Despite backing of U.S. and France
Haitian puppet regime in trouble
Special to Workers World
The plan to set up a new, stable Haitian regime concocted by
the governments of the United States and France after the Feb.
29 "coup-napping" of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has
failed.
The puppet regime of Gérard Latortue arrested the
leadership of Aristide's party, Fanmi Lavalas. Protesters who
came out in massive numbers to demand Aristide's return have
been beaten, arrested and even killed. The coup regime has
spent nine months building up a police force.
With all this, the imperialist-imposed rulers have not been
able to gain international legitimacy, organize elections or
even restore essential civil services like sanitation, roads
and medical care.
After briefly occupying Haiti with their troops, the two big
imperialist allies/competitors turned over the task of propping
up the puppet they had installed to the United Nations. This
let them stay in the background while dealing with other
interventions--the United States in Iraq, France in Ivory
Coast.
The UN set up the United Nations Stabilization Mission in
Haiti (MINUSTAH), recruited about 6,300 troops, mainly from
Chile, Argentina and Brazil, and assigned the command of
MINUSTAH to Brazilian Gen. Augusto Heleno Pereira. To cover up
their tracks even further, the U.S. assigned Canada the task of
training the Haitian National Police (PNH) and rebuilding the
courts and jails throughout the country.
Canadian Ambassador Claude Boucher, speaking in Jacmel on
Nov. 20, promised Haiti that Canada would spend 100 million
Canadian dollars on this repressive project, in a country where
only 20 percent of the people have a steady job and 200,000
people are still homeless in the northern city of Gonaïves
after a massive flood in September. (Haïti Progrès,
Nov. 30)
On Nov. 10, after receiving assurances from MINUSTAH that it
would protect the march, a group connected to Fanmi Lavalas
organized a mass march from the impoverished Port-au-Prince
neighborhood of Belair toward the city center. The marchers
walked peacefully, wearing T-shirts with Aristide's picture on
them. Just before they reached Avenue Poupelard near Lalue, the
UN soldiers peeled away and pickup trucks pulled up filled with
PNH wearing ski masks and carrying automatic weapons.
The PNH jumped out and proceeded to beat up demonstrators,
throwing some in the backs of the pickups with their hands
bound behind their backs. They singled out leaders of the
group, in particular Jean-Marie Samedi, who was badly beaten
around the head and thighs. Samedi was charged with organizing
violent attacks in Port-au-Prince, a charge vehemently disputed
by civil rights organizations, both in Haiti and the United
States, that rushed to his defense.
The National Popular Party (PPN) demanded the immediate
release of Samedi. Its spokesperson, George Hono rat, said the
arbitrary arrests and torture "hearken back to the tortures of
the dictatorial regime of François 'Papa Doc' Duva lier
who disappeared, arrested and exiled all those who dared to
oppose his power."
A few days after this demonstration, the employees of the
city of Port-au-Prince went out in a job action because they
hadn't been paid for 10 months. The mayor of the city,
appointed by Latortue, hasn't bothered to unblock the 42
million gourdes--Haitian currency--sitting in the city
treasury.
On Sunday, Nov. 24, a group of Argen tinean soldiers on
their way to the beach were waylaid by armed men, who pulled
the driver out of the soldiers' minibus. Reports from the AP
and the official Haitian press agency differ on whether the
soldiers were armed and what was taken from them, but both
agree that the attack took place. This is a sign that even UN
"peacekeepers" are not safe.
Puppet regime not widely recognized
The 15 countries of the Caribbean Community decided early in
November not to recognize the Latortue puppet regime. They
declared that the regime has "no respect for the fundamental
principles of respect for human rights, due process and good
governance."
Many of the Rio Group--19 Latin Amer ican countries that met
recently in Brazil--have diplomatically recognized the Latortue
regime. However, they have proposed a dialog among all the
parties in Haiti, including Fanmi Lavalas headed by Aristide,
to try to come up with a solution.
France's associate minister of cooperation, Xavier Darcos,
then stepped in, stating the "nuanced" position of both France
and the U.S.: It was important to have everyone talk, but it
was "undesirable" to let Aristide return to Haiti.
Calling this statement arrogant and an interference in the
internal affairs of Haiti is an understatement.
Then Latortue's minister of justice, Bernard Gousse, after
picking up his orders, issued an arrest warrant for Aristide
and demanded his extradition from South Africa, where Aristide
and his family are currently living. South Africa termed the
extradition request ludicrous and rejected it.
Another sign of the shaky nature of Lator tue's hold on
Haiti is the appearance of the Dessalinien Army of National
Libera tion (ADLN), a guerrilla group that recently attacked
and seized a police station in the northwestern town of Gros
Morne.
The U.S. government gives as one reason for its
interventions in Haiti fear there will be a flood of refugees.
U.S. immigration treats Haitians arriving on its shores in a
racist and abusive fashion.
The ironic case of Joseph Dantica, uncle of noted author
Edwidge Danticat, is a good illustration. (Their names are
spelled slightly differently.)
MINUSTAH and the PNH fired from Dantica's church and school
while doing a sweep in the extremely poor neighborhood of Cite
Soleil. After the police left, members of the group they had
been attacking went to Dantica and asked for money to bury 15
people killed that day.
He didn't help them and instead fled to the United States on
a valid multi-entry visa. When he landed in Miami, he asked for
asylum, saying his life was in danger in Haiti. Homeland
Security officials, not caring which side he was on, treated
him as they do all Haitian refugees--throwing him in prison and
taking away his blood pressure and prostate medicines. He died
in prison three days later.
Reprinted from the Dec. 9, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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