|
Expose
the Lies of the International Community about Haiti, its people
and resources
Demand the International
coup d'etat supporing countries and enforcers, not Rene Preval,
set the political prisoners free, end the UN occupation, return
Haitian assets to the people of Haiti by Marguerite Laurent,
June 26, 2006, Haitian Perspectives
The newly minted coup d'etat coalition government, now simply
figure-headed
by Rene Preval, has yet to reverse the acts of the US-imposed
Miami
government, who handed three years tax breaks to the most wealthy,
10-years
back pay to the murderous Haitian army and put over 4,200 people
into
indefinite detention while cutting Haiti’s minimum wage
by 50%, from about
$3.60 for a 12 hour day, down to $1.60.
The UN occupation continues, the prisoners unreleased and those
who never where voted in by any Haitian populace are being divvied
jobs in the "new government" because they participated,
though were not elected, but because they "participated"
in the coup d'etat elections on the heel of the blood and death
of thousands of Haitian citizens who protested the coup d'etat,
ouster of the
Constitutional government and UN occupation.
On July 6, 2006, HLLN along with other Haiti-led groups from Haiti
and the US
will stand together to demand an end to the occupation, justice
for the
victims of last year's UN Massacre in Site Soley on July 6, 2005,
release of the
political prisoners, reversal of the fleecing of Haiti by Canadian
companies
such as St. Genevieve Resources and KWG Resources, stop to the
plunder and
pirating of Haitian gas, gold, copper, uranium, iridium and other
natural
resources and reserves, particularly a stop to the genocidal plans
of the
Ottawa Initiative foreign governments under this de facto UN Protectorate.
Join HLLN'S campaign to expose the corrupt role of the UN, US,
Canada,
OAS, France; their false "humanitarian aid;" to expose
this international
Community’s (the "International Community") culpable
role in keeping Haiti
underdeveloped and contained-in-poverty while their multinational
companies,
reps and agents plunder and fleece Haitian resources and labor;
to expose
this international community's criminal role in bringing to power
and keeping
in office, over the OBJECTIONS of the majority of Haiti's peoples,
at home and
abroad, for more than TWO years, and training and paying a puppet
Boca Raton
government with no popular mandate and massive human rights abuses
and
political repression. Stop UN, US, OAS, Canada, France's hypocrisy
and their
continued coup d'etat criminal activities in Haiti.
Although, on Feb. 7, 2006, the people of Haiti elected a new President,
none
of the people's interests have been placed at the forefront. Why?
Because the
Coup D'etat authorities are the ones STILL holding the political
prisoners in
Haiti, still preventing the return to his homeland of President
Aristide and
his family. They are the ones still being paid government salaries.
The
International Community, led by US reps, ambassador, IRI, NED,
USAID, Haiti
Democracy Project are still taking care of the interests of the
wealthy few
and Haiti's poor are dying of starvation, curable diseases and
at indefinite
detention while Canadian companies such as St. Genieve export
Haiti's gold to
wealthy Canada.
For instance, what these International want with Haiti is Haiti's
newly
discovered oil reserves in La Gonave, gas reserves near Aquin
and Haiti's
gold mines in the Northeast.
Remember that HLLN was the first and only one to report to our
International
audience the words of Haitian lawyer, Osner Fèvry.
Osner Fèvry stated that the Internationals are fleecing
"…the country’s
riches. For example, you have an American citizen elected to the
House of
Deputies for La Gonave. Well, that is where they just discovered
an important
oil reserve that could be exploited for the next 100 years. There
are
citizens of other countries in Ile-à-Vache, Cayes, Aquin,
they also just
discovered important gas reserves starting near Aquin and ending
all the way
to areas nearing Columbia and Venezuela. In the Northeast, you
have an
American senator. In the Northeast you have important Gold mines
that they
already started to exploit, St. Geneviève. So, all the
areas where you have
natural resources, you find candidates with dual citizenship.
You’ll also
notice that many of the candidates for magistrate have came from
Miami, New
York, sent by the Agency to become Communal Magistrate. Once the
communes fall in foreign hands, you will hear of resolutions being
drafted and ratified by the senate and House of deputies, annexing
us like Guadeloupe or Puerto Rico. ... since we still, as part
of our inheritance, have a constitution and the laws of this country.
Whereas they are yet to get rid of the laws; whereas they are
yet to send armored vehicles against the constitution; whereas
the constitution is still active; therefore we say, in the name
of the constitution of 1987, in the name of the laws of the republic,
we cannot accept nor tolerate that foreigner, with no shame, not
being remotely embarrassed, declare their candidacy and the CEP
makes believe that they don’t understand, because in this
very CEP you find many Canadian and American citizens as well."
https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/ezilidanto/2006-04/msg00013.html
)
Thus, nothing has changed with the Feb. 7, 2006 election, especially
as the
coup d'etat folks have placed their folks in key positions, where
the riches
of our country reside. France, Canada, the US with UN soldiers
as their
mercenaries, these international pirates are protecting their
folks who are
plundering our underwater treasures, stealing them and the oil
at La Gonave,
a sacred placed, never colonized by the old Euro slavers, now
being exploited
as the Haitian people starve, continue to be vilified, humiliated,
falsely criminalized for purposes of the US/Euros' further exploitation
and simply die, die, die.
