Poverty Prevails on Dominican-Haitian Border

Santo Domingo, Oct 10 (Prensa Latina)On the Dominican-Haitian border, there is great poverty and the lives of its inhabitants are in the midst of precariousness and shortages.During a tour carried out by the press along with authorities of the Ministry of Defense through the border area of the provinces of Pedernales, Independencia and Elias Piña, visitors appreciated how the usual children's joy contrasted with the shy and astonished look of their parents.According to the information, these areas reflect the great geographical contrast between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on the Dominican side there is vegetation and on the other side, a completely deserted panorama.However, what stands out the most is the desolation and in the distance, in Haitian territory, the presence of small houses built with rustic materials with their latrines and kitchens on the outside where large families make their lives.In the Elías Piña territory, Dominicans live on small conucos, while Haitians survive on informal commerce, selling artisan breads and fruits.Haiti and the Dominican Republic share a border of almost 400km on the Hispaniola island and from time to time the frictions usually aggravated by the presence of undocumented Haitians in Dominican territory.By: Prensa Latina | October 2017

Haiti Seeks TPS Extension for Its Nationals in US

Haiti has formally requested that U.S. immigration authorities grant an 18-month extension to a program of humanitarian aid for Haitian nationals living in the United States.More than 50,000 Haitian immigrants are registered for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), set to expire January 22. TPS, offered after a massive 2010 earthquak struck near the capital city of Port-au-Prince, permits them to temporarily stay in the United States, with work privileges, until conditions improve in their homeland.In May, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would extend TPS by six months, not the one-year minimum sought by Haiti’s government and some advocates. Fear of deportation sparked an exodus of at least several thousand Haitian immigrants this summer, who illegally crossed the Canadian border seeking asylum in the French-speaking province of Quebec.The Haitian government’s letter requesting the longer TPS extension was submitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday, according to the Miami Herald.Written by Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Paul Altidor, the letter included an invitation for Homeland Security’s acting director, Elaine Duke, to visit the country before the Trump administration makes its final decision on extending TPS. That’s expected as early as November.During a June visit to Haiti, then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he thought Haitians’ protection from deportation would end in January."I’d have to look for indicators as to why we might extend it a short period into the future past January," he told a Haitian radio journalist who shared the interview with VOA. The TPS program, Kelly said, "is designed to end and not go on forever."Kelly became chief of staff to President Donald Trump in late July.By VOA Creole Service | October 10, 2017

Brooklyn Official Calls For Designation Of “Little Haiti” In Flatbush

BROOKLYN, NY — An effort to name parts of the Flatbush section of Brooklyn “Little Haiti” plunged into controversy last week when a local political operative blasted the idea as divisive and misguided.Haitian community members and leaders called on support from the mayor for the establishment of “Little Haiti” in the same area that was designated “Little Caribbean” last week.Little Caribbean would begin at Brooklyn College and run along Flatbush Avenue to Empire Boulevard.“The Haitian community supports the designation of both ‘Little Haiti’ and ‘Little Caribbean,'” said Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte, the first Haitian-American to be elected to the State Legislature from New York City. Bichotte represents the 42nd Assembly District which encompasses the communities of Ditmas Park, Flatbush, East Flatbush and Midwood.While the proposal has garnered support from some in the community including the Haitian American Caucus, Haitian American Business Network Chamber of Commerce and Haiti Cultural Exchange, the proposed “Little Haiti” has also been met with criticism.In an email to Bichotte and a host of other elected officials, including Council Member Mathieu Eugene and Rep. Yvette D. Clark, Ernest Skinner, a local community organizer and activist, condemned Bichotte’s efforts to co-name the Flatbush area “Little Haiti.” He called the move “misguided” and one of “division.”“When did Haiti stop being part of the Caribbean? This is the same insularity which sunk the fledgling Caribbean Federation,” he said in the email. “Sowing division may be why Haiti has never been able to reach its full potential and why it is considered a Fourth World country despite the noble start it gave to the Independence movement among people of color.”Bichotte has since sent a letter to Skinner calling for a public apology.“We support the Caribbean community. We are part of the Caribbean community,” the letter reads. “Although you have supported Haitian Americans and Haitian initiatives in the past, your statement clearly shows that your heart was not in it and thus erases any and all efforts.”The letter, which was signed by 11 Haitian community leaders and groups, including the Haitian Roundtable and Assemblymembers Michaelle Solages and Kimberly Jean-Pierre, emphasizes the various Haitian-related initiatives that highlight the history and culture of Haiti. She lists the street co-naming of Nostrand Avenue with Toussaint L’Ouverture Boulevard, the annual Haitian parades on Nostrand Avenue and the establishment of the Haitian Studies Institute (HSI) housed at Brooklyn College.“We were taken aback by the lack of engagement that has been shown to many of the elected officials and key stakeholders within the Haitian community throughout the overall process,” Bichotte said.The designation for “Little Caribbean” was initiated by Flatbush native Shelley Worrell, founder of CaribBEING, a Brooklyn-based organization dedicated to showcasing Caribbean culture. She has been working on the designation for roughly two years and saw it as an opportunity to support the existing businesses in the area, as well as, position the area as a tourist attraction.Councilman Jumaane D. Williams is the designating councilman for the initiative and is encouraging “more fruitful dialogue” to mitigate tensions.“My office is looking forward on working to pursue both an official ‘Little Caribbean’ and a ‘Little Haiti,'” said Williams. “The words in the letter were hurtful; I understand the community’s concern and I certainly hope an apology is forthcoming, and deservedly so.”There were conversations about a “Little Haiti” long before there was one for a “Little Caribbean,” Bichotte said in a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio.The idea for a “Little Haiti” emerged several years ago. Bichotte and Williams, whose districts encompasses one of the largest Haitian constituencies in New York, discussed the matter but temporarily tabled talks on the designation to focus on advocacy for HSI.The plan was to revisit the idea after HSI was off the ground.According to Bichotte, the decision to name Flatbush Avenue “Little Caribbean” was done without community support or involvement.“Haiti has had a unique position within the Caribbean — it is in the Caribbean, but not of the Caribbean,” said Bichotte. “Although Haiti is geographically part of the Caribbean, the Haitian community has historically been singled out and excluded as a member of the greater Caribbean community, which is why Haitians have had to build separate communities and organizations in order to survive.”When Haitians migrated to Brooklyn in the 1970s and 1980s, many faced discrimination from Black and Caribbean Americans who lived in the area. Cultural tensions between the French-Creole speaking immigrants and their English-speaking counterparts spurred division within the greater West Indian community.Old wounds have been opened as the voices of the community and elected officials have not been engaged throughout the designation process,” Bichotte said. “Although, the journey to unity has come a long way between island politics and differences, having both designations would be ideal to acknowledge the Haitian people’s struggle. If all goes well, the designation of ‘Little Haiti’ would be established first in order to be encapsulated within the designated area of the ‘Little Caribbean.'”For Samuel Pierre, co-founder of Haitian American Caucus, the idea of a “Little Haiti” is welcomed but should also help put a light on other issues in the community. The nonprofit provides personal and professional development opportunities for the Haitian community and operates out of Flatbush.“Designating the Flatbush area as ‘Little Haiti’ speaks to the vibrancy that the Haitian community has added to Brooklyn. At the same time, we must use this renewed attention to raise awareness on socioeconomic issues that are barriers to success for many of our people.”By Vania Andre | October 2017

Customs officers accept a truce...

