Dr William Pierce discusses "Haiti"

waltky · Oct 6, 2014

'Baby Doc' Duvalier, 63...

Ousted Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier dies
October 4, 2014, Jean-Claude-Duvalier, the self-proclaimed "president for life" of Haiti whose corrupt and brutal regime sparked a popular uprising that sent him into a 25-year exile, died Saturday of a heart attack, his attorney said.

Reynold George said the 63-year-old ex-leader died at his home. Duvalier, looking somewhat frail, made a surprise return to Haiti in 2011, allowing victims of his regime to pursue legal claims against him and prompting some old allies to rally around him. Neither side gained much support, and the once-feared dictator known as "Baby Doc" spent his late years in relative obscurity in the leafy hills above the Haitian capital.

Duvalier was the son of Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, a medical doctor-turned-dictator who promoted "Noirisme," a movement that sought to highlight Haiti's African roots over its European ones while uniting the black majority against a mulatto elite in a country divided by class and color. The regimes of both leaders tortured and killed political opponents and relied on a dreaded civilian militia known as the Tonton Macoutes.

Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier arrives at the Caribe Hotel in Port-au-Prince after his surprise return to Haiti on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in the midst of a political vacuum left by disputed presidential elections. Returning to his homeland after 25 years in the political wilderness, Duvalier told reporters at the airport, simply: "I've come to help."

In 1971, Francois Duvalier suddenly died of an illness and named his son to succeed him. At 19, Jean-Claude Duvalier became the world's youngest president. The son was regarded as a lackluster student at a prestigious private Catholic school in the capital but his teachers gave him passing grades anyway to avoid fury from the National Palace, according to "Written in Blood" a history of the country by Robert Debs Heinl and Nancy Gordon Heinl.

Jean-Claude Duvalier ruled for 15 years, his administration seen as less violent and repressive than his father's. Echoes of press freedom and personal criticism, never tolerated under his father, emerged - sporadically - because of international pressure. Still, human rights groups documented abuses and political persecution. A trio of prisons known as the "Triangle of Death," which included the much-feared Fort Dimanche for long-term inmates, symbolized the brutality of his regime.

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waltky · Jan 10, 2015

Haiti earthquake 5 years after...

A look at the Haiti earthquake on the 5-year anniversary
Jan 10,`15 ~ A look at the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and its aftermath:

THE DISASTER: A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck just before 5 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2010, in southern Haiti, destroying more than 100,000 buildings and damaging 200,000 in densely packed Port-au-Prince and surrounding towns. Haiti's government put the death toll at 316,000, while some estimates were lower. An exact accounting was impossible given the widespread devastation. Many Haitian officials and police officers died in the quake, leaving the government paralyzed. The United Nations, which has had peacekeepers in the country since 2004, lost 102 staffers in the disaster, the largest single loss of life in its history. In the immediate aftermath, more than 1.5 million Haitians were living in crowded camps, often sheltered by little more than plastic tarps.

THE RECOVERY: More than $12.4 billion in humanitarian and development aid and debt relief was pledged by more than 50 countries and international agencies, with at least 80 percent of that disbursed, according to the United Nations. Much of the aid was channeled through contractors and humanitarian groups rather than directly to Haiti's government. The U.S., the biggest donor, has largely sought to rebuild infrastructure and improve the health system and economy, hoping to improve conditions that made Haiti particularly vulnerable to disaster. Venezuela, another major donor, also funded numerous infrastructure projects. Shantytowns and tent camps have gradually dwindled as people moved back to old homes or found new ones, often with rent subsidies provided by international donors. Some landowners and public agencies also evicted people by force.

Women walk down a devastated street past the devastation caused by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The disaster prompted a massive influx of international assistance, with governments and aid groups arriving to offer both immediate help and long-term development. One of the worst natural disasters of modern times, it killed an estimated 300,000 people, damaged or destroyed more than 300,000 buildings in densely packed Port-au-Prince and largely obliterated the government, toppling nearly all ministry buildings. Prisons and police stations were also left in ruins.

