Haiti "a beginners guide"

by Red Mist Tue Feb 10, 2004 04:34

I believe the US is preparing to invade Haiti as we speak. The Bush imperialist ransacking of the world continues unabated.

by iosaf Tue Feb 10, 2004 13:10

9 February - The police have re-taken the towns of Saint-Marc (north of the capital), Grand-Goâve (to the south) and Dondon (in the North department), but several other towns and localities remain outside police control. Prime Minister Yvon Neptune visited Saint Marc, a town close to Gonaïves, saying he was there "to encourage the police." By the evening, the police had not yet entered the stronghold of the opposition force - le Rassemblement des Militants Conséquents de Saint-Marc (RAMICOS) - in a zone called La Syrie.

Neptune also appeared with police in Grand-Goâve where he was welcomed by dozens of people who were seen on state TV chanting, "We have arrived, you better hide" - an indirect allusion to the rebels who occupied the town for nearly 48 hours.

The police also regained control of Dondon after a rebel occupation lasting several hours. On the morning of 9 February, the rebel attackers had succeeded in disarming a number of police officers. There is no news from Saint-Raphaël (close to Dondon) where the police station was attacked by armed men forcing the police to flee.

With the help of local people, rebel gangs have taken control of the towns of Marchand-Dessalines, Ennery, Gros-Morne, L'Estère, Anse-Rouge, Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite and Trou du Nord. Reacting to these facts, the head of state has denounced a coup d'etat. Prime Minister Neptune described the insurgents as "terrorists", and pointed a finger at the formal political opposition which, he said, is linked to the events. (AlterPresse)

Map of Haiti at:-
http://www.map.freegk.com/haiti/haiti.php

a lot of imc logos to download @
http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/ImcDesign

by - Tue Feb 10, 2004 13:24

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday that The Haitian government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has contributed to the violence unsettling the Caribbean nation.
"It’s a very complicated situation," Boucher said. "The government has responded with a combination of police and pro-Aristide gangs. The pro-Aristide gangs reportedly erected flaming tire barricades in several cities," Boucher said. "There are different groups, there are different private groups or, you know, nongovernmental ... bands of violent actors, thugs on both sides who have been involved in violence, as well as the government reaction that we think has often sometimes contributed to the violence. Boucher said "the United States strongly condemns the latest wave of violence in Haiti. We deeply deplore the loss of life that occurred during attacks in Gonaives, St. Marc and other cities. We call on the government of Haiti to respect the rights, especially human rights, of all citizens and residents of Haiti." "And we call on all Haitians to respect the law," he said. "The problems of Haiti will not be solved by violence and retribution. Only through dialogue, negotiation and compromise can Haiti find a solution to its problems."

by Dickie Rock Wed Feb 11, 2004 02:33

CIA agents are arming the opposition and fomenting disorder in the run-up to a coup d'etat. It's a classic CIA job.

by io Wed Feb 11, 2004 12:58

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) condemns the latest incidents of lawlessness and violence which once again emphasise the urgent need for a peaceful solution to the continued political impasse in Haiti. In this regard the Community, at the highest level, has taken an initiative based on a Prior Action Plan which is aimed at restoring confidence between contending groups and initiating a process of détente which would facilitate dialogue. This Plan has been accepted by President Aristide. The proposed measures have also been brought to the attention of the political opposition and of civil society as progress will require action by all sides. For all parties have interests, but also have clear responsibilities.

We are insisting on a protection of fundamental rights and civil freedoms - the Caribbean Community cannot condone disorder and anarchy. The Caribbean Community calls on all groups in Haiti which have the peace and welfare of their country and of its people at heart to accept the urgent need for dialogue, and to refrain from action which will result in an escalation of violence, leading eventually to a state of anarchy. (Caricom)

9 February - The police have re-taken the towns of Saint-Marc (north of the capital), Grand-Goâve (to the south) and Dondon (in the North department), but several other towns and localities remain outside police control. Prime Minister Yvon Neptune visited Saint Marc, a town close to Gonaïves, saying he was there "to encourage the police." By the evening, the police had not yet entered the stronghold of the opposition force - le Rassemblement des Militants Conséquents de Saint-Marc (RAMICOS) - in a zone called La Syrie.

Neptune also appeared with police in Grand-Goâve where he was welcomed by dozens of people who were seen on state TV chanting, "We have arrived, you better hide" - an indirect allusion to the rebels who occupied the town for nearly 48 hours.

The police also regained control of Dondon after a rebel occupation lasting several hours. On the morning of 9 February, the rebel attackers had succeeded in disarming a number of police officers. There is no news from Saint-Raphaël (close to Dondon) where the police station was attacked by armed men forcing the police to flee.