The Coup D'etat countries (France, US and Canada) want one and
all to believe
Haiti is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere and in need of
their economic
aid. When, in fact, Haitian lands and resources could satisfactorily
feed its
people and provide them with jobs and wealth if these Western
powers would
just stop promoting terrorists and putschists in Haiti, LET OUR
PEOPLE ALONE or, at least act civilized and negotiate fairly instead
of with denigrating, racist lies about Haitians and when that
doesn't work by the barrel of their many superpowerful deadly
economic, diplomatic and military guns.
The fact is, it's not US/Euro foreign "aid" that has
kept the Haitian people
alive, but the almost $1 billion dollars sent to Haiti (figures
before the
coup d'etat) by the Haitian Diaspora. US/Euro monies bring only
debt,
dependency and foreign domination and line the pockets of only
the Black
overseers like the terrorists, Guy Phillip, Louis Jodel Chamblain,
their
middlemen - Boulos, Apaid, Latortue, Boniface, Gousse, Andresol
and their
Haiti Democracy Project and IRI/US-Embassy created so-called,
Group 184
"civil society" racket.
This International community (along with Haiti's morally repugnant
tragic
elite and so-called "intellectuals") are the coup d'etat
folks with the UN as
their proxy, militarizing Haiti so it will end up looking like
the Dominican
Republic and fleecing it dry with their IMF/World Bank debts and
foreign
"free trade" multinationals exploiting Haiti's access
to the Windward Passage
(Mole St Nicholas); oil (in La Gonave); uranium, iridium and Haiti's
goldmines in the Northeast, Trou Du Nord and Terrier Rouge - gold
caches
reportedly to the levels of Canada's cache and Canada is known
as the fourth
largest gold producer. See the Haiti Press Network, June 14, 2006
article
below entitled, "Haiti towards the exploitation of gold and
copper in Trou du
Nord," where, "(A)ccording to details provided by the
president of the
(Ste-Geneviève) Haitiano-Canadian company, Mr. Severin
Lachapelle, "the layer
of Faille-B is twice as important as that of Canada, a country
considered
however as a large world gold producer with an average from 5
to 6 grams per
ton." (Emphasis Added.)
Now, why would the Haitian people NEED Canada's charity and international
benevolent "aid" if it has its own resources....The
United States',
France...et al???
On behalf of the Ancestors' "live free or die" Legacy,
we at the Haitian
Lawyers Leadership Network, in collaboration with the grassroots
movement in
Haiti representing the poor majority throughout Haiti, demand
a stop to these
international's sleazy "aid" to Haiti which only brings
coup d'etat, debt,
dependency and foreign domination. We demand a stop to the stealing
and
looting of Haitian assets, to the fleecing by these Internationals
of gas
reserves Near Aquin and our State companies, ports; to their stealing
of
Haiti's MASSIVE underwater treasures and inhumane exploitation
of our already
too cheap but internationally-exploited labor forces.
These wealthy countries (France, Canada, US) are the RESPONDIAT
SUPERIORS, not the remaining dregs of the puppet Latortue government
or its corrupt and paid-off judges. Write to your countries representative,
write to the local and national media urging them not to let this
International Community pass the blame to their very employees
- the Latortue death regime, its corrupt justice system, the outgunned
and outnumbered, President Preval or the poor majority in Site
Soley, Bel Air, Milot, Gonaives, et al.
Demand that the mainstream media stop being false witnesses and
turning a
blind eye to the truth in Haiti: to the WHO sponsors terrorism
in Haiti, WHO holds the keys locking the political prisoners behind
bars and destroying justice, decency, development and democracy
in Haiti. It's this INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY with UN soldiers as
henchmen, with its USAID, World Bank, IMF and IRI/NDI Economic
Hit MEN, wielding its defacto protectorate in Haiti, using the
remaining drones of the Latortue regime, its foreign-trained Haitian
technocrats, prison guards, police as its proxy and "black
faces" in Haiti.
Demand that these coup d'etat implementers, not President Rene
Preval, STOP
putting obstacles up and let Haitians FREE the Haitians illegally
held by
this International Community and their black-faced employees in
Haiti. Demand
that all contracts entered into under the illegal U.S. regime's
reign must go
to a national referendum, placed before the people of Haiti and
no backdoor
structural adjustment economic plan be foisted on the people of
Haiti, either
through the outgoing coup d'etat regime's drones, their amoral
supporters,
the contracts it illegally signed or through US/Euro false benevolence
such
as "debt forgiveness" or "international aid!"
(See, The corrupt US/UN-backed
Boca Raton regime robbing Haiti blind: pillage and plunder -gold,
bronze
cannons, emeralds stolen (article in French & English)
https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/ezilidanto/2006-04/msg00017.html
)
FREE HAITI - let
our people go. How much have these coup d'etat countries
taken out of Haiti during these last years of occupation so far,
since 2004,
under the guise of bringing Haiti "democracy" "justice"
and "development?"