On Friday, the second day of the Customs strike, the General Administration of Customs (AGD) began talks with the strikers' representatives to find common ground and to end the strike called "Operation arms crossed", which paralyzed for 48 hours, all the offices and customs posts of the country...The Committee of the Haitian Customs Association (ADH) and the union reminded that the demands of the customs officers predate the introduction of the 2017-2018 budget in Parliament and call, among other things, for a salary increase of 80% and a special status on the same basis as police officers because of the importance of their mission and their responsibilities: fiscal, economic and security (anti-smuggling).The ADH Committee and the trade union recalled that customs officers demanded a salary increase of 80% and a special status in the same way as the Haitian National Police officers and teachers.Luders Jean-Remy, member of the ADH Committee deplores the fact that the Ministry of Finance and the AGD who had been warned more than 8 days before this possibility.An agreement of principle was found Friday at the end of the day in the Prime Minister's office, between the government and the trade unionists of the AGD to the Prime Minister's office.It was agreed that from Monday, October 9, a truce will be observed and that the customs officers will resume their work, whose paralysis has important effects on the revenue of the state. This information was confirmed on Friday by Michelson Nelson, Spokesman of the trade unions of the customs officers, without knowing the details of the concessions of the Government...By: HaitiLibre - 10/09/2017

Improving postal service in Haiti

In order to boost the various services of the Office des Postes d'Haiti (OPH), a training session on the installation of the new computer system "IPS POST" was given to several employees of the DPO, by Carlos Carballada the Representative of the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (UPAEP).It is important to note that the new "IPS POST" system, which replaces the previous "IPS LIGHT" version, will not only allow the development of e-commerce in Haiti for the year 2018, the tracking of parcels nationally and internationally and will also offer the possibility of carrying out all types of postal transactions such as: sending, receiving and dispatching.Following this training session, Carel Alexandre, the Director General of the OPH recalled that this installation, carried out shortly after the installation of the EMS service at the SONAPI sorting center at the inauguration of a standardized reception structure will allow the optimization of the capacities of the Public Administration.Mr Alexander welcomed the cooperation of its partners, in particular with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the UPAEP, and took the opportunity to reiterate its commitment to redouble efforts at the head of the Office for a national post defying all competitiveness.By: HL/ HaitiLibre - 09/10/2017

80 Years On, Dominicans And Haitians Revisit Painful Memories Of Parsley Massacre

Even before Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo carved it in blood, the 224-mile border dividing the island of Hispaniola between Haiti and the Dominican Republic was complicated. Tensions between the two countries stemmed back to a 19th century war. But in many ways, the border, which existed mostly on paper, was a notably seamless site: Children crossed back and forth freely to go to school on one side and home on the other. Sprawling cattle ranches spanned the divide, and Dominicans and Haitians mingled and intermarried frequently.That ended on Oct. 2, 1937, when the Dominican military, under Trujillo's orders, began to execute Haitian families as well as Dominicans of Haitian descent. The killings, many of which took place in the border region, were mostly carried out by machete to help sell the regime's official account that the massacre was a spontaneous uprising of patriotic Dominican farmers against Haitian cattle thieves.The killing lasted between five and eight days. Afterward, there was a moratorium on newspapers covering the massacre, and Trujillo refused to publicly admit his government's role or accept responsibility.After the dictator was assassinated in 1961, researchers began to investigate what had been an off-limits subject, conducting interviews, digging through documents and putting together the pieces of what happened. Estimates of the number of dead still vary widely — from less than 1,000 to 30,000. Mass graves were never found.Commonly known as the Parsley Massacre — Haitians and Dominicans pronounce the Spanish word perejil differently and, according to a popular though unconfirmed story, this was used as a litmus test of their origins — the killings are now acknowledged by Dominican society at large and taught in schools. But in many ways, the massacre remains a historical footnote, seen as an uncomfortable reminder of a brutal past.Eighty years after the Parsley Massacre, survivors and descendants of those who lived through that time shared their stories with a team from NPR's Latino USA.Still scared

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

Francisco Pierre, 90, was born to Haitian and Dominican parents in Loma de Cabrera, a Dominican town near the border with Haiti. He was 10 when a neighbor stopped by his house and called out, "Jump up and go across to Haiti right now, because they're killing people in the village."Pierre remembers filling a calabash with rice, loading up the family donkey and fleeing with his grandmother toward Haiti. Along the way, they passed the corpses of those who didn't make it. He lives in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, and has only returned once to the Dominican Republic — to visit a hospital when he was seriously ill. "I was scared of Dominicans," he says.A 'Massacre River' to safety

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

The Massacre River — named not for the 1937 killings, but an earlier massacre — marks the border in the northwest of the Dominican Republic. Many Haitians fleeing Trujillo's army crossed this river to reach safety in 1937. These days, Haitian merchants buying agricultural products in the Dominican Republic cross the river daily to avoid customs officials.Starting from scratch

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

"My father worked the land," recalls Germéne Julien (right), 83, born in the Dominican Republic. "He left behind a huge garden of yucca, rice and many other things." She was 3 years old when she fled with her parents and remembers they crossed the border in the afternoon. "Many members of my family were traveling from Montecristi and died on the journey," she says.In Haiti, where she lives today in a simple, mud-walled house (left), they had to start from scratch. "If we had known this would have happened in advance, we could have brought over the things we lost," she says.'I will fix this'

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

Across the street from this park in Dajabon, Dominican Republic, is the site of what used to be a government building where Trujillo, on a tour of the border area, is said to have told supporters about the massacre on Oct. 2, 1937. He claimed falsely that Haitian marauders were attacking Dominican farmers. According to a contemporary account, he said, "To the Dominicans who were complaining of the depredations by Haitians living among them thefts of cattle, provisions, fruits, etc., and were thus prevented from enjoying in peace the products of their labor, I have responded, 'I will fix this.' And we have already begun to remedy the situation."'He hated us'