With the help of local people, rebel gangs have taken control of the towns of Marchand-Dessalines, Ennery, Gros-Morne, L'Estère, Anse-Rouge, Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite and Trou du Nord. Reacting to these facts, the head of state, Aristide, has denounced a coup d'etat. Prime Minister Neptune described the insurgents as "terrorists", and pointed a finger at the formal political opposition which, he said, is linked to the events. (AlterPresse)

9 February - In pro-government enclaves in the dirt-poor provinces of the Caribbean country of 8 million, some community leaders said they were "fortifying" their towns against expected attacks from insurgents. "It's an open armed conflict now. It's not a joke," said Guy Delva, secretary-general of the Association of Haitian Journalists.

In the southern port city of Jacmel, where Haiti plans to hold its main Carnival celebrations next weekend, former pro-government deputy and now radio station owner, Wilnet Content, said people barricaded the streets to prevent Aristide opponents from entering town. "They can do nothing in Jacmel," Content told Reuters by telephone. (Reuters)

9 February - Rebel forces in Gonaïves are preparing for new attempts to re-take the town on the part of police forces. "We are willing to fight and die if necessary," said Ralph D'Aout, a 32-year-old tailor from the Raboteau slum in Gonaïves. "It's a battle that we're up against, but it's one we will win." During the fighting, D'Aout crouched, surrounded by other men equipped with two-way radios and assault rifles. D'Aout was clearly in charge, as he called over armed men and boys and whispered orders.

As his men exchanged fire with Aristide's police force (on Saturday), D'Aout told The Miami Herald he was commanding Force 86, led by Jean Tatoune. Tatoune was convicted of involvement in the 1994 slayings of Aristide supporters in what became known as the Raboteau massacre and was one of more than 150 inmates who escaped from the Gonaives prison in 2002. (Miami Herald)

9 February - Ex-army colonel, Himmler Rébu, has told the opposition Radio Metropole that Aristide has no choice but to resign after losing control of towns in different parts of the country. Rébu said the police had received insufficient training to deal with the situation they face in Gonaïves. He called on police officers to defect rather than take actions to the detriment of the wider population. (Metropole)

[Haiti Support Group note: extract from a Reuters report dated August 17 2001: "In all countries, the military has a role - ensuring stability in the country," said Himmler Rebu, former commander of a special unit that tried in 1989 to overthrow President Prosper Avril..."Haiti needs a military. The real security of the country is the army", Rebu said in a recent interview with Reuters at the children's sports camp he runs....]

by iosaf Thu Feb 12, 2004 12:00

11 February - Government supporters and their opponents prepared to square off for a showdown on Thursday that diplomats say will test President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's willingness to restore calm even at the price of his own power. Haiti's mainstream political opposition has called on supporters to stage a massive but peaceful demonstration against Aristide's government. The protest could add to the unrest gripping about a dozen towns in this Caribbean island nation. The Haitian leader is likely to face growing demands for his resignation if he allows opponents to demonstrate freely. Critics fear he could crack down brutally on Thursday's protests if he believes that they could generate momentum for his political opponents.

Aristide's allies, including Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, have described the deadly clashes (in Gonaïves and elsewhere) as a plot to force a coup. On Tuesday, three Cabinet members described those seeking Aristide's ouster as "terrorists" bent on destroying the country, making no distinction between mainstream political opposition in the capital and the armed gangs battling police in a dozen cities. At a news conference in Port-au-Prince, they portrayed the crisis as an opposition plot to destabilise the country.

"The entire population must work together with the police to fight this phenomenon of terrorism," said national security chief Jean-Gerard Debreuil. He and Interior Minister Joceleme Privet suggested that many members of the National Police, which has been Haiti's only armed force since Aristide disbanded the army in 1995, have refused to defend their positions against the rebel onslaught out of concern for the lives of bystanders. (Los Angeles Times)

10 February - Workers at the Ouanaminthe Codevi free trade zone, in spite of threats and persecution, have succeeded in uniting and organising themselves to defend their legal and legitimate rights. On 10 February, all of the legal requirements for the registration of a labour union were filed with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour at their central office at Rue de l’Enterrement in Port-au-Prince. The name of the new union is the Sendika Ouvriye Kodevi Wanament (SOKOWA - Ouanaminthe Codevi Workers' Union). Codevi is the Compagnie de Developpement Industriel S.A., a company run by the Dominican textile assembly giant, Grupo M, which the Haitian government has authorised to establish a free trade zone at Pitobert, Ouanaminthe, north-east Haiti. (Batay Ouvriye)

10 February - In Cap-Haïtien, armed loyalists of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide set up barricades on Tuesday, vowing to attack rebels leading a bloody uprising that has spread to several small towns and killed at least 42 people. "The opposition doesn't want to deal with Aristide, so we know we are going to have to fight them," said Jesner Jean, 28, pacing along a barricade of boulders and garbage. Roadblocks prevented food deliveries to tens of thousands, the U.N. World Food Program warned from Geneva, and fuel tankers also were blocked. Some gas stations ran out of fuel.

