Haiti’s Opposition Parties Draft a Manifesto

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. The Convention of Political Parties, headed by former senator Turneb Delpe, held a national conference of 30 political parties and civilian organizations in Cap Haitien on Monday and Tuesday October 15-16 to formulate solutions to Haiti’s current crises and counter the Martelly-Lamothe regime as a united front. Together the political parties and civilian organizations drafted The manifesto of Cap-Haitien. UPDATE: Full text of manifesto included in French and English.

Open Letter From Haitian Anesthesiologist Dr. Andre Morno

By André Morno, Le Nouvelliste | Translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. “President Martelly’s Chief of Staff Mr. Thierry Mayard Paul came to tell me that the presidential security unit was concerned about my house’s location with respect to the President’s. To my surprise, he told me that I had to sell the house at a price pre-determined without my consent.” Dr. Morno. (English | French).

Mountains Behind Protests

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Haiti’s most populous cities erupted in protest in early September, and some areas remain more or less in a state of continuous protest against human rights abuses, soaring food prices, 80 per cent unemployment, crashing agriculture, government corruption and racism, and many other severe political and economic ills.

Who Will Speak For Jeju Coral?

By Staff, Save Jeju Now | YouTube. A South Korean naval-base project for U.S. “missile defense” warships on Jeju Island is threatening to destroy one of Earth’s last great soft coral reefs, numerous endangered species, and centuries-old sustainable communities. The leadership of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress (WCC) taking place near Jeju has refused to criticize the naval base or grant the villagers access to an information display booth. In addition, WCC speaker Imok Cha, who supports the conservation of Jeju, was denied entry into Korea. (Videos)

Disaster Capitalism Brazilian Style in Haiti

By Yvon Janvier, Le Matin | Translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Brazilian company Construtora OAS Ltd unilaterally stopped ongoing work on 69 km (43 miles) of National Road No. 7 in southern Haiti and abruptly cut short its contract with Haitian and international donors: specifically Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB).

Tension in Port Margot

By Staff, AlterPresse | Staff, Organization for the Development of Port-Margot (ODEP) | Translation and editorial comment by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Residents of the northern beach town of Port-Margot, Haiti, are angry with the government for neglecting their major arteries to the east and west, and for appropriating their most important tourist attraction, Chouchou Bay, for a neighboring city. The town in 35 km (22 miles) from Cap Haitien and is coveted as a place to live by mining personnel moving into northern Haiti. (English | French)

Peasants In Saltos del Guaira Demand Negotiations With Paraguayan Government

By Staff, Prensa Latina. Peasants throughout Paraguay are demanding negotiations with the government for land plots on which to live and work. In Saltos del Guaira (east) about 1,000 small farmers and their families were forcibly evicted by police on Monday August 6 from a farm occupied by a Brazilian citizen.

Bandits or Resistance Against Land Grab in Martissant? (UPDATED Sep 3, 2012)

By spp and jmd, Radio Kiskeya. According to residents of the Nan Beny and Ti Bois areas of Martissant — a neighborhood in south Port-au-Prince, Haiti — in retaliation for having two of their numbers injured by unknown assailants Tuesday July 31, elite police in uniform, while under observation from MINUSTAH troops, beat and shot several people, broke the windshields of various cars, and torched at least four motorcycles plus 15 houses. Shortly thereafter, the West Department’s police chief announced that troops would be maintained in Martissant. UPDATES: Police put bounties out on four “bandits,” and a new human-rights report describes the details of the incident. (English | French)

Massacre at La Visite

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Thirty six commandos from Haiti’s Departmental Unit for Maintenance of Order (UDMO), together with presidentially-appointed regional and local government representatives, arrived in La Visite Park, near the city of Jacmel (southeast Haiti) to evict 142 families by force on July 23. The small farmers, who had lived there since 1942, were offered $1,160 for each property. In the battle that ensued, 4-12 people were killed.

Canada’s Foreign Aid Minister Swap (in Haiti)

By Staff, Defend Haiti | Meagan Fitzpatrick and Staff, CBC News Online | Sheila Dabu Nonato, National Post. Canada Foreign Aid Minister Bev Oda — the woman responsible for the relocation of hundreds of thousands from the tent camps on Champs de Mars, Port-au-Prince, Haiti — has resigned. She was replaced by Julian Fantino, a former policeman risen to the ranks of police chief, Member of Parliament, and Defense Minister. Mr. Fantino has been followed in every political post by allegations of corruption.

Haiti’s Homeless – Part 2 (UPDATED Aug 2, 2012)

By Staff (WJL), HPN | Staff, Nouvel Observateur via RadioTV Caraibes | Translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Residents from the Jalousie neighborhood of Petion-Ville took to the streets on Thursday, July 12 to call for a halt to the measures from Haiti’s Ministry of the Environment to demolish thousands of their homes. “It’s not right that a person should be offered only 20,000 gourdes (US $465) after his house is demolished,” said a protestor. UPDATED on July 30, Aug 2. (English | French)

Economic Crimes of Dictatorships: Argentina

By Marcela Valente, IPS | Editorial comment by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. More than 600 businesspeople lost their property to the Argentina dictatorship of 1976 to 1983. “they took everything we had, our seven companies and the company plane. And it’s a miracle they didn’t kill us,” says Alejandro Iaccarino, a prosperous dairy industry businessman during the 1970s who is suing for millions of dollars in reparations.

Peasants In Nacunday Losing Patience With Paraguayan Government

By Staff, Prensa Latina. Thousands of peasants (campesinos) from the Ñacunday zone in eastern Paraguay have set a one-week limit for the government to hand over 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of land which they consider to be illegally held by agribusiness.

Top Five Reasons Why Caracol Industrial Park is Disastrous for Haiti

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. The Caracol Bay area was slated to be a World Heritage site and park because of its breathtaking barrier reef, mangroves, and migratory birds. The area is also the site of several major archaeological finds, including Guacanagaric, one of the largest and most complete Taino Indian villages. Instead, the area has been converted into the massive Caracol Industrial Park (or Caracol Free-Trade zone, FTZ) that is expected to pollute the Trou du Nord River and the bay and get served by a deep-water port.

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