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

Under pressure from the United States, Mexico and Cuba, Trujillo paid an indemnity of $525,000 in 1938 (equivalent to about $9 million today) to the Haitian government, which used a portion of the money to set up colonies for refugees from the massacre. Survivor Gilbert Jean, 93, (left) lives in Dosmond, one of those colonies. He says his family was friendly with local officials, who warned them about the coming massacre so they could flee before the soldiers caught them. "Trujillo did it because he hated us, because he didn't want to see black people in his country. It was in his roots to be racist," he says.Willy Azema, president of the Dosmond colony and a descendant of survivors, points (right) to a list of refugees and the land apportioned to them. "Our relatives came here with nothing but the clothes on their back," he says. He points out the poor housing and lack of a medical clinic and drinkable water in the colony. "Look around, we aren't living the way a human being should live, and it's the fault of the people who committed the massacre," he says.A complicated history

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

The Dominican Republic has the peculiarity of celebrating its independence not from a colonial power, but from Haiti, which ruled the entire island of Hispaniola for 22 years in the early 19th century. But the Dominican Republic won independence a second time — in 1865, after the Dominican Restoration War, in which Haiti helped the Dominican Republic fight Spain. A monument near the border, in the Dominican town of Capotillo, celebrates the start of that war.Encouraging dialogue

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

Regino Martinez, a Jesuit priest based in the Dominican border city of Dajabon, believes that dialogue about the 1937 massacre would help Dominican-Haitian relations — which remain tense today. He is involved in an annual commemoration of the massacre in Dajabon called Border of Lights, organized by a group of international scholars and activists, including many Dominicans and Haitian-Americans.'Dominicans and Haitians fell in love then, just like today'

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

Paulina Recio, 84, keeps a portrait of her and her late husband in her living room in Restauración, Dominican Republic. Paulina is half-Dominican, half-Haitian. "Dominicans and Haitians fell in love then, just like today," she says. When she grew up in Restauración, she says, it was a completely Haitian town. "Dominicans didn't live here, it was Haitians."Part of Trujillo's "Dominicanization" process after the massacre involved bringing new Dominican settlers and infrastructure to towns on the border. Another was replacing place names, which often were in French or Haitian Creole, to patriotic-sounding names in Spanish. A new province in the Dominican northwest was named Liberator.A granddaughter makes amends

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

Nancy Betances' grandfather Rafael Enrique Betances was a Dominican military officer stationed in Loma de Cabrera during the massacre. "He had to participate and kill," she says. Now she tries to make amends by helping Haitian immigrants. More than 660,000 Haitians and their descendants live in the Dominican Republic, according to a U.N. census in 2012. Not everyone in town appreciates Betances' efforts. "People say that [my grandfather] defended the country," she says, "and that he'd be rolling over in his grave if he knew what I was doing."A cross-border pastime

 Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

Playing dominoes is a passion shared by people on both sides of the border. In the Haitian border town of Ouanaminthe, residents relax with an afternoon game. Eighty years after the massacre, tensions between the Dominican Republic and Haiti remain high, in part because of the large numbers of Haitian immigrants who come to the Dominican Republic to work for low wages in fields like construction. One right-wing Dominican politician has suggested building a wall on the border to send a message to migrants. Yet in the border region itself, where Haitians and Dominicans interact in markets, schools and other places every day, people mostly get along well.

People walk down a street in Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic. In many ways, the Parsley Massacre remains a historical footnote in the country, seen as an uncomfortable reminder of a brutal past.

Tatiana Fernandez for Latino USA

By: MARLON BISHOP and TATIANA FERNANDEZ - October 7, 2017

Jacques Derosena, Actor/Hand Model

Jacques Derosena is an actor, hand model, and voice over artist working in Los Angeles. While Jacques was born in Boston, he was raised in Haiti and France. Jacques learned to speak English by watching American television programs like All My Children, and dreamed of the long stretches of pristine beaches like the ones he saw on Baywatch. Television instilled in Jacques a magical sense of wonder and awe for America and the entertainment industry.When he finally arrived in the United States, Jacques had no doubt he wanted to pursue a career as an actor. His parents, however, were not convinced that a career in the entertainment industry was the best path for him, and at their insistence, Jacques instead began studying and working in computer engineering. He couldn’t deny his dreams for long though, and eventually he would take the leap towards making his childhood television fantasies a reality.In this episode, Jacques shares how he navigated the entertainment industry as a foreigner in a new country. He recounts booking his first speaking role on a major television program, and how his career was taken to places he never thought possible when, on a whim, he auditioned for a hand modeling job.By: BOBBY GONZALEZ, OCTOBER 9, 2017

Black Apron Event Tours - An Evening Celebrating Haiti’s Rich Cuisine

What do you get when you combine six amazing Haitian Chefs, six delicious Haitian inspired dishes, a beautiful hostess and a captivating singer- an evening of perfection! We recently had the pleasure of attending the third installment of the Black Apron Event Tours - New York Edition. It was an evening of culinary delights and wonderful entertainment.On September 30th, 2017 nestled in a trendy SoHo loft, our taste buds were treated to samples of six memorable dishes. We dined on Haitian Cuisine that ranged from a delicious Butternut Squash Soup with Garlic Confit and Coconut Milk to Creole Shrimp with Mashed Sweet Plantain and Shredded Coconut. Our culinary journey ended with an amazing Coconut Shredded Blanc Manje for dessert.The Chefs:Chef Marc-Elie Lissade, Chef Jude,Chef Olivier Leon Paultre, Chef Vladimir Ferrus, Chef Allain Lemaire,Chef Jean Philippe DesruisseauxThe Entertainment:Host - Christie DesirSinger - RivaDisc Jockey - JJ MikeThe Black Apron Event Tour is the brainchild of Chef Marc-Elie Lissade, who grew up on the Haitian cuisine he’s now showcasing to the world. The tour hits all major cities of North America and promises to be a Five Star gourmet experience. Young talented and innovative Haitian Chefs are brought together to satiate the pallet with gourmet French-Creole cuisine. The six course meal is sumptuous in flavor and definitely brings back warm memories and thoughts of Home. Each Chef is eager to showcase their culinary talents, promote Haiti’s magnificent culture and support the island’s gastronomy. The Chefs we met on Saturday evening exceptionally exemplify the event’s mission.For those of you searching for a uniquely avant-garde culinary experience like no other, look no further than the Black Apron Event Tour. It’s a veritable treat with a modern and contemporary take on Haitian Cuisine.A portion of proceeds from the event go to help Sick Kids Foundation. A cause dear to Chef Lissade’s heart.