Police regained control in three of the 11 towns. In some areas where gunbattles had died down, neither police nor rebels were seen on the streets.

In the northern town of Ennery, young men played soccer in front of its charred police station, abandoned days earlier and torched by rebels. Most businesses and schools were closed in the tiny town of about 2,000. Farmers said roadblocks had kept customers at bay. "Everbody's complaining about this," said Blanfort Mentor, a 23-year-old farmer who says barricades are making it harder to sell bananas and potatoes and support his family. Others agreed, reticient about politics and focused on how they would survive. "We've just been having to go without food," said David Metelus, a 22-year-old mechanic. (AP)

by iosaf Thu Feb 12, 2004 12:04

then perhaps the reader might like to know more about the "Haiti support group".

The Haiti Support Group (HSG) is an association of individuals who support the Haitian people in their struggle for justice, human rights, and participatory democracy. It is a solidarity group based in the United Kingdom. The HSG was launched in June 1992 in the aftermath of the military coup d'état that overthrew the democratic government.
Since the 1994 United Nations-sanctioned military intervention to restore the constitutional government, the Haiti Support Group has focused on developing contacts with grassroots and popular organisations in Haiti, believing that these organisations are the most dynamic and representative expressions of the Haitian people's desire for real democracy, justice and equitable development.
According to these grassroots organisations, although there is now a formal democracy in Haiti, in practice however the poor majority continues to be excluded from a meaningful participation in the democratic process. The Haitian people understand development, and how it is best achieved in their country. Yet the organisations that represent them have not been allowed to play a proper role in the development or implementation of policies for the economic, political and social reconstruction of Haiti.


What does the Haiti Support Group do?
The Haiti Support Group monitors developments in Haiti, and disseminates information and advice to a wide range of individuals and organisations about the real issues and true context of the unfolding situation. To receive weekly emails with topical articles of interest concerning Haiti, contact us by email:

haitisupport@gn.apc.org

in addition at there site you will find news reviews just like those above going back to the 1990s, lots of links, and archived useful stuff, like the Irish Presidency of the EU's statement of January 15th 2004.

http://haitisupport.gn.apc.org/whats_new_index.html

by Phuq Hedd Thu Feb 12, 2004 19:37

Hopefully more intelligible than the mess above -- sorry iosaf but sometimes less is more.

Aristide overcame the US's chosen dictator in a popular revolution. Since thent he US has sought to discredit and overthrow him and has used the tactic of withdrawing aid to this poorest of nations in order to create discontent that Aristide has not been able to produce improved living conditions.

We are seeing the US destabilise another small nation.

by iosaf Fri Feb 13, 2004 17:24

but to get to your pithy wisdom, I thought it a good idea to offer all the commentary from mainstream and grassroots and pacifist organisations with a declared interest in Haiti the land of Voodoo.
So that I could present ye with this sticky little link from the very people termed terrorists by the President you call legitimate in which they list their liberations:-
http://home.att.net/~flrn
Now if I had just presented that link, well the readers and other authorities would have seen the "pitch" differently. don't you know.
How do you think we may contain the CIA Phuqhead?

by - Fri Feb 13, 2004 17:27

National Liberation and Reconstruction Front
(NLRF)

Our movement is comprised of all cities, and localities that have already been liberated, in the process of being liberated and all the cities and localities to be liberated.

The Haitian Revolution is marching on.

Our objectives are simple:
1. To rid the country of the Lavalas tyranny and dictatorship.
2. To coordinate and structure, through the Council of the NLRF, the movement for National Liberation and Reconstruction.
3. To tackle, through the Social and Economic Administrative Committee, the urgent problems, which are rising in the liberated cities and localities, particularly those connected with matters of security.
4. To create and set in motion the mechanism to put the people to work, in the shortest possible time, in order to remedy widespread unemployment, hunger, at the same time, parasitism.
5. To strengthen our relations with our international allies and friends on the basis of friendship, responsibility and mutual respect.
We are asking all Haitians, both living in Haiti and in the Diaspora and to all friends of Haiti around the world to give us their most active support in order to help us attain those objectives, enabling us to bring-off to all our fellow citizens the true freedom and the happiness which they deserve.
The following cities have been liberated:
Gonaïves
Marchand-Dessalines
Liancourt
Limbé
Borgne
Grand-Goave
Saint-Marc
Ennery
Gros-Morne
L'Estère
Anse-Rouge
Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite
Trou du Nord (Nord-Est)
Anse Rouge
Ennery
L'Estère
Saint-Michel de l'Attalaye
Trou du Nord
Dondon
Plaisance

Winter Etienne, spokesman of FLRN
City of Gonaïves, Haïti

now reader, having completed the beginners guide you may decide with one weeks worth of Haiti grassroots collated news, accusations of CIA manipulation, link to Irish Presidency declaration, and links to pacifists groups who've worked on the ground what really is going on in Haiti.

