senate President Yvon Fuille, who denied
involvement in the violence and who has immunity from arrest under Haiti's
constitution.
     "I am not involved in any criminal activity. I am the president of the
Senate and, according to the Haitian constitution, the police cannot arrest
me even with a warrant," Fuille said during the standoff. "This is totally
arbitrary and this shows the will of the government to persecute members of
the Lavalas family party."
     Aristide went into exile in February amid an armed revolt, and members
of his Lavalas Family party have since accused the interim government of
persecuting them.
     Fuille was a guest on a morning talk show, along with two other
Lavalas members -- party leader Gerald Gilles and Rudy Herrvaux, a former
member of Haiti's Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament. The
trio exchanged views on the show with Aristide opponents.
     Police showed up to arrest the three Lavalas members early Saturday
morning. When the station director, Patrick Moussignac, refused them entry,
police surrounded the building and prevented those inside from leaving.
     Eleven hours later, the officers stormed the building, handcuffed the
trio and took them away. They also arrested a lawyer for Fuille, who had
attempted to negotiate an end to the stalemate.
     The officers said the Lavalas partisans were wanted in connection with
the killing of three policemen during a series of rallies that began on
Thursday in support of Aristide's return.
     Police fired live ammunition and dispersed the pro-Aristide marchers
as they approached the National Palace on Thursday.
     U.N. peacekeepers, sent to stabilize Haiti after Aristide's departure,
have guarded the palace and blocked surrounding streets since then. But
violent confrontations between police and armed gangs have flared through
the weekend in several Port-au-Prince slums that were a stronghold of
Aristide support.
     One policeman was shot and killed in Thursday's confrontation and two
decapitated bodies believed to be those of missing plainclothes policemen
were recovered during a gunfight in the Cite Soleil slum on Friday.
     Twelve other people have also been killed in subsequent police raids
in the pro-Aristide slum neighborhoods, including a 15-year-old boy who was
shot in the head.
     Police said they had found a stash of weapons in a car belonging to
one of the Lavalas officials, Gilles.
     Gilles said he did not own the car and had no idea who did.
     Justice Minister Bernard Gousse said police had no arrest warrants but
acted to prevent further violence.
     "We did not have any guarantee that if we had let those men leave, the
capital of Port-au-Prince was going to be calm tonight," Gousse said.
     He said the arrests were not intended to deter press freedom. The
station director said Radio Caraibes would cease broadcasting.