Haitian Orphan Choir leads national anthem at Atlanta United match

ATLANTA, Georgia, USA (sentinel.ht) – On Tuesday, Major League Soccor club, Atlanta United, brought in the Haitian Orphan Choir to sing the national anthem. They are a group that was born out of the tragedy that was the 2010 7.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Every member of the choir lost their parents in that disaster.Atlanta United writes in a post:

One by one, they showed up to the Paul family household, and they were taken in. Their orphanage possessed next to nothing: several kids to every bed, limited room and supplies and intermittent power and water. But they loved to sing together, and soon it became a hobby and a talent. Now they’ve used that talent to make a difference.With Atlanta-based nonprofit “Love Him Love Them” as their hub in the United States, they’ve also taken their talents on the road. Last summer, the Haitian Orphan Choir raised enough money through singing appearances and performances to completely revamp the local orphanage. They’ve installed solar panels to guarantee electricity and now have running water. Every kid has their own bunkbed and storage locker for clothes. They’ve learnd trades – like how to become bakers and sewers and have learned how to make concrete blocks. They use those blocks for construction of their own but also to sell and boost the local Haitian economy.After returning to Haiti for the school year, they went back on tour this summer, with gospel star Kirk Franklin in front of 85,000 people in Haiti. Their performance at Tuesday’s Atlanta United game was their final appearance of the summer, as they try to raise money to build a small medical facility in their town. Meanwhile five of the students will stay in Georgia to attend Barnes Academy in Hartwell, learning as much as they can to go back and help their hometown.

Ryan Catanese who wrote about the choir’s performance provided a link for information to support the Haitian Orphan Choir. He writes, “there are many different levels in which you can contribute. From clothes to plane tickets, giving a little or a lot will go a long way.”—By: Haiti Sentinel | October 6, 2017

Haiti Mayor Calls For Civil War In City Of Les Cayes, Essentially

LES CAYES, Sud, HT (sentinel.ht) – The controversial Mayor of Aux Cayes, Jean Gabriel Fortuné, called on citizens of his city to arm themselves with guns, legal and illegal, machetes, sticks and/or rocks, to deal with those protesting the 2017-18 Finance Law that includes new and hiked taxes and less investment.Mayor Fortune, who earlier this year called for the murder of a journalist, said his call was so that citizens can protect their property, parents their children who are going to school, in the face of protests that have turned violent at times.“There are some who have a stick, others a machete or a gun, if they are to be used to defend the right of children to go to school, who are considered the first citizens of Cayes. All these calls for violence, in the name of the fact that education is the greatest good a parent can offer his child,” said Jean Gabriel Fortuné following an anti-Finance Law 17-18 protest that turned violent a week prior.At this demonstration, thousands, according to reports, of demonstrators threw stones at the police, after the police used tear gas against them, especially in the Savane district, where the smoke affected students in nearby schools.Asked about the virulence of his remarks, which are tantamount to an incitement or even to promote a civil war, the mayor replied to a journalist, “take it as you wish and add that it is your level n’import de quot.”It must be said that the Mayor Fortune is not at his first declarations of war. At the beginning of August, he reported that journalist Jean Nazaire Jeanty of Radio Lebon FM and correspondent of the Caribbean FM in Port-au-Prince deserved death for reporting in which he denounced the state of unhealthy beach of Gelée, a few days of the patronal festival of the 3rd city of the country.The mayor repeated several times that the journalist deserved to die for his words and that if there was a functional intelligence service in the city, he would not need to receive orders to make the journalist.The latter had filed a complaint against the Mayor Fortune, very close to President Jovenel Moise, for the death threats, but the case would take several weeks before being heard by the government commissioner.And since Mr Jeanty had not presented himself to a pseudo audience to which he claims not to have been formally invited, the case was closed without further action.Jean Gabriel Fortuné is not the only one close to the team in place to have held, in recent weeks, violent and inflammatory remarks, towards those whom they consider as ‘enemies’ of the power in place.Former Mayor of Jacmel and former South East Senator, Edwin Daniel Zenny, said that members of five families he accused of funding protests against the budget deserve to be shot.For Zenny, these “culprits” feel threatened by President Jovenel Moise’s desire to give electric power 24 hours a day in 24 months, while they receive 22 million US dollars a month to sell to the state of the “blackout”.Life has become more and more commonplace in recent times in Haiti, where individuals who believe themselves above any law, utter death threats or call to execute whomever they want with impunity.It would take much less, in other circumstances, for some organizations, some media, and power to see it as a threat to public safety.By: Haiti Sentinel | October 6, 2017

UN Peacekeepers Leave Haiti: What Is Their Legacy?

As the controversial 13 year peacekeeping mission in Haiti wraps up, Al Jazeera examines what the mission leaves behind.

A UN peacekeeper argues with a supporters of 2010 presidential candidate Michel Martelly in Port-au-Prince [File: Gulliermo Arias/AP Photo]

PEACEKEEPERS IN HAITI

• What will be their legacy?
• Why were they there?
• What has taken so long?
• Why are they leaving now?
• What have Haitians said about the mission?

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti lowered its blue flag on Thursday, 13 years after it began.While the mission has been credited with helping bring stability to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, it has also been mired in controversy.The mission is blamed for bringing cholera to the country, and at least 134 of its peacekeepers have been involved in sexual abuse scandals.As the last of the thousands of peacekeepers who were in the country leave, Al Jazeera answers some of the key questions about why the blue helmets were there and what they are leaving behind.  

What will be their legacy?

The presence of UN troops in Haiti has been a point of controversy on the island since the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) mission first began in 2004.UN officials have praised the mission for helping to re-establish law-and-order in the country marred by political unrest and bolster Haiti's democratic institutions. MINUSTAH has also helped recruit and train a new civilian police force, something that was virtually nonexistent before their arrival.However, critics argue the mission's forces have done more harm than good, pointing to the peacekeepers' involvement in the country's 2010 cholera outbreak and sex abuse scandals as evidence.Cholera outbreakThe source of the waterborne disease, which killed more than 9,000 people, was traced to a UN base.Al Jazeera's Fault Lines investigated the outbreak in 2010. The film - Haiti in a Time of Cholera - helped further expose the source of the disease on the island, and put additional pressure on the UN to investigate the allegations, and eventually admit its role in the outbreak.In August 2016, the UN for the first time acknowledged that it played a role in the spread of the disease.The UN at the time promised to respond to the epidemic with a "significant new set of UN actions".