¿do you agree with Phuqhead?

by righteous pragmatist Tue Feb 17, 2004 21:12

The native Arawak Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island - Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE and after a prolonged struggle, became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history since then, and it is now one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Over three decades of dictatorship followed by military rule ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was elected president. Most of his term was usurped by a military takeover, but he was able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation of a close associate to the presidency in 1996. ARISTIDE won a second term as president in 2000, and took office early in 2001. However, a political crisis stemming from fraudulent legislative elections in 2000 has not yet been resolved.

The "pragmatic" approach of finding the local strong man and putting him in power has always led to disaster.
Bill Clinton in the 1990's did not have the moral courage to force Haiti to adopt western forms of government and created a viable democracy. He "cut and run."
The US and EU dilly dallied and Milosevic killed hundreds of thousands of people before he was overthrown by the people of Yugoslavia who lost patience with the West.

The true pragmatic approach to the totalitarian and undemocratic regimes through out the world is to topple them either by direct military intervention or supporting rebel groups fighting for democracy.
No more propping up of right wing regimes and no more negotiations with tyrants.

It is in America's interest and in Europe's interest to tackle these problems sternly and effectively. That is the only way to establish modern democratic governments which will be interest not in making their cronies wealthy but practically improving the economic prosperity of their own peoples.
Like wise free trade should replace the shameless protectionism of the EU and US and other trading and political organisations which are undermining the world economy.

Otherwise it will not be middle eastern terrorist crashing planes into New York skyscrapers but Africans Asian and South American fanatics who have been given cause to hate America and Europe.
The West has to show the humanity that underlines our enlightenment values.
Talk is cheap action is what counts.

by redjade Wed Feb 18, 2004 14:27

"We have had 32 coups in our history … the result is what we have now: moving from misery to poverty," said Haiti’s beleaguered president Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Tuesday, as an escalating rebellion threatened to end his presidency. Clashes between rebels and forces loyal to Aristide have brought the country to the brink of political and humanitarian catastrophe. The U.S. is reluctant to step in.

The story of how Aristide went from being a symbol of popular hope and freedom to a colossal disappointment is well known. His reelection in 2000, in presidential elections marred by low turnout and widely condemned as fraudulent, was something of a watershed. In punishment, the U.S. cut off aid to Haiti—some $500 million per year. The financial loss has been devastating.

by iosaf Wed Feb 18, 2004 17:21

17 February - France is considering sending peacekeeping troops to Haiti as violence on the Caribbean island continues to spread. Dominique De Villepin, the French Foreign Minister, said that troops are in position to rapidly deploy to Haiti and a large number of other countries were also ready to act. He added: "We are in touch with all our partners within the framework of the United Nations, who have sent a humanitarian mission to see what can be done. "We have important assets close to Haiti... we have skills in the field of humanitarian interventions," he said. "That is what we want to make available when the time comes." (The Times)

relevant statement from France:-
http://www.france.diplomatie.fr/actu/article.gb.asp?ART=39408

***************************************
now this does rather challenge the assertion made by phuqhead above that Haiti is being manipulated by the USA/CIA/FBI/NSA.
As any fan of doonsbury knows, the agency is very busy in Iraq.
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20040213-11.html

I really do recomend you see the Haiti support network.

by iosaf Wed Feb 18, 2004 18:04

first read the above comment please.

news update in BCN suggests that the Haitian crises has now become internationalised with the presence of non Haitians supporting the rebel forces.


http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/71397/index.php

by iosaf - what our work is often about. Thu Feb 19, 2004 23:57

The conflict is now official and you don't need any more spoon feeding @ all @ all.

The world is aware and hopefully things will get better. Remember that over half a million Haitians are below the third world poverty line
and malnutritioned. They're not going to see improvement without outside inteference/interest.

?
Now should you nurse "che guevera" style revolutionary instincts, you might ask your mammy to write you a letter excusing you from school or some such institute of higher education and go to Haiti or it's neighbour Dominican Republic (whence you may smuggle yourself over the border [take the road 47 east and white water raft down the artibonito river into Haiti {beware you will be in government controlled territory}) and "take up arms" to fight the imperialist.