On the continent of Africa, it is estimated that for every $10
U.S. dollars
taken out of Africa today by the US/Euros only $1 of international
aid
remains. But, in Haiti, how are these richest of the rich masturbating
on our
Black pain and suffering? How much, in terms of dollars and Haitian
life have
the Internationals taken, and taken and taken, for our re-enslavement
and to
feed white privilege and their mythical savior complex?
Too much.
Why is Haiti still being labeled "the poorest in the Western
Hemisphere" when
we know the massive US/Euro force of 2004 was not because these
moral poseurs cared about Haitian human rights that were allegedly
being abused by the Constitutional President, but because they
wanted to own what's ours. (See, Bronze cannons, gold and emerald
pieces stolen at certain sites in Ile-à-Vaches: A representative
of Sub Sea Research company confirms that these thefts would have
never occurred without the complicity of the interim regime, Port
au Prince, 27 April 2006
(AHP)) https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/ezilidanto/2006-04/msg00017.html
For instance, without even including the oil found on La Gonave,
which,
according to Haitian lawyer, Osner Fèvy, is such a large
reserve it will
take 100 years of exploitation, (See HLLN's "What they want
is Haiti's newly
discovered oil reserves in La Gonave, gas reserves near Aquin
and Haiti's
gold mines in the Northeast"
https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/ezilidanto/2006-04/msg00013.html
) let's try and decipher the June 4, 2006 article below on the
St. Genieve Company's gold
mining in Haiti.
In reading this June 14, 2006 Haiti Press Network article on St-Genieve's
gold mining in Haiti, one cannot help but wonder why is it so
difficult to decipher? What's wrong with plain terms? Well, I
believe it's because the Internationals never want the Haitian
majority to know how rich they are. And, with the morons we have
as "intellectuals," of course that's been easy to accomplish.
So, if in fact there are 552,000 tons time 14 grammes per ton
- how much does that yield in real dollars?
OK, I'll stop before I put out a figure that's wrong because math
in grammes and tons isn't my strong point. But people, you tell
me.....how many BILLIONS, or, is it trillions of dollars is that?
So, never mind Haitian prestige as a producer of gold and eviscerating
this humiliating label of "the poorest in the Western Hemisphere,"
that these international gleefully repeat ad nausea to justify
their greedy presence in Haiti. But, with this gold, copper, with
Haiti's underwater treasures, the iridium, our uranium, the oil
and gas reserves, and our people's historical legacy, unique language,
religion and culture - how rich aren't we?
Is it not time we stop our "schooled" and
always-getting-played-Haitian-intellectuals from their continued
crawling to
the international monetary institutions begging to be given, over
a period of
5 years, a fraction of money we already have... in our soil, in
our brains,
in investing in our own culture, our own Ancestors' Legacy and
our own
Haitian majority's unbounded creativity...
Ezili Danto
Li led li la
June 26, 2006
Nou se rozo, nou pliye nou pa kase
*Nou se roz, nou pliye nou pa
kase: Strong winds may bend the bamboo tree all the way
down to the ground, but it snaps right back up. It doesn’t
break, no matter how strong the wind. So, Haitians have a saying
– “Nou se rozo. Nou pliye, nou pa kase “ - like
the bamboo tree, we bend but we don’t break; like the flexible
bamboo tree we-Haitians use even the momentum of our falls to
stand back up.
********
Attached Articles on Gold
Mining and other resources in Haiti:
- Haïti
vers l’exploitation de l’or et de cuivre à
Trou du Nord
http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=2322
(French and English below)
- Foreign interests taking
Gold and Copper out of Haiti under UN protection
GOLD AND COPPER EXPLOITATION OPERATIONS TO RESUME IN THE NORTH
AND NORTH EAST DEPARTMENTS of Haiti. (Radio Kiskeya reporting,
April 8, 2006) French & English
- Authorities in
Florida are opening an investigation into the origin of emeralds
stolen from an interim Haitian dignitary’s home
- Audit of State institutions
continues: Valuable objects stolen from the National Palace
****************
Haïti vers l’exploitation
de l’or et de cuivre à Trou du Nord
Posté le 14 juin 2006
http://www.haitipressnetwork.com/news.cfm?articleID=2322
La société Ste-Geneviève-Haiti a organisé,
le vendredi 9 juin à Roche-Plate,
Sud-Est de Trou du Nord, une cérémonie inaugurale
pour marquer le début de
ses activités d’exploration des gisements d’or
et de cuivre dans le Nord-Est
du pays.
La cérémonie s’est déroulée
à Roche-Plate, en présence des autorités
locales,
de responsables religieux, des représentants du Bureau
des mines et de
l’énergie, d’experts étrangers et d’habitants
de la zone.
« L’investissement minier peut contribuer au développement
mais aussi au
prestige du pays, car désormais Haiti pourra compter parmi
les pays
producteurs mondiaux de l’or », a déclaré
Pierre-Yvon Beaubeuf, directeur
général de la société haitiano-canadienne.