A demonstrator spray paints the message in Creole "We demand justice for all cholera victims" on a building outside the UN headquarters in Haiti [File: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP Photo]

In a report, the then UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said that "the preponderance of the evidence does lead to the conclusion that personnel associated with [a UN peacekeeping] facility were the most likely source".Ban said the way the UN handled the outbreak "leaves a blemish on the reputation of UN peacekeeping and the organisation worldwide".He added: "For the sake of the Haitian people, but also for the sake of the United Nations itself, we have a moral responsibility to act and a collective responsibility to deliver."Ban created a $400m voluntary trust fund for Haiti's fight against cholera. The fund was also supposed to partially compensate victims of the disease.But earlier this year, The New York Times revealed that the fund only received a few million dollars and was nearly empty.In a statement in June, the UN deputy secretary-general said that "without additional resources, the intensified cholera response and control efforts cannot be sustained through 2017 and 2018".

REWIND: Haiti in a Time of Cholera (25:37)

Rape and other forms of sex abuseUN troops have also been implicated in sexual abuse scandals in Haiti since the MINUSTAH first began.Most recently, a UN report obtained and revealed by The Associated Press in April documented the sexual exploitation of nine children on the island from 2004-2007 at the hands of at least 134 peacekeepers.Al Jazeera later spoke to Maria Kalichi*, who had been raped by a peacekeeper when she was 17 years old. She became pregnant as result of the rape."I want justice by finding the person who did this," she told Al Jazeera."I want to hear what he has to say to me … I am walking around the streets feeling destitute because of the UN."A leaked report in 2015, found that UN peacekeepers in Haiti engaged in "transactional sex". At least 229 women said they traded sex for money and goods likes food and medicine.In 2012, at least two peacekeepers from Pakistan were jailed and fired from the army after raping a 14-year-old boy.Other cases of rape and other instances of sexual abuse have been reported and documented by the UN during the mission's 13-year term.In September, a UN fund to help the survivors of sexual abuse by peacekeepers worldwide grew to $1.5m after more than 10 countries made contributions.

FAULT LINES: Haiti By Force (25:18)

Why were they there in the first place?

MINUSTAH, running since 2004, was the latest installment in a series of UN peacekeeping missions in the country, which shares a landmass with the Dominican Republic.  

After 13 controversial years, the UN's mission in Haiti ends

Peacekeepers first arrived in Haiti, home to 10.8 million people, in September 1993 as part of The United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH).The mission had a mandate to modernise the Haitian army and establish a new national police force two years after Haiti's elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, had been removed from office during a coup d'etat.After Aristide was restored to office in October 1994 following the UN-sanctioned, and US-led, "Operation Uphold Democracy" launched the month before, the mission's mandate was expanded to include helping to stabilise the government.However, UNMIH, which concluded in June 1996, appeared to have failed to deliver long-term stability. A decade later, history repeated itself as Aristide was overthrown for a second time.

Following Aristide's removal, Justice Boniface Alexandre assumed office as acting president.Alexandre appealed to the UN for help in ending the violence that had gripped Haiti in the wake of the political revolt, causing crime and murder rates to spiral.MINUSTAH, launched on June 1, 2004, in response to the crisis, led to the deployment of 6,700 UN-sanctioned troops - and 1,622 UN police - in Haiti.

Why has it taken so long for them to leave?

MINUSTAH was originally set up to support Haiti’s transitional government for a period of six months, with the aim of establishing a stable and secure environment following Aristide's removal.The mission was extended with adjusted mandates in the months and years that followed in order to allow peacekeepers to "adapt to the changing circumstances … and evolving requirements as dictated by the political, security and socioeconomic situation prevailing in the country", according to the UN.By the beginning of 2010, it appeared the mission had achieved its goals as violence had largely been removed from Haiti's politics and the country was experiencing economic growth.However, a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the island on January 12, 2010, killing more than 220,000 people.The natural disaster destroyed vast swathes of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince, and decimated the fragile Haitian economy.In response, the UN added additional peacekeepers and police officers to its mission as it sought to support the country in its efforts to rebuild following the earthquake.Force numbers have been gradually reduced in the last seven years, by a series of resolutions.

A UN peacekeeper from Paraguay patrols the streets of Port-au-Prince, 2011. [File: Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo]

Why are they leaving now?

The UN Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted a resolution in April of this year, ordering the removal of peacekeepers from Haiti by mid-October.The April 13 resolution sanctioned the gradual withdrawal of the 2,370 peacekeepers stationed in Haiti, according to The Los Angeles Times.The resolution was the result of a US-led review into the cost and effectiveness of the UN's current peacekeeping operations.Nikki Haley, the US representative to the UN, told the UNSC prior to the vote that the political context was right for the withdrawal of a military presence in Haiti.

The "peaceful transition of power" demonstrated by Haiti's November 2016 presidential election showed the country had made an "important step towards stability and democracy", she said.As such, developments warranted an amended approach focused on fostering "the independence and self-sufficiency of the Haitian people".The peacekeeping mission will officially end on October 15 when a new UN mission made up of nearly 1,300 international civilian police officers, and about 350 civilians will begin in an effort to help the country reform its political system.In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Sandra Honore, head of MINUSTAH, said the UN is winding down the mission because it has achieved its aims."It is a vote of confidence in the Haitian people," she said."It is an indication of the recognition by the Security Council that the stabilisation work which was entrusted to the mission did in fact produce positive results."

What have Haitians said about the mission? 

Though February's presidential election seems to demonstrate Haiti is more politically stable now than when MINUSTAH began, a number of Haitians recently told Al Jazeera the mission has done little to improve their lives.Mothers who say they have had children, fathered by peacekeepers, also say they feel abandoned.

"After years of running around and false promises from the UN, nothing has happened,"  Saintil Benite, a mother, told Al Jazeera."They make us do a lot of stuff but there's no results," she said.Another mother, Roselaine Duperval, added that the mission has failed those people it sought to serve."I am very angry that the UN is leaving as it's left us with nothing," she said."They should take responsibility. They know about the kids. They did DNA tests and they told us they're positive but never give us the results."

Children play in the street while UN peacekeepers from Brazil patrol in Port-au-Prince [File: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP Photo]

As peacekeepers leave, Haiti continues to experience political turbulence.Protests last month over the government's new budget plans brought much of the country to a halt.The government has defended its plans, which include increased taxes on fuel and property, saying the money raised will be invested in improving public services and infrastructure.*Name changed to protect identity

WATCH: UN peacekeepers pulling out of Haiti with controversial legacy (2:40)

By: Al Jazeera and news agencies | October 6,2017

Bichotte Blasts Caribbean Activist For Disparaging Remarks Against Haitians

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) today demanded an apology from a noted Caribbean activist/political operative and close associate to City Councilmember Jumaane Williams for emailing her and her staff a note containing disparaging remarks against the Haitian community.

Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte

The brouhaha comes over the escalating controversy surrounding the recent designation of the Flatbush/Prospect Park-Lefferts Gardens/East Flatuch corridor as the “Little Caribbean.” Bichotte, who is Haitian-American and a number of other notable Haitian-Americans feel there should be a double designation and part of the corridor should be dubbed “Little Haiti.In a follow-up to the controversy, Ernest Skinner, who heads the Earnest Skinner Political Association Democratic Club, and is the staff photographer for Williams office and a longtime family friend, fired off an email to Bichotte asking when did Haiti stop being part of the Caribbean?

“This is the same insularity which sunk the fledgling Caribbean Federation. Sowing division may be why Haiti has never been able to reach its full potential and why it is considered a Fourth World country despite the noble start it gave to the Independence movement among people of color,” wrote Skinner.

Longtime Civic and Political Activist Ernest Skinner

“In Brooklyn, for many years now there has been TALK of a Little Haiti along lower Nostrand Avenue. What have you Haitians done to advance THAT?” he added.Bichotte replied in a letter back to Skinner yesterday saying she found Skinner’s comments not only highly disrespectful, but ill-informed and she demanded an apology.Bichotte penned back, “The fact of the matter is that there is a “Little Haiti” that has been in the making for decades that covers a wide geographical area including Nostrand Avenue. The Haitian community has accomplished a number of things leading up to the designation of “Little Haiti” such as the:

• street naming of Toussaint L’Ouverture Boulevard on Nostrand Avenue
• annual Toussaint L’Ouverture Symposium and Business Expo (2005)
• Haitian parades down all of Nostrand Avenue (10 years)
• Haitian Flag Day
• Haitian Unity Day (Albany)
• Haitian Selebrayson Week
•                                                                     Haitian street fairs
•                                                                   establishment of the Haitian Studies Institute (HSI) (Spring 2015)
•                                                                       designation of Haitian Day (October 7, 2016)
•                                                                passage of a civil rights resolution (New York State)
• introduction of legislation for Haitian Creole-speaking poll workers and translators and for the translation of voting materials into Haitian-Creole
• certification of a number of Haitian-owned businesses as Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises

Bichotte wrote that many in the area already refer to the neighborhood around Nostrand Avenue, Clarendon Road, Flatbush Avenue, Church Avenue, and Ocean Avenue in East Flatbush/Flatbush, as “Little Haiti.” East Flatbush/Flatbush has one of, if not the largest, Haitian populations in the country.

“As previously stated we acknowledge that Brooklyn is diverse and we do not advocate for “Little Haiti” in opposition to a Little Caribbean designation,” she wrote.

“We support the Caribbean community. We are part of the Caribbean community. In recognition and in support of our heritage we advocated for placing the Haitian Studies Institute at Brooklyn College; not instead of “Little Haiti,” but in continuance of cultivating “Little Haiti’s” foundation.”

Williams, who has Caribbean roots  – as does Skinner, clearly sided with Bichotte in the dispute.

“My office is looking forward on working to pursue both an official “Little Caribbean and a “Little Haiti. The words in the letter were hurtful; I understand the community’s concern and I certainly hope an apology is forthcoming, and deservedly so,” said Williams. 

Sources in the greater Flatbush community were split with one saying Bichotte often is unduly divisive, and it hurts her as an elected official and the community at large.

“Rodneyse has had a long history of being combative for no reason, beginning after she was first elected when went on Talkline Communications [a Jewish radio show] and said these Jews didn’t vote for me,” said a prominent Flatbush activist.

But another political source said is doesn’t make sense for Skinner insulting the Haitian community considering the viscous discrimination against Haitians in the area dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, when many alleged openly that it was Haitian-American spreading AIDS.

The source said there are much bigger issues to confront such as affordable housing and the increase of gentrification along the corridor.

“It doesn’t make sense for people to be insulting each other’s culture. Let’s just have both designations and move on,” said the source.

By: Stephen Witt | October 5, 2017

UN Ending 13-year Military Peacekeeping Mission In Haiti

A U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti that has helped maintain order through 13 years of political turmoil and catastrophe is coming to an end as the last of the blue-helmeted soldiers from around the world leave despite concerns that the police and justice system are still not adequate to ensure security in the country.The U.N. lowered its flag at its headquarters in Port-au-Prince during a ceremony Thursday that was attended by President Jovenel Moise, who thanked the organization for helping to provide stability. After a gradual winding down, there are now about 100 international soldiers in the country and they will leave within days. The mission will officially end on Oct. 15.Immediately afterward, the U.N. will start a new mission made up of about 1,300 international civilian police officers, along with 350 civilians who will help the country reform a deeply troubled justice system. Various agencies and programs of the international body, such as the Food and Agricultural Organization, will also still be working in the country."It will be a much smaller peacekeeping mission," said Sandra Honore, a diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago who has served since July 2013 as the head of the U.N. mission in Haiti known as MINUSTAH, its French acronym. "The United Nations is not leaving."MINUSTAH began operations in Haiti in 2004, when a violent rebellion swept the country and forced then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide out of power and into exile. Its goals included restoring security and rebuilding the shattered political institutions. In April, the Security Council deemed the country sufficiently stable and voted to wind down the international military presence, which then consisted of about 4,700 troops.Many Haitians have viewed the multinational peacekeepers as an affront to national sovereignty. U.N. troops are believed to have inadvertently introduced the deadly cholera bacteria to the country and have also been accused of causing civilian casualties in fierce battles with gangs in Port-au-Prince and of sexually abusing minors.But the mission, with additional help from the U.S. and other nations, is also credited with stabilizing the country, particularly after the January 2010 earthquake, and building up the national police force."The job may not be complete but they have essentially done much of what they were originally designed to do in terms of preventing any kind of armed takeover of the state, in terms of increasing the safety of civilians," said Mark Schneider, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "It takes work to maintain that and Haiti needs to maintain that."MINUSTAH, Schneider said, has been key in helping Haiti develop a credible civilian national police from "almost zero" to its current level of about 15,000 officers, which most experts believe is still too small for a country of nearly 11 million. The police force was intended to replace the army, which was disbanded by Aristide in 1995 because of its repeated role in a series of coups and that the Haitian government is now seeking to reconstitute over international objections."Haiti needs an atmosphere of peace so we can take responsibility for ourselves," said Haitian Sen. Jacques Suaveur Jean. "We don't need foreign soldiers."The new U.N. mission will consist of seven police units that can respond to major incidents, in addition to officers deployed throughout the country to advise and assist their Haitian counterparts. Civilians will also be working with the government to improve the country's justice system, which the State Department said in this year's annual human rights report has serious flaws, including severe prison overcrowding, prolonged pretrial detention and an inefficient judiciary.Honore, in an interview ahead of Thursday's ceremony, cited the training and hiring of police officers as one of the U.N. successes.MINUSTAH had already been scaling back before the Security Council voted to end the mission. In the aftermath of the earthquake, which killed 96 U.N. personnel, including former head of mission Hedi Annabi, the number of troops reached more than 10,000. But when Honore arrived there were about 6,200 soldiers from around 20 countries, a figure that dropped again by nearly a third within two years.The cholera outbreak, which started in October 2010 after peacekeepers from Nepal contaminated the country's largest river with waste from their base, killed an estimated 9,500 people and irrevocably damaged the reputation of the organization in Haiti. Many critics felt the U.N. did not adequately respond to the outbreak, something the organization sought to later remedy."It was a fundamental error because it undermined the image not just of MINUSTAH, but of the international community," Schneider said.By: Evens Sanon, Associated Press | October 5, 2017

