7106: Confused re: Events in Haiti (#7090) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: amedard@gte.net

> (from Caribbean Insight newsletter)
>
>   (16 Feb 01)
>
> <snip>
>
> A civilian former diplomat, Arvel Jean-Baptiste, was appointed
> deputy police chief (inspector-general) on February 13.  The
> influential Sen. Dany Toussaint is expected to be named head of

> the force to replace
> Pierre Denizé, who had been a target of strong Lavalas
> criticism, but recent reports have spoken of tension between
> Aristide and Toussaint.

After reading the paragraphs from the "US News & World Report"
article <http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000529/haiti.htm>
below ... IF the accusations and implications are true, I am
wondering ... THIS is the kind of person being considered for
HEAD of the POLICE Force ?!   There must be something that I just
don't understand ! (?)  Please enlighten me!

     The cocaine connection
     Amid poverty and political disarray, traffickers find
     Haiti open for business
     By Linda Robinson

     PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI–On May 7, the chief of Haiti's
     U.S.-trained antidrug police force, Armand Jean-Robert,
     quietly boarded an Air France flight to Miami

     <snip>

     was one of a dozen police superintendents being
     investigated by the inspector general of Haiti's
     police.

     <snip>

     A U.S. News investigation reveals that traffickers and
     their allies now operate here with near impunity,
     intimidating or killing anyone who stands in their way.
     "They have very, very high-level contacts," says one
     Haitian official. "I feel like I'm the enemy."

     Alerted by rumors of an investigation, some of the
     suspect police superintendents sought help from a
     powerful figure in Haiti's ruling party, Dany
     Toussaint. According to several U.S. and Haitian
     officials, Toussaint used his political connections to
     secure protection for the police officers and the
     ouster of the inspector general. U.S. officials think
     they know why. "We suspect that certain individuals
     associated with Fanmi Lavalas [the ruling party] are
     involved with drugs," says a senior Clinton
     administration official. "In his [Toussaint's] case,
     it's more than a rumor." Toussaint denies allegations
     that he is involved in drug trafficking.

     Burying the truth. Those seen as causing trouble for
     drug traffickers and their friends become targets. The
     secretary of state for public security fled into exile
     in Guatemala last October, and his presumed successor
     was shot dead the next day. A week later, an
     assassination attempt was made against the chief of the
     judicial police. And Haiti's most prominent radio
     journalist, who had denounced Toussaint and "the
     defamation of honest officials" in a fiery broadcast,
     was slain in front of his radio station last month.

     <snip>

[Note:  to read a transcript of Dominique's broadcast, see

     <http://www.haitionline.com/1999/11026.htm>

a little more than half way down the page and

     <http://www.us.net/cip/radio.htm>]