But you'd probably be mistaken.
so don't do that.


http://haitisupport.gn.apc.org

by iosaf Fri Feb 20, 2004 21:41

20 February - Carnival celebrations were set to get underway in violence-wracked Haiti on Friday as nervous international diplomats prepared to deliver a peace plan to embattled President Jean Bertrand Aristide and his political opponents. With the country on edge after more than two weeks of deadly clashes, Haiti-based diplomats from the United States, Canada, France and the Caribbean Community were to present the plan to Aristide and opposition leaders in separate meetings here as the country gears up for annual festivities marking the start of Lent next week. The diplomats' urgent presentation will be reinforced on Saturday when a team of more senior officials flies into Haiti for similar talks as the international community seeks to stave off a possible descent into anarchy in the Western Hemisphere's most impoverished nation.

The plan calls for Aristide, who has repeatedly dismissed calls for his resignation, to cede significant power but allows the former Catholic priest to stay in office through the remainder of his current term, which ends in 2006, according to diplomatic sources. It lays out a formula for the creation of a new, independent government led by a prime minister who will have direct authority over an internationally trained and supervised police force that could be set up by either the United Nations or the Organisation of American States, according to those sources. Under it, a three-person panel comprised of one Aristide representative, one member of the opposition and an international official will be created and charged with selecting a larger nine-to-15-member council that will then name a prime minister and a new government, the sources said.

However, Aristide has thus far rejected suggestions for a prime minister, and diplomats say they fear the opposition may dismiss the proposal, as it stops short of meeting their demands for the removal of the president, who has ruled by decree since flawed parliamentary polls two years ago.

On Thursday, Aristide showed no signs of backing down, defiantly declaring that he is ready to die to defend his country. "I can't say it looks good at the moment," said one Haiti-based diplomat. "Implosion is a real threat if they don't sign on, because right now, there is no 'Plan B'."

Complicating the situation is the presence of the armed insurgents -- many of them ex-soliders in Haiti's army, which Aristide disbanded in 1995 after a coup -- who have been mounting hit-and-run raids on Haitian cities since earlier this month. The insurgents have been described by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and other diplomats as "thugs" and are excluded from the power-sharing plan but have threatened to march on Haiti's second-largest city of Cap-Haitien and the capital if Aristide is not forced to resign. (AFP)
American Free press. (not so free)

19 February - René Civil, the leader of the organisation Youth People’s Power, which supports President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and Paul Raymond, of the grassroots ecclesiastical communities known as TKL, have called on the president’s supporters to prepare "all their weapons" to prevent a coup. These two groups are among several loyal to Aristide’s Lavalas Family Party that claim they are ready to confront armed rebels who have occupied two cities and several towns north of the capital in an attempt to oust the president.

In statements to the press, Civil and Raymond also criticized media outlets grouped in the National Association of Haitian Media. "The government has to assume its responsibility and combat these terrorist media outlets," Raymond said. The director of programming at the private station Radio Kiskeya, Liliane Pierre-Paul, said the statement was a "serious threat" to the unofficial press in Haiti.

The press had been threatened Wednesday by Ernest Erilus, the former mayor of Cite Soleil, a poor, heavily populated district in northern Port-au-Prince and a bastion of Aristide supporters. Erilus announced his intention to confront the armed rebellion and fight "terrorist reporters."

For several days, armed civilians loyal to the government have been patrolling parts of the capital early in the morning and late in the day, stopping vehicles and sometimes threatening people. According to the media, groups of armed civilians are also creating tension in other Haitian towns. These measures are seen as a response to threats by the anti-Aristide National Liberation and Reconstruction Front.The Front, which took over the western port city of Gonaïves on 5 February, has extended its control to other towns in northern and eastern Haiti and threatened to spread their rebellion throughout the country before marching into the capital.

Ten days after taking over Gonaïves, rebels occupied the eastern city of Hinche, driving police from this and other towns in the province of Plateau Central. "We remain firm in our plan to liberate all cities in all provinces," Front spokesman Winter Etienne said Wednesday. For several days, the Front has had the support of some 300 ex-soldiers.
(EFE)
Spain's news agency.

http://haitisupport.gn.apc.org

{gaeilge:-}
You will be going to occupational therapy today.
= Beidh tú ag dul ar theiripe shaothair inniu.
You will be ready to go home next week.
= Beidh tú ullamh chun dul abhaile an tseachtain seo chugainn.
We need to shave you where the incision is to be done.
=Ní mór dúinn tú a bhearradh san áit a bhfuil an gearradh le déanamh.
Keep absolutely still now, please.
=Fan socair, le do thoil.
I will be in the room next door and will be able to communicate with you all the time.
=Beidh mise sa seomra béal dorais agus beidh mé ábalta labhairt leat an t-am go léir.
Undress, please.
=Bain díot do chuid éadaí, le do thoil.
Have you got false teeth?
=An bhfuil fiacla bréige agat?
You have to remove your hearing aid/jewellery/hairpins.
=Beidh ort d'áis éisteachta/ do sheodra/ do bhioráin ghruaige a bhaint.

and of course my favourite:-

You will be given an anaesthetic.
Tabharfar ainéistéiseach duit.

by Bolus Sat Feb 21, 2004 08:31

The evil Washington Anglo-Saxon racists cut off aid to this poorest of nations just because they didn't like their government. Isn't that what they call sanctions?