'It's Not Fair': Haitian Teens In Everett Worry About U.S. Residency Decision

It's been a year since Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti, taking hundreds of lives and sending thousands fleeing to the United States.The anniversary comes as Haitians and Haitian-Americans in the Boston area look with apprehension at a decision by the Trump administration next month.That's when the administration has said it would decide whether to end Temporary Protected Status for 58,000 Haitians living and working in the U.S. The status provides legal residency for victims of natural disasters. Many first arrived after a devastating earthquake in 2010.Everett has become a home to a large number of Haitians and Haitian-Americans in recent years. Many are here on TPS. Others are here without the required documents. Many others are permanent residents and citizens, but know people whose legal status is precarious.Every week, high school students from the Haitian community in Everett gather to talk about what's on their minds. These days, the fear of having to leave, or seeing loved ones having to leave, is foremost."I feel sad, because I don't know where I'm going in the future," says one of the students.He is from Port au Prince. He came here when American missionaries got him a scholarship to play basketball in the U.S. He stayed and is now here without legal papers. Because of that, WBUR has agreed not to use his name. He is a senior at Everett High School."It hurts when I'm getting out of school where they're using me for the basketball, which I'm good at, and then I'm walking down the street, but I have fear that somebody might stop me, that I can be deported, not only myself, but a lot of my friends, a lot of youth, a lot of families," he says in Haitian Creole. "It's not fair."Tears come to his eyes."I have had people that have died in my family," he says. "I have never cried. This is the very first time tears have come out of my eyes."Another Everett High senior, Jean-Gandhy Medard, says in French, "Since the new administration, there is conflict, and we are beginning to worry, because not everyone has the right documents."Switching to English, he talks about how, increasingly, he feels judged by the color of his skin."You can't just stop someone because of the way he looks and then to tell: 'Where you come from?' The thing that really affects me is they said: 'Why don't you speak good English? If you don't speak good English, how come you have been here?' "Medard is also from Port au Prince. He came here in 2015 to live with his aunt, who sponsored him for a green card. He's not worried about himself, because he is here as a legal permanent resident, but he is worried about people he knows. He says friends of his have left because police have asked them for documents they don't have. Most, he says, have fled for Canada or the Antilles."For me, it's a catastrophe," he says in French. "It's a disarrangement. It's really something terrible compared to how we used to live, how we used to relate to one another, and how life was before, and now, all of a sudden, because of problems with papers or social pressures, all of that has disappeared. It's really sad."Medard says he knows people who have been here for a long time."And have fortune and they are about to lose everything," he says. "People who have been in this country 30, 40 years, and then they heard they have to leave. It's already their home."To be forced to leave now, he says, is to be forced to make a move you will regret for the rest of your life.By: Fred Thys | October 4, 2017

North Shore Medical Center (Miami) Donates Beds to Haiti

     North Shore Medical Center donated 30 hospital beds to Project St. Anne, part of a Clinic of Camp-Perrin located in Haiti.  Project St. Anne is a non-profit that was founded by a group of women in 2008. The goal of the organization is to help the less fortunate. The 30 beds are going to be used by patients at the local hospital. “Receiving medical care in a comfortable environment can help speed up the healing process,” said Manny Linares, Chief Executive Officer of North Shore Medical Center. “The donation of these beds is part of our commitment to helping those who have been affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters and are in need of medical supplies.”By: Community News | October 4, 2017

Government purchases $123M of heavy equipment

The Government signed discreetly, 3 contracts for the purchase of 490 heavy equipment for public works totaling more than 123 million US dollars (123,372,025), an average cost per equipment of about 250,000 dollars.3 companies will supply these equipments: Auto Plaza S.A, (295 equipments) Auto and Mechanical S.A. (100 equipments) and Haytian Tractor (95 equipments).These equipment payable on credit over 48 months (in Gourdes, rate fixed by the Central Bank) will be delivered in a little more than 10 monthsContracts after analysis received a favorable opinion from the National Commission for Public Contracts and the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Litigation, which found no irregularities.By: HaitiLibre | October 4, 2017

Government strengthens its control over NGOs

In order to seek effectiveness and synergy in the actions of the Government and NGOs, the Ministers and General Coordinators must now inform the Prime Minister in advance of all technical cooperation actions as well as offers of financing and commitment to spend relative.The Ministers and the General Coordinators will have to ensure the conformity of the offers of financing and commitment of expenses with the conventions and international agreements governing the matter, signed and ratified by the Haitian State, the laws in force and the roadmaps of the responsible concerned.Pursuant to Article 3.5 of the Order of 25 January 2009 on the Organization and Functioning of the Office of Management and Human Resources (OMRH), the coordination of technical cooperation programs implemented at the level of Ministries, of technically devolved services and autonomous administrative, cultural and scientific bodies in the areas of institutional strengthening and management of the civil service, is entrusted to OMRH.Interventions were made and workshops organized by the Government for Haiti's traditional partners, donors and non-governmental organizations to highlight the need to respect the guidelines and priorities of the Haitian State in the framework of cooperation.Thus, all administrative and legal provisions have been taken to guide the actions of NGOs operating in Haiti, in line with the Government's development objective.By: HL/ HaitiLibre | October 2, 2017