La société minière Ste Geneviève Haiti
S.A. a signé avec l’Etat haïtien, le 3
février 1997, sous la première présidence
de René Garcia Préval, une
convention minière lui conférant les droits exclusifs
de recherches et
d’exploitation des gisements d’or et de cuivre découverts
dans le sud du
secteur de Trou du Nord et Terrier Rouge, précisément
à Douvray, Blondin et
Faille, dans le Nord-Est d’Haiti.
Trois gisements vont être exploités : deux gisements
de cuivre situés dans
les régions de Blondin et Douvry, un gisement d’or
à Faille-B. Celui de
Faille-B, donc le plus important, est densifié de 522 000
tones, à raison de
14 grammes par tonne. D’après les explications du
président de la compagnie
haitiano-canadienne, M Severin Lachapelle, le gisement de Faile-B
est deux
fois plus grand que celui du Canada, pourtant grand producteur
d’or mondial
avec une moyenne de 5 à 6 grammes par tonne.
« Investir dans le secteur minier est une très bonne
initiative qui serait
profitable à l’Etat haïtien », pense le
directeur général du Bureau des mines
et de l’énergie, l’ingénieur Dieuseul
Anglade, qui dit avoir pris toutes les
dispositions nécessaires pour que les intérêts
de l’Etat ne soient pas lésés.
Pour obtenir son permis d’exploration, la compagnie canadienne
a dû se
transformer en une société haitieno-canadienne.
D’après ses responsables, la
compagnie effectuera ses travaux d’exploration sur une période
minimale de 25
ans.
DRI/ HPN
***
-UNOFFICIAL HLLN English translation:
Haiti towards the exploitation of gold and copper in Trou du Nord
Posted on June 14 2006
The St-Genevieve-Haiti company organized, Friday June 9 at Roche-Plate,
South-east of Trou du Nord, an inaugural ceremony to mark the
beginning of its activities of exploration of the layers of gold
and of copper in the North-East of the country. The ceremony was
held at Roche-Plate, in the presence of the local authorities,
of religious personalities, representatives of the Office of mines
and energy, foreign experts and inhabitants of the area.
"Mining investments can contribute to the development but
also to the
prestige of the country, since from now on Haiti will be able
to count
among the world producers of gold", declared Pierre-Yvon
Beaubeuf,
general manager of the Haitiano-Hanadian company.
The mining company Ste-Genevieve-Haiti S.A. and the Haitian State
signed a mining convention conferring the exclusive rights of
research and
exploitation of the copper and gold layers discovered south of
the area
of Trou du Nord and Terrier Rouge, more precisely in Douvray,
Blondin
and Faille, in the North-East of Haiti, on February 3, 1997, during
the
first presidency of Rene Garcia Préval.
Three layers will be exploited: two copper layers located in the
areas
of Blondin and Douvry, a layer of gold with Faillet-B. The most
important is the Faille-B layer, with a density of 522 000 tones,
at a rate
of 14 grams per ton.
According to details provided by the president of the Haitiano-Canadian
company, Mr. Severin Lachapelle, "the layer of Faille-B is
twice as
important as that of Canada, country considered however as a large
world
gold producer with an average from 5 to 6 grams per ton."
"Investments in the mining sector is a very good initiative
which would
be advantageous to the Haitian State ", thinks the general
manager of
the Office of the mines and of energy, engineer Dieuseul Anglade,
who
says he has taken all the necessary provisions to protect the
State’s
interests.
For, to obtain its exploration license, the Canadian company had
to be
transformed into a Haitiano-Canadian company. According to its
management, the company will carry out its exploration work over
a minimal
period of 25 years.
DRI/ HPN
**************************
GOLD AND COPPER EXPLOITATION
OPERATIONS TO RESUME IN THE NORTH AND NORTH EAST DEPARTMENTS of
Haiti. (Radio Kiskeya reporting, April 8, 2006
- Unofficial English Translation for HLLN by Fondasyon Mapou |
eugenia@fondasyonmapou.org)
The Canado-Haitian firm Sainte Genevieve/Haiti, a subsidiary of
the
Sainte-Genevieve Group, will resume their operations of exploitation
of
gold and copper reserves in the North and North East departments
by the end
of April, according to a report on Wednesday, from the Office
of Mines and
Energy
The Firm, which was forced to suspend its activities in those
regions
due to unrest in 2005 , will officially reopen their Offices in
Port-au-Prince on Friday. On Thursday, the Directors made themselves
available to potential Haitian Investors at The Caribe Convention
center
(Juvenat, East of Port-au-Prince) in an effort to encourage the
growth of the
Society's portfolio.
A 25 year deal granted to the Firm in 1997 and reaffirmed in 2005,
authorizes the exploitation of gold and copper reserves in 3 distinct
localities in the North and the North East. The Haitian Government
has in
addition GIVEN 5 MORE PERMITS to the Firm for the prospection
of more of less significant reserves in other areas of the same
Departments.
The estimated value of those reserves are: 1.1 million tons, with
an
average range of 2.4 grams of gold per ton and 1.3 million tons
of copper
with an average range of 0.5%. The exploitation will resume at
the end of the
month.
