23357: (Chamberlain) Beheaded bodies found (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By AMY BRACKEN

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct 7 (AP) -- Two beheaded bodies, one wrapped in tires
and set ablaze, turned up in Haiti's capital, officials said Thursday, the
latest victims of violence fueled by supporters of an ousted president,
   The killings brought the death toll to 20 in a week-long protests by
backers of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who are seeking the former president's
return to power.
   The violence has frequently spun out of control and last week three
policemen were beheaded in the capital.
   In the La Saline slum on Thursday, people hurried past the two bodies,
holding their noses amid traffic. One had been lying there for at least a
day.
   At least 50 people have been treated for gunshot wounds since last
Friday at Port-au-Prince General Hospital.
   Aristide supporters say police started the violence by firing at unarmed
protesters. They also criticize the authorities and U.N. troops for not
disarming rebels who ousted Aristide and have friendly relations with the
U.S.-backed interim government.
   Police claimed they were regaining control in the capital.
   "The situation is calming down," police Chief Leon Charles said
Thursday. He acknowledged bursts of gunfire continue in places but said "we
are in control of the situation."
   Violence also erupted Thursday in the storm-ravaged city of Gonaives,
where stone-throwing crowds attacked workers with Catholic Relief Services
as they prepared to distribute food aid, said spokesman David Snyder.
   The workers quickly got back into a jeep, but a rock broke a window and
hit one worker in the mouth, Snyder said.
   U.N. peacekeepers were present but weren't much help.
   "It seems to be hit-or-miss every day in terms of security," Snyder
said.
   Tens of thousands of people in the city of 250,000 remain hungry, three
weeks after Tropical Storm Jeanne unleashed floods and mudslides that
killed at least 1,870 people, the International Federation of Red Crescent
and Red Cross Societies warned this week. Another 884 are still missing and
most are presumed dead. Some 300,000 people were left homeless in or around
Gonaives.
   Relief workers say the violence in Port-au-Prince also crippled food
shipments to Gonaives. Dock loaders and customs officers fearful of being
shot at stayed away for about a week, but returned Thursday to the seaport
near La Saline under guard by U.N. peacekeepers.
   The secretary-general of the Organization of American States, Miguel
Angel Rodriguez of Costa Rica, said Thursday he will ask U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan to boost the number of U.N. peacekeepers from
3,000 to the promised 8,000 "as fast as possible."
   About 750 U.N. troops have been tied up dealing with the aftermath of
Jeanne.
   Rodriguez visited Gonaives Wednesday and met Haiti's interim leaders and
pro-Aristide leaders, urging a peace dialogue.
   ------
   Associated Press writer Stevenson Jacobs in Port-au-Prince contributed
to this report.