Once more evil Amerikka has the bllod of poor down trodden people on it's hands.

Everything bad that happens in the world is Amerikkkas fault. It's because Bush and his evil junta are the footsoldiers of satan.

Rise up!!1!!! Revolt against the evil AmeriKKKan empire. Trash a Starbucks near you!!!

by proudhon - (loads of 'em you can't copyright Mr Proudhon now can you?) Sat Feb 28, 2004 16:18

"To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed,
law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached
at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded,
by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the
virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every
transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured,
numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented,
forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of
public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed
under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted
from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then at the slightest resistance, the
first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harrassed,
hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned,
judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed, and to
crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is
government; that is its justice; that is its morality."

P. J. Proudhon, "General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century"

http://www.haitiaction.net/

by Nuria Sun Feb 29, 2004 01:59

In the picture just above. He employs gangs of hired thugs to do his streetfighting for him.

by iosaf Sun Feb 29, 2004 13:56

No I got it off the US haiti action grass roots network link in photo title, connected to the Bay area (california) umbrella. They're taking an anti-US attitude on the whole thing, and have listed all the "previous" of the presumed leaders of the rebels. The Haiti beginner's guide is now of course as I do try and remind everyone *finished*

= We now naturally move on to the Haiti intermediate guide.

By now you will have formed an opinion on what is going on in Haiti, and of course realised that there is considerable margin of error in your opinion, but you will now be familiar with the "usual suspects", the key "routes" and the "foreign power interests". You will have realised that the priority is feeding the poor in Haiti, and this might probably mean "more" UN assistance, if not some better way of converting drug cash crops into digestable food ought be the focus of your group, remarkably clever quotation from either Anarchist or Marxist founding father/mother texts will not get you through this course to the forthcoming "Haiti advanced guide". You will also have realised that there as many reasons against the US wanting a narco-mess coup d'etat less than 300km from it's mainland, (they are still holding over 500 refugees at sea) and that therefore it might be simplistic to presume that the CIA are really solely concentrated on destabilisation and that there are many other "agencies" involved as well as a plethora of different "grass-root networks".

but you'll get that.

by ec Sun Feb 29, 2004 16:19

Narconews calls it a coup

In the Country's Bicentennial Year, another US-Backed Coup
http://www.narconews.com/Issue32/article907.html

Echoes of Venezuela 2002 Are Heard Across the Caribbean
http://www.narconews.com/Issue32/article895.html

"Take this statement from U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, yesterday, when asked by an alert reporter about Jeremy Bigwood’s findings of U.S. government money spent on behalf of coup proponents in Venezuela:


“As far as the facts of the matter, we have spoken many times before about our assistance to democracy in Haiti—excuse me—our assistance to democracy in Venezuela.”

– Richard Boucher
U.S. State Department spokesman

Oops! That Freudian slip – confusing the documents that show coup-provoking activity in Venezuela by Washington with U.S. policy toward Haiti – tells us a lot more about how Washington views current events in Haiti than most of what press-spinner Boucher said "

by eeekkk Sun Feb 29, 2004 16:24

.

by Nuria Sun Feb 29, 2004 19:49

I haven't read a word you've written on Haiti except for your last message. I just want to tell you that your writing style is repellant and I won't be reading any more.

by ng Sun Feb 29, 2004 22:10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

28 February 2004
Irish Republican Socialist Party
International Department

Oppose the Return of the Tonton Macoutes

The capitalist media refers to it as a 'popular uprising', but what
we are seeing in Haiti today is an attempted coup d'etat underway,
most likely engineered by the US imperialists years ago. Who are the
members of the 'opposition' engaged in the present 'uprising'? The
answer is, the Haitian 'opposition' includes torturers and death
squad members of the FRAPH, who wreaked havoc in Haiti when they were
previously able to force Aristide from power. The FRAPH were in fact
backed by the CIA in those years and largely their creation.