*******
Reprise des opérations
d’exploitation d’or et de cuivre dans les départements
du Nord et Nord-Est
Posté le samedi 8 avril 2006 | Par Radio Kiskeya
La firme canado-haïtienne Sainte-Geneviève/Haïti,
filiale du groupe canadien
Sainte-Geneviève, reprend à la fin du mois d’avril
ses opérations
d’exploitation de gisements d’or et de cuivre dans
les départements du Nord
et du Nord-Est, a annoncé mercredi le Bureau des Mines
et de l’Energie.
Dans cette perspective, la société qui avait dû
cesser ses activités en 2005
en raison de troubles sociaux dans les zones d’intervention,
a officiellement
rouvert ses bureaux vendredi à Port-au-Prince. La veille,
ses principaux
actionnaires s’étaient mis à la disposition
de potentiels investisseurs
haïtiens à Caribe Convetion Center (Juvénat,
Est de Port-au-Prince) en vue
d’élargir le portefeuille d’actions de la société.
Une concession de 25 ans accordée à la firme en
1997 et reconduite en 2005,
autorise celle-ci à exploiter des gisements se trouvant
dans 3 localités
distinctes du Nord et du Nord-Est. L’Etat haïtien a
accordé à la firme 5
autres permis de prospection dans d’autres zones des mêmes
départements où
pourraient exister des gisements plus ou moins importants d’or
et de cuivre.
Les réserves dont l’exploitation va continuer à
partir de la fin du mois sont
estimées à 1.1 million de tonnes, avec une teneur
moyenne de 2,4 grammes d’or
par tonne et 1.3 million de tonnes de 0.5% de teneur moyenne pour
le cuivre.
[jmd/RK]
********
Authorities
in Florida are opening an investigation into the origin of emeralds
stolen from an interim Haitian dignitary’s home
Port-au-Prince, May 19 2006 (AHP)- An investigation has been opened
in Florida to determine whether the precious stones, emeralds
that disappeared from a dignitary of the Haitian interim regime’s
home in Miroamar, Florida, had anything to do with gold pieces
and emeralds found in the deep water near Ile-à-Vaches.
The head of an American company engaged in underwater prospecting
in Ile-à-Vaches made public last month that gold pieces
and emeralds as well as bronze cannons had been stolen and transported
to Panama.
It was the FBI that revealed how a dignitary from the interim
regime had reported the theft of an emerald from his house in
Florida.
The Miami Herald, which reported the story, underlined that there
had strangely been no sign of breaking and entering.
AHP May 19 2006 9:40 AM
********
Audit of State institutions continues: Valuable objects stolen
from the National Palace
Port-au-Prince, 21 June 2006 (AHP) - Auditing inspectors with
the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Disputes are
currently undertaking full audits at the Primature, including
all ministries and other public institutions of the State.
The initial findings of these ongoing investigations confirm a
disastrous situation within the public administration marked by
colossal, unjustifiable levels of public spending and by contracts
signed that were devoid of any substance.
The President of the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative
Disputes, Julien Simon, announced on Tuesday the end of an audit
on the administration of the National Palace.
That investigation - whose final report is to be transmitted in
the next few days to the appropriate authorities - found that
some paintings and highly valuable objects had been stolen.
An investigation will also be carried out with respect to the
residence of the ex-interim Prime Minister Gérard Latortue
who precipitously slipped out of the country three weeks ago.
A functionary that was working for a Ministry that is being investigated
in the Court of Accounts audit, stated that the representatives
of the former interim regime had complete freedom to act as they
wanted in their management of the country, on the political and
economic fronts.
" We can talk about a conspiracy of silence at both the local
and international levels concerning the crazy expenses of the
interim regime and the treatment it inflicted on its political
opponents," he continued.
Parallel to this, IMF officials have continued their own investigations
into the public institutions and autonomous services of the State.
They were to be found on Tuesday at the Superior Court of Accounts
and
Administrative Disputes.
AHP 21 June 2006 3:00 PM
*****
Subsea Research pirating of Haiti's underwater treasures, continues:
Ezili Danto's Note:
Reports of pirating and illegally plunder of Haiti's underwater
treasures as of Dec. 2006 (In French. Source: Haiti Progres mailing)
Les explorations subaquatiques se poursuivent
En dépit d’une mesure de suspension arrêtée
par le gouvernement haïtien à propos des explorations
subaquatiques effectuées dans les eaux territoriales d’Haïti
avec l’aval du régime de facto Alexandre/Latortue,
un bateau de la compagnie Subsea Research est revenu dans la baie
de Port Morgan à l’Ile-à-Vache effectuant
jour et nuit des exploitations illégales des ressources
sous-marines du pays. En ce sens, une délégation
formée de deux députés de la 48e législature
et un représentant du ministère de la Culture et
de la communication a été dépêchée
sur place le lundi 27 novembre pour s’enquérir de
la situation.
Le député de la circonscription Cayes/Ile-à-Vache,
Jean David Génesté, membre de la délégation,
qui dit ignorer qu’une quelconque contrat ait été
signé entre la Subsea Research et l’actuel gouvernement,
a fait savoir qu’un rapport d’évaluation sera
bientôt publié à ce sujet.