Fighting Cholera With a Smartphone

Global health experts don’t worry about if a major infectious disease outbreak will occur; it’s just a matter of when.A daunting barrier in that ongoing fight against infectious diseases—including malaria, dengue fever, Zika and more—is the ability to detect infectious agents in the environment before an outbreak begins.In June, the Vodafone Americas Foundation recognized a technology attempting to tackle exactly that problem in its ninth annual Wireless Innovation Project competition. A Purdue University spin-off called PathVis won first place and $300,000 for a smartphone-based platform designed to enable anyone to rapidly measure the level of a pathogen in an area and report back to health authorities with real-time data of when and where that pathogen was detected.Thanks to the award money, the team will take their prototype to Haiti in November and work with the Emerging Pathogens Institute to test its ability to detect cholera bacterium in water. Cholera is a highly infectious disease marked by watery diarrhea that can kill within hours if left untreated. It is transmitted through contaminated food and water. The World Health Organization estimates that there are up to 143,000 deaths each year due to cholera.The technology stems from work done over the last several years in the biomedical engineering labs of Jacqueline Linnes and Tamara Kinzer-Ursem at Purdue. In collaboration with Purdue mechanical engineer Steven Wereley and his postdoc Katherine Clayton, Kinzer-Ursem developed a method to measure Brownian motion, the erratic and random movement of microscopic particles in a fluid.The team first used the method to measure the presence of proteins in solution: When proteins fall apart in the presence of tiny beads—from 1 micron down to 100 nanometers—in a liquid, it increases the viscosity of the solution, and the researchers were able to detect the slowing motion of the beads.Kinzer-Ursem then enlisted Linnes, an expert in pathogen detection, to apply the same idea to detect DNA in solution. The team perfected their technique under a microscope, but then decided they could shrink the technology.(PathVis from Vodafone Americas Foundation on Vimeo.)“All we needed was a microscope, a camera to capture images, and a computer to crunch the algorithms. And we thought, well, we carry these computers and cameras around in our pockets everyday. Why not make this portable?” recalls Kinzer-Ursem.So they adapted the system for a smartphone. A user puts a sample of liquid, say, potentially contaminated water, into a small microfluidic chip attached to a smartphone. If cholera bacterium DNA is present, a chemical reaction on the chip will copy that DNA over and over, producing many DNA strands that increase the viscosity of the solution. If the bacterium is not present, there is no change in the liquid.

The user then takes a short video of the sample using the phone’s camera equipped with a small microscope. An accompanying app processes and analyzes the video for changes in Brownian motion of the liquid. The app then flags the sample as contaminated or not.Currently, the platform provides results in less than 30 minutes, compared to the five days it normally takes to send a water sample to a lab and get a result, says Kinzer-Ursem. Plus, a GPS tag in the app records the exact location where the sample was taken, so that locations can be compiled in a map for health officials. “The whole idea is that they can use this information to efficiently target where their resources need to go,” she notes.Cholera isn’t the only disease in PathVis’s crosshairs. The team is also adapting the technology to detect malaria in patient blood samples in collaboration with Indiana University’s School of Medicine, and hopes to also apply it to HIV and dengue virus detection.

By Megan Scudellari | September 28, 2017

Police Use Teargas as Demonstrations Continue Against Budget Proposals in Haiti

Haitians demonstrating against budget proposals presented to Parliament by President Jovenel Moise last month (Photo: CMC)

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) — Police used teargas to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating against the measures contained in the 2018 budget that has been presented to Parliament by President Jovenel Moise last month.The Parliament has approved the fiscal package, but Moise hinted at the possibility of reviewing some of the measures as demonstrators took to the streets again on Saturday in Pétion-ville demanding his removal from office.The demonstration planned by the political parties, Fanmi Lavalas, Pitit Desalin as well as other organisations and students attracted thousands of people, and despite the presence of members of the Body of Intervention and Maintenance of Order (CIMO), the protestors broke several storefronts and windshields of several vehicles.Stones and bottles were also thrown at some buildings even as the security agents fired gunshots into the air in a bid to disperse the crowd.The protesters also erected several barricades, blocking traffic and sporadic shooting was reported in the Juvénat neighbourhood, with media reports indicating that the damage “seemed considerable”.The police had to use teargas to disperse the crowd with several reports of being injured and there were several arrests.Commissioner Frantz Lerebours, spokesman for the Haitian National Police (PNH), was however, unable to give details.

Some of the demonstrators tried to reach the city centre but were met with a strong resistance from the CIMOs on the Champ de Mars.The opposition parties condemned the violence saying that the demonstrations had been infiltrated by people who wanted to provoke troubles and accuse the opposition of disorder…Last week, the Haitian Customs Association (ADH), gave the General Administration of Customs (AGD), of the Ministry of Economy an eight-day ultimatum to meet their demands or face work stoppage island-wide from Thursday.Customs officers, whose salaries are GOURDES17, 000 (One Gourdes=US$0.01 cents) after a nine-month training are demanding an 80 per cent wage increase.In addition, customs officers are demanding special status because of the importance of their mission and responsibilities: fiscal, economic and security.Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers last week adopted a preliminary draft law to amend article 149 of the Decree of 29 September 2005 on income tax.President Moise has since announced that he will convene an extraordinary session the Chamber of Deputies, once the draft bill has been ratified by the Senate.By: Jamaica Observer | October 01, 2017

Wyclef Jean no longer pursuing presidency of Haiti

Wyclef Jean is no longer concerned about running for the presidency of his native Haiti.The former Fugees star, who lives primarily in the U.S., made a bid for Haiti’s presidency in 2010 but was ruled out of the political race as he didn’t meet the necessary residency requirements.At the time, he said he would try again in 2015, but the singer has now admitted to The Associated Pressthat he thinks the current government, which is headed up by President Jovenel Moise, is in a good position and he believes he can make progress by helping in the private sector.“We ran for the urgency. I felt like the government was absent,” he explained. “We don’t feel like (the) government is absent right now. As the country moves forward, as a social entrepreneur, I’m hoping in the future there’s some form of a school we can build. As a social entrepreneur, my true position with Haiti is to work with the private sector and help to bring jobs.”The 47-year-old is currently promoting his latest album Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee, which was released last month (Sep17). His old work with Santana also had a resurgence over the summer when a sample of the 1999 song Maria Maria, which Wyclef co-produced, was used on DJ Khaled’s hit Wild Thoughts.“(DJ) Khaled and them called and was like, ‘Yo, you’ve got to clear the sample for me’. A lot of people don’t like it. Santana don’t clear samples. But I’m from a different generation,” he recalled.“When I sampled the Bee Gees (on We Trying to Stay Alive), my whole thing was, don’t forget if you take a piece of someone’s material, they’re going to listen (to) it. When I create something in my brain, it’s my creation. So, who the hell is going to make it better?… That’s why a lot of times it’s hard to clear it.”However, he gave Santana a call and eventually helped Khaled clear the track.By: Hollywood.com - October 2, 2017