The list of the present opposition's leaders is filled with
the 'usual suspects'. These include Louis Jodel Chamblain, who was a
leader of the murderous, CIA-backed FRAPH, who was convicted of
killing Antoine Izmery, a pro-democracy activist in 1993 and then
convicted in 1994 for killings associated with the infamous 'Raboteau
Massacre'. Another is Jean Pierre, who was also a FRAPH leader, at
the local level, and was also convicted of murder in association with
the Raboteau Massacre; he was serving a life sentence until escaping
from jail in 2002. Then there is Guy Philippe, who was a US-trained
soldier in the Haitian Army, who has attempted three coups in the
last four years.

The simple fact is, President Aristide was legally elected by the
people of Haiti and then more recently re-elected. In that most
recent election, President Astride received 92% of all votes cast
(and while the capitalist media has suggested that election
was 'tainted', the claims of electoral irregularities arose in
relation to the election of candidates to the Haitian Senate--the
Presidential vote has not in question).

When the so-called 'opposition' seized control of the city of
Gonaives, they killed over fifty people in the first week alone. Of
those killed, 14 were members of the police. Some of the police
killed had their bodies mutilated and then dragged through the
streets of Gonaives. Moreover, the 'opposition' declared that they
would attack anyone who opposed the overthrow of the Haitian
president - a threat which they amplified by carrying out a number of
beatings, killings, and destruction of homes of Aristide supporters.

Reluctantly, France and the US have given halting support to the
concept of some form of international police force being sent into
Haiti under UN command to maintain peace and order, though both are
attempting to link this to some form of agreement which will
immediately or in the near future force Astride from office. In other
words, they are seeking to use the UN to achieve the coup d'etat
that is underway.

Haiti remains the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere and
Aristide's attempts to address this through improved wages and
factory conditions for Haitian workers, expanded social services, and
campaigns to eradicate hunger and provide education to the poor is
the reason why there is so much animosity against his presidency from
the imperialist nations.

The IRSP condemns those engaged in the present efforts to destroy
Haiti's fledgling democracy and re-enslave the impoverished working
people of that nation. Moreover, the IRSP condemns the mainstream
media for their slavish parroting of the lies of the imperialists and
the white-washing of the murderers and torturers posturing as the
Haitian 'opposition'. Haiti has suffered through a series of vicious
and bloody neo-colonial regimes for far too long; the democratic
government of Haiti must be defended.

###

by Damien Moran Mon Mar 01, 2004 00:23

I spent three amazing months in Haiti from mid-January to mid-April in 2001. My visit coincided with Aristide's presidential Inauguration where trouble was expected but it passed off pretty peacefully.

I was visiting a La Sainte Union Catholic nun who was working in the tri-city slum region off the Rue de L'Aeroport; the epitome of abject poverty and corporal despair.

Sub-contracted Multi-national companies paid workers in the region the equivalent of $1.20 per day (10 hour shifts in sweatshop conditions; non-unionised)

I spent about 6 weeks in Port-au-Prince, a week or so in Gonaives, a few days in Cap Haitien, Aux Cayes, and St. Michel de L'Attalaye in the mid-east. Everywhere i went, which was usually by tap-tap (taxi-van), i was treated very warmly, despite some piss-pulling.

The most notable thing when one walks around the cities is the huge amounts of children wandering around looking for food and games to play, and the young adult men gathered in their throves with little or nothing to do from sunrise to sunset.

The reason for their dire poverty, etc. is deep-rooted. The French, as all former colonial masters, sit back and condemn, without acknowledging their historic wrongdoings.

The Haitians I encountered are passionate about religion and politics. They love to practice their English and have great respect when they find a blanc (white person) who can articulate some Creole.

The corrupting influences of power on Aristide are incredibly sad. He could have palyed the more beneficial role of objective prophet by not becoming president in '91. Playing a Tutu-like role. But his Fanmi Lavalas (Avalanche family) have become like King Lear - the architects of their own downfall.

The veto on $400 million aid by the U.S. and France meant Haiti was stripped of potential for economic recovery. Even earlier, the Bush Snr. supported coup which originally ousted Aristide from '91-'94 played a pivotal role in ensuring Haiti's road to democracy was to be as bumpy as there path from 1804.

Despite Clinton's re-instatement of Aristide via U.S. troops (60/80,000), international bodies have snubbed Haiti because of their emphasis on 'democratising' the Mid-East and the Balkans.

Yet, even if this aid was released the feeling on the ground was that it would have ended up facilitating the "Prince of Tabor's" personal kingdom of avarice.
One thing is for certain: Guy Phillipe, the 35 year old rebel leader (maybe 36 today. I think it his birthday) who recently returned from exile in the Dominican Republic is bad news. His muse happens to be one Augusto Pinochet, with Ronald Regan coming in a close second.