Par ailleurs, des habitants de l’Ile-à-Vache ont
manifesté le lundi 27 novembre contre la présence
de ces «pirates modernes» qui exploitent les richesses
du pays menaçant même de les attaquer. «C’est
incompréhensible et inadmissible que des étrangers
viennent s’enrichir au détriment d’une population
qui évolue dans la crasse», ont-ils déploré.
See also: Sub
Sea Research Team Plans for Excavation of Ancient Shipwredck Sites
Discovered off Haiti's Coastline
(Ezili's Note: TheirStory!)
*****************************
**************************************
Haiti's
future glitters with gold
Impoverished country gets second look due to stabilizing political
climate, high gold price | Jul 21, 2007 04:30 AM, Reed Lindsay,
SPECIAL TO THE STAR, www.thestar.com
LA MIEL, Haiti–Keith Laskowski bounds up the freshly-cut
dirt road like a child at an amusement park. He stops at a patch
of reddish rock, whacks at it with his miner's pick and slips
a chunk into his pocket.
"This road exposure's great," he says, then laughs almost
giddily.
For 27 years, Laskowski has been searching for gold, from Mongolia
to the Amazon. Now, the geologist says, he may have hit pay dirt
in the hills above the town of La Miel in northeastern Haiti.
But Laskowski's optimism belies a minefield of potential problems
awaiting his Vancouver-based company, Eurasian Minerals. Although
Canadian mining companies weather stormy political climates around
the world, they have largely stayed clear of crisis-torn Haiti.
Now, with the price of gold doubling in the last five years and
a newly elected government establishing a degree of stability,
geologists are scouring the hilltops of Haiti, the region's poorest
country.
"These are the best results I've ever seen," says Laskowski.
"I don't think there's a question of whether there's a good
deposit here. It's a question of whether we can develop it here
in Haiti."
In late May, Eurasian Minerals announced the gold content found
in several trenches cut into the hillsides here, driving its stock
price up 40 per cent on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Laskowski
says the company hopes to find billions of dollars worth of gold
in the hills above La Miel, which is just a few kilometres from
the border with the Dominican Republic.
This would be no small news for Haiti, where industrial production
is meagre and agriculture is mainly subsistence. Haiti has never
had a modern gold or silver mine; its only copper mine closed
35 years ago.
"It's been frustrating. But now we've got every reason to
believe that in the coming years, there will finally be mineral
exploitation in Haiti," says Dieuseul Anglade, a geologist
who heads the Haitian government's bureau of mining.
A United Nations study in the 1970s indicated Haiti could be littered
with gold and copper deposits. But political violence and recurring
coups have kept investors await.
"Haiti's logical," says Alex Turkeltaub, managing director
of Frontier Strategy Group, a consulting firm that advises mining
companies. "The assumption of most mining executives is that
its proximity to the United States and its relatively small size
mean that they will have a lot of leverage as large players in
a small economy, and that the Americans will always be there to
protect against complete disaster."
Turkeltaub predicts "a stampede into Haiti" if the existence
of large gold deposits can be proved.
Another Canadian-backed company recently resumed prospecting in
Haiti after abandoning its claims a decade ago. Steve Lachapelle
– a Quebec lawyer who is now chair of the board of the company,
called St. Genevieve Haiti – says employees were threatened
at gunpoint by partisans of ex-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The president at the time, René Préval, once an
ally of Aristide, was elected for a second term last year, but
Lachapelle says he has renewed confidence in the Haitian leader.
"Haitians are realizing that they no longer have a choice,"
says Lachapelle. "With all the problems the country has had,
they realize that they have to play the game with investors or
things are going to keep getting worse."
Laskowski says his biggest concerns in Haiti are venal officials
and angry local residents. Haiti was recently ranked the world's
most corrupt country by Transparency International, although Préval
is widely seen as honest.
Formed in 1993, Transparency is a global network whose 90 chapters
fight political corruption. Most of its funding comes from government
development agency budgets and foundations.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Haiti, the last
stop in a week-long tour of South America and the Caribbean. After
Afghanistan, Haiti is Canada's second-largest foreign commitment
– about $100 million a year until 2011.
Discontent is already brewing in La Miel and surrounding countryside.
The sudden appearance last year of Laskowski and his team of Haitian
geologists sparked lofty expectations among the local families
that the company would bring much-needed development to the area.
So far, Eurasian's small-scale exploration work has resulted in
only a few temporary jobs.
"They need to sit down with everyone together to let us know
what decision they've made for the area. If they don't do this,
we're not going to let them exploit us as they wish," says
Suzanne Louis, a community leader and wife of a farmer.
Louis and other residents of La Miel say they are unaware of the
environmental catastrophes and social upheaval sometimes associated
with gold mining in other poor countries.
Laskowski has asked the locals to be patient. In the best of scenarios,
he says, it will take from four to six years before any actual
mining could begin. By that time, Haiti will have a new government
and gold will likely be selling at a different price.
