24917: White: Re: 24912: Simidor comments re Arthurs and Neptune (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Randall White <raw@haitiaction.org>

Mr Simidor,

Your comments came as no surprise:

"Reuters Guyler Delva and Remarais' Agence
Haitienne de Presse, on the other hand, are from the
Lavalas fold, and equally adamant on pushing a
pro-Lavalas agenda. Figuring out what goes on from day
to day in Haiti is like navigating a minefield."

Reuters Guyler Delva "is LAVALAS"  ??? !!! Since when?

 That appears to be a provocation. The police have threatened him in the
past, making such a statement could - further - put his life in danger. But you already knew that.

"Likewise Remarais and Delva
inflate the numbers at those events, and still portray
the Feb. 2004 Lavalas massacre in St. Marc as an NCHR
fabrication, even after Ann Fuller's detail article to
the contrary."

As for the event numbers:

 Delva has NEVER exceeded the numbers that are confirmed by photographs
 posted on http://www.HaitiAction.net/ (an admittedly pro-Lavalas site).
 Reuters has consistently proved itself to be hostile to portraying
 pro-democracy and/or pro-Aristide supporters in a positive light. The
 editors rarely miss an opportunity to amend duplicitous "background"
 information to the reporting before it's released.

 As for the NChR.exe fabrication of a massacre at Scierie I'd like to make
a couple of observations - off the top of my head:

 1. Even if everything that NChR.exe fabricated was true [Namely, that
 more than 50 heavily-armed RAMICOS insurgents - or their supporters -
 were killed in skirmishes with PNH, CIMO and Bale Wouze (who were
 self-appointed defenders of the democratically-elected government of
 Haiti before Prime Minister Neptune thanked them for their
 "patriotism.")], IT IS THE RIGHT of the state do defend itself against an
 armed rebellion and enlist the aid of any agency to reinstate
"constitutional order."

 Internationally, "excessive use of force" by police transmogrifies into
 "Rules of Engagement" by The State defenses in the absence of a
 conscripted military. If the insurgents don't surrender to The State they
 can be pursued with "deadly force" until The State reinstates
 "constitutional order." (An illegal government is NOT afforded the same
rights)

 If the insurgents have "surrendered" and are under the effective control
 of The State, or its agents, and are then assassinated then it can be
 properly considered to be a "massacre" or illegal summary execution.

 As far as I can recall NChR.exe hasn't - yet - claimed that RAMICOS had
 surrendered to Haitian authorities. As of 2/11/04 they were using
 "innocents" houses all over St. Marc to carry out their stated objective
to mount a USA supported coup of the democratically elected government of Haiti.

 Certainly nothing - of what The Prime Minister is accused of - would be
 considered illegal under international law, let alone Haiti's
 Constitution. The identity of the "four or five" bodies that were seen
 hadn't been established and could have even been Bale Wouze. [is it just
 me? If a professional journalist can't accurately count up to five,
shouldn't he be fired? What "pro-Lavalas Reuters reporter" was that?]

 The coup-government keeps pointing to unsubstantiated charges made by
 Pierre Esperance as justification for keeping Prime Minister Yvon Neptune
 as a political prisoner. Last year the Haiti Information Project
commented on the contrived allegations:

http://www.haitiaction.net/News/HIP/9_12_4.html

 "The NCHR reminds us that on February 11, 2004, policemen, members of
 special units of the Haiti National Police, including the Anti-Terrorist
 Corps (the CAT team), the Intervention Corps to Maintain Order (CIMO) and
 heavily armed civilians, members of the Bale Wouze organization, invaded
 the Syria neighborhood of St. Marc, which is the base of the Assembly of
 Militants of the Commune of St. Marc (RAMICOSM), an organization close to
 the opposition. The final tally is still incomplete, but there are more
 than 50 people killed or disappeared and several dozen houses destroyed
 by fire." (Massacre in Syria (St. Marc): Three Presumed Murderers Behind
Bars, press release, NCHR, March 2, 2004)

 "No other human rights organization, either local or international has
 documented this massacre. The journalists (including Reuters) who arrived
 at the scene after the events, report having found four or five
 unidentified bodies. In addition NCHR is not (any longer) very sure of
 their sources. Where are the bodies? According to the director, Pierre
 Esperance, they could have been devoured by wild dogs. (Haiti en Marche
 Vol. XVIII No. 23, Wednesday July 7, 2004).

 Prime Minister Yvonne Neptune has cooperated with an illegal government
 to review the events. The coup government has no intention of acting in
 "good-faith" with the elected government of Haiti. There's no need to
 persecute the Prime Minister as a political prisoner anymore, when a
 legal justice system returns to Haiti, he has made every indication that
 he would cooperate with a fair investigation.

 2. Now on the other hand, the summary executions - during the same month
 - that were witnessed first-hand by the corporate media in Cap Haitien,
 Gonaïves an Hinche being committed by Jodel Chamblain, Guy Phillipe,
 Chavannes Jean-Baptiste and/or US trained soldiers under their command
were massacres and were illegal.

The Carrefour Massacre:

http://www.haitiaction.net/News/HIP/1_7_5.html

The assassination of Lavalasien Feb 28, 2005 in front of UN troops by PNH:

http://www.haitiaction.net/News/HIP/3_5_5/3_5_5.html

 and the massacres of pro-democracy supportes at peaceful demonstrations
 over the last two days were witnessed by the corporate media. Were all
properly documented atrocities.

Will anyone be charged? Will you call for justice?

RAW