THE FUTURE: There are still about 80,000 people in camps, and the government predicts they will be gone by the middle of this year. There are few visible signs of the quake itself and most badly damaged buildings have been razed. Parts of the capital are bustling with new construction and hundreds of schools have been rebuilt. But Haiti is still a deeply poor nation, with an official unemployment rate of about 40 percent and the World Banks says more than 6 million out of roughly 10.4 million inhabitants live under the national poverty line of $2.44 per day.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-10-02-28-28
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waltky · Jan 23, 2016

Sunday's Presidential Runoff Canceled in Haiti...

Presidential Runoff Canceled in Haiti
January 22, 2016 - Haitian electoral officials have abruptly canceled the presidential runoff election scheduled for Sunday, amid concerns of violence and fraud.

Pierre-Louis Opont, chairman of the Provisional Electoral Council, said Friday that the vote had been pushed back because of "security concerns." In the capital, Port-au-Prince, several thousand demonstrators cheered after hearing the vote would be postponed. But the protests soon turned violent, prompting police to fire at the crowds. It was unclear whether anyone had been hurt or killed.

A Haitian national police officer fires birdshot at demonstrators during a street protest after it was announced that the Jan. 24 runoff election had been postponed, in Port-au-Prince

Opont did not name a new date for the election. It also was unclear whether an interim government will take power after February 7, when President Michel Martelly is required to leave office under the constitution, or whether he will remain in his post until a replacement is elected. Opposition candidate Jude Celestin vowed this week to boycott the election, alleging a first-round vote in October was rigged to favor the ruling-party candidate.

Recent opposition-stoked protests in Port-au-Prince have ramped up the tension, with partisans throwing rocks and street barricades being set ablaze. There's been growing concern that a flawed runoff might push the perennially volatile country of 10 million people to the edge of tumult, rolling back a decade of relative political stability and putting the brakes on foreign investment.

http://www.voanews.com/content/presidential-runoff-canceled-in-haiti/3159045.html
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waltky · Feb 8, 2016

Haiti president steps down leaving no successor...

Haitian President Michel Martelly steps down, sparking doubts about successor
Feb. 8, 2016 -- Haitian President Michel Martelly stepped down from his position, completing his term but leaving the impoverished country without a successor.

Martelly, 54, handed over his symbolic presidential sash Sunday to the leader of the National Assembly and said in a farewell speech to the nation, "I am at the end of my mandate. He said he regretted presidential elections were deferred during his five-year administration. His term was regarded as autocratic and he was accused of living a lavish and corrupt lifestyle.

President Michel Martelly of Haiti left office Sunday, on schedule but leaving the office without a successor.

He leaves Haiti after October presidential elections critics said were fraudulent. Martelly's chosen successor, Jovenal Moise, finished first and the second-place candidate, Jude Celstin, refused to participate in a runoff election, which was canceled. Under an accord reached prior to the end of Martelly's term, Haiti's prime minister will be regarded as president until the legislature chooses an interim president, then a new prime minister will be picked, and the results of the October vote will be reviewed. The new president is expected be installed by May 14, said John Kirby, U.S. State Department spokesman. A State Department statement issued Sunday said, "The United States welcomes the agreement by executive and legislative authorities in Haiti to ensure the continuity of governance and the completion of the ongoing electoral process."

Haiti's actions can be seen as averting a crisis, or at least postponing it. Disputes could still arise over the election results, and Robert Fatton, political scientist at the University of Virginia, told The New York Times that "The old military people that are out on the streets are sending a clear signal to opposition groups: 'If you don't accept this compromise, we are out here, with weapons.'" "No one knows who was in charge of these people. Everyone assumes they are in fact armed people and armed by the Michel Martelly regime," he said. An unidentified official of the Organization of American States, which sent a delegation to Haiti to monitor the electoral crisis, commented, "The headline should read: 'A blood bath was avoided.'"

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...-about-successor/5941454931777/?spt=sec&or=tn
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Dr William Pierce discusses "Haiti"

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