***********************
Back to the Past
Turning Haiti into One Big Sweatshop
By JG, June 16, 2004, Counterpunch
"The glorification of war and conquest and the absolute power
of the authoritarian state; the belief in the Aryans, or Germans,
as the master race (these) are not original to Hitler. They emanate
from that odd assortment of erudite but unbalanced philosophers,
historians and teachers who captured the German mind during the
century before Hitler with consequences so disastrous"
These the thoughts, so poignantly composed by the renown historian
William L. Shrier, tastefully denounce the laughable argument
that the German populace was abruptly and precisely bamboozled
during the reign of the Third Reich; that the son of Alois' vociferous
rantings and megalomania were but an occurrence of the most obscene
misfortune; the isolated combustion of ill-bred genes, forming
the withered silhouette afflicted with a rare Bi-polar disorder
brought on by post-Bohemian-Vienna-trauma; a wretched corpse that
pumped vital fluid to a skull carved in the likeness of Lucifer,
juices that animated the most vile of theories, the backdrop of
xenophobia before which his masterpiece was painted, on display
for all humanity, till her rule extinguishes in the same flash
of glory from whence she came.
As history has demonstrated in reoccurrence, nothing is without
practical or theoretical precedence. To the above, it would behoove
any in subscription to peruse the writings of Hegel, Treitschke,
Fichte, Neitzsche or Wagner and the despotic record of Bismark.
Point being, although the vast expanse that was once Germania
undoubtedly housed millions of kind humanitarians, the spliced
seed of supremacy and oligarchy had not only long been planted,
but was rapidly maturing to a gargantuan oak under which the world
would soon cower.
Lessons as such are easily forgotten; oftentimes advertently neglected
to facilitate the means of the selectively absentminded.
1937--20,000 Haitian workers (mostly sugarcane pickers) massacred
at the will of General Trujillo of the Dominican Republic.
The General's explanation (as if he needed one considering the
enormity of his butchery): Retaliation for the alleged assassination
of DR spies by the Haitian government. Retaliatory acts are nothing
new to tyrants inasmuch are the nuances of hyper-conservatism.
The sugarcane pickers who perished to the lead of Garrands and
Carbines, snuggly gripped by the paws of self-hating, Uncle Tom
Dominican conscripts, were entrenched in assiduous struggle for
worker's rights and basic freedoms, on the bordering plantations
of the Spanish versions of the Maritime Bourgeoisie.
General Trujillo, in Hitleresque honesty, put forth not a murmur
of doublespeak pursuant to his hatred of the Haitians and all
descendants of Africa. Again as Hitler did, Trujillo put his anti-social
theories into practice by establishing a mandate prohibiting two
persons of color to engage in either "relations" or
matrimony; this to cleanse the "nigger out the arse;"
proving his studiousness as a subordinate to the Irish Trader
vernacular. Trujillo and the puppet leaders that followed bettered
this discourse by aiding the U$ in suppressing movements of socio-economic
autonomy in Haiti by "any means necessary," literally.
Earlier this year, Haiti fell victim to a third coup in 14 years
(yes, Big Dawg's occupation of 1994 was a sacking of state, economically
if nothing else). Boot licking scoundrels under the leadership
of convicted war criminal Guy Phillipe, outdid the vacillation
of Haitian Mulattoes and loyalists Rigaud and Beauvais, stepping
to a "march of death," illegitimately asserting CIA
backed authority on a sovereign government; the drummer boy pounding
the calfskin with the clip of a Yank M-16.
Reports have now circulated as to the reunion of this death squad
in the DR during the months leading to their spineless coup. Rumor
tells of a recent weapons shipment from the U$ to the DR, this
including approximately 20,000 M-16's, as part of some Neo-Con
"Democracy Upkeep Initiative," or something along these
lines. Perhaps the brilliant think-tanks who orchestrated this
exhibition of Democratic support are adhering to the lessons of
Roosevelt and McCarthy masterfully administered in the Philippines?
The seminar is in full swing.
The cultural antagonisms between the neighboring nations, speculatively
rooted in a historic, communal sense of jealousy on the part of
the Dominicans, surrounding the Haitians' triumph in the righteous
revolution of 1804 versus the appalling capitulation of the Dominicans
to the Spanish Monarchy; and conversely the Haitians' envy of
the relatively advanced state and wealth of the DR (economic actualization
resulting from U$ Imperialism and subordination of the Dominican
people through a bloody occupation, Cold War détente, Neo-Con
stratagems and continued support of a right wing junta; as opposed
to a 200 + year campaign of destabilization and colonization specific
to Haiti, mere retribution for the "uppity" brazenness
of an upstart revolutionary by the name of L'Overture), are ever
so evident today.
June 14, 2004--301 workers have been fired by the Groupo M jeans
factory in the CODEVI free trade zone in Ouanaminthe Haiti.
The CODEVI free trade zone is a fetus of the genocidal World Bank,
bordering the two countries in the north eastern city of Ounaminthe,
Haiti. Groupo M is a seedy Dominican subcontractor of light textiles
and sorts, currently contracted by Levi Strauss & Co. The
workers being persecuted are Haitian laborers, seeking employment
beyond the sparse market of their country, the majority of whom
are affiliated with two major worker right's groups: The Batay
Ouvriye and the SOKOWA Workers' Union.