According to the Haiti Support Group (background outlined above by Iosaf) "he (Phillipe) wants the president of the Constitutional Court to take over an
interim government while a national debate is held to form a consensus.

On Friday last Human Rights Watch reported that during Philippe's term ('97-'99), as police
chief of Delmas, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince , international monitors ''learned that dozens of suspected gang members were summarily executed, mainly by police under the command of . . . Philippe's deputy.'' Philippe has denied the allegations.


Haiti is complex and misunderstood. Our picture of Vodou has been distorted by 007 movies, etc. They are a lovable people who are crying out to be given a chance by their national powers that be to work and build a country they thought would forment 200 years ago after Toussaint L'Ouverture led the slaves to 'freedom' from French rule.

I pray and hope Haiti's future will transpire to be better then my reason informs me.

by Banner Party Number 5 Mon Mar 01, 2004 02:05

Why can't they leave the Haitians alone? It's always America's fault when things go wrong in poorer countries.

I think America is the most evil country in the world.

by sofia Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:10

And without a proper source, gives the wrong impression.
Can any Indymedia Ireland editor source that photo? Was it taken in Haiti? by who? when? and of course where?
Nuria is right by the way, it's a repellent writing style, which has offered me no information at all. I want to see indymedia as a resource which offers links, and information and fills out the daily propaganda I as a reader of the Irish Times and quality British Press have grown used to. I want to be able to log on here use a search engine to find information of international interest and find quality data by both date or topic.
This "beginners guide" might have seemed like a good idea to "isioaf" but all he did was cut and paste news reports for over two weeks, where's the information in that? And without even saying who's side he's on. And why? what is this sinister internet user about? We know it was the americans and the french. "punto" And what's all that shite about road 47 and the aribonito river over the Dominican Border, doesn's he know that area fell to rebel troops two days later???
I'm sick of it. And no doubt there's loads of shite in the archives on Venezuela as well. Fair play Nuria. Never read him again. btw; Did you know that nuria is the patroness of barren mothers?

on barren soil we shall build afresh.

by jeff Mon Mar 01, 2004 13:52

I have been saying the same thing as you guys for months now; Iosaf's writing style is shit.

Fair enough if he was doing some Arty performance rhing in a Manhatten art gallery, with Tom fecking Waits providing the music, but no...

And I cannot get him to change his style. We'll just have to pretend he is one of the characters from Dr.Who, so we don't get too annoyed by him ( the gimp)

by yoda Mon Mar 01, 2004 14:41

uh oh everybody, Sofia isn't happy! We should all be more considerate when we post here; I bet most of you don't even consider Sofia's feelings when you write stories.

"And without even saying who's side he's on"

Objectivity??!! What a bastard!

(Although sofia IS an anagram of iosaf so i suspect a sinister conspiracy here, maybe involving Special Branch)

by mafiosa camaraddia Mon Mar 01, 2004 16:30

Behind the shit writing style, lack of punctuation and annoying use of "verbal forms" and un-neccesary parantheses and other symböls I don't think there's anything new @ all. Most reader/writer/commentator/conrtibutors in ireland indymedia have quite happily ignored this Haiti story for two weeks and now only now because rebel troops are in Port au Prince and it's reported in their mainstream newspapers do they think to comment, as usual slagging off a non-journalist for not pútting it in journalese or your usual reliable pithy simplistic leninese/anarchese.
The youth in the photograph was hit by a tear gas cannister in the closing weeks of January in small outbreaks of violence which came at the same time as the rash of European (including Irish) governmental statements supporting Aristide. His parents met with Aristide's vice president in the opening weeks of February. At that stage outbreaks of trouble were confined to very small areas of the country. If the CIA did this coup, starting from such a meagre incident then they really are very good at what they do.
An "irish" equivalent would be a coup d'etat with newly uniformed army and lots of _pretty radical_ ideas taking power in less than three weeks after someone got clattered by a Garda in say County Clare. (just for example).

Maybe you could ask the CIA to do a coup d'etat for you?

Aristide left Haiti last night and is quite well, sure if I had your phone number I would have told ye. Mr Aristide has suffered lots of stress and let us remember the disappointment caused by a few broken promises from his international peers in the "democratically elected national leaders circle".

·The price of raw cocaine base is unaltered.
·The efficacy of Voodoo is as well.
·& "the intermediate guide" will be as shite as the beginners.

Lesson one.

The price of raw cocaine base is unalterable.

by $=€? Thu Apr 29, 2004 19:28

Aristide did the tour didn't he?
South Africa, Jamaica, Domincan Rep, etc...
Great!
if they kill me,
I'll do the tour as well.

Bertie won't be doing any tour.