On April 14, 2004, representatives from Batay Ouvriye & SOKOWA
opposite CODEVI management & Groupo M management, formally
resolved a conflict years in the making; a variance founded on
the pillars of totalitarianism, Neo-Liberalism, Terrorism and
general contravention to Internationally recognized standards
of worker's rights.
During the months prior to April 14th, CODEVI and Groupo M enacted
a policy disallowing factory workers to either organize or unionize;
in doing so eliminating all future possibilities for sorely needed
work-place reform. Aside from simply disseminating this decree,
these groups, Groupo M in particular, carried out a systematic
offensive on the workers, spearheaded by Alex Corona. Corona is
an especially despicable character; a thick-necked, half-wit-brawler
who achieved notoriety through the tactics employed by the classic
state-grunt: Intimidation by superior numbers and force--force
in this context referring to the Colt .45 adorning his hip, the
same piece known to pistol whip innocent and oppressed workers.
He is the commandant of the CODEVI's and Groupo M's S.A. storm
troopers; responsible for the beating of countless workers, the
molestation of female employees and the overall environment of
terror encapsulating the factory. Mr. Corona's official title
is that of " Chief Security Officer." (On this subject
I must segue: If there is an individual in this context deserved
of the rage of the masses, it is he. The only thing worse than
a cabinet of capitalist mongers are the mindless worker-bees who
do their bidding, gladly at that. Mr. Corona is confirmed swine
who need be dealt with commensurate to his character.). The campaign
intensified by the firing of 34 workers who had been and were
subsequently further beaten and harassed. The groups entered negotiation
on April 13th, returning to deliberate on the following day. The
agreement was as follows (this from a report by the Haiti Support
Group, 4-18-04):
"the factory management finally agreed: to reinstate on 14
April all the fired workers, to provide continued medical treatment
to those who were most severely beaten and are still suffering,
to pay back-salaries at the minimum wage rate for all the time
of the dispute, to recognize the right to unionize inside the
factory, and finally to immediately enter into negotiations with
a delegation from the union to discuss the workers' wider demands."
As soon as the following work day, CODEVI and Groupo M began to
renege on the agreements formerly reached. Badges denoting sonority
ant title (hence salary codes, vacation etc.) were stripped and
new ones reissued, workers were dismissed arbitrarily and some
put on stand-by.
On June 14, 2004, the valiant Haiti Support Group published another
report updating all to the plight of these sojourned workers.
Sadly, the situation had worsened; hardly a surprise to anyone
observing both its evolution and the lessons taught via the University
of Dominican despotism (this to infer the government, private
sector and all insuring U$ corporate interests, not the Dominican
people). 301 workers fired, the Dominican Army dispatched to quell
the "rebellious Haitians," and Groupo M announced they
will "abandon production at the CODEVI free trade zone plant;"
in doing so, ensuring the laying off of 700 workers. Within the
301 workers already dismissed, one finds the Secretary and Coordinator
of the SOKOWA union.
The primary result of the latest coup in Haiti has been an omnipresent
vacuum of power throughout. Those filling the void are members
of Guy Phillipe's Praetorian rebel guard, formerly exiled and
or docile Duvalierists, Industrialist opportunists (Andy Apaid
and company) and many other serpent-like sub-creatures. On a border
which has never been kept to the liking of the thousands of Haitians
raped, massacred, brutalized and terrorized by Dominican and Haitian
thugs alike, the imminence of this power vacuum is manifest. A
day whence a foreign nation can send its troops into another,
not to invade (preventatively or otherwise, i.e. Iraq), violently
annex or subdue internal strife on the behest of recipient nation,
but to intimidate factory workers in the interests of national
and international corporate interests is remarkable indeed!
The guilty parties go without mention--most importantly Levi Strauss
& Co. Group M and the Bush-lackey President Mejia would not
have the impudence to make such moves if it were not for the most
commanding of all figures, Mr. Dolla. The cluster-fuck interim
/ puppet government of Haiti had best remove their tongues from
the rotten-orifices of the U$ empire and lift their heads high
enough to see the magnificent tide of Revolution rising. The chances
of this metaphor yielding reality are nonexistent--if for no other
reason that the parties who orchestrated the coup and now find
themselves in power, aspire to such an extinguished model of control
and tyranny as the Dominicans have exemplified; you know, to keep
the "niggers from straying afar the field."
As for the lesson learned, explicitly forgotten then followed
to the last detail: What is transpiring in Ouanaminthe is irrefutably
so, because wanton acts against the Haitian masses by the Dominican
Government, private sector and U$ corporations is simply, very
simply, nothing new. Lesson learned, I think.
JG is the lead Emcee for the politically leftist Hip-Hop duet,
Over The Counter Intelligence (JG & HavikenHayes), based in
Fort Lauderdale Florida. They are most recognized through their
support of various grassroots organizations throughout the country;
most notably The Coalition of Immokalee Workers -- The Taco Bell
Boycott. They are of the best known Indie-Hip Hop groups nationwide.
JG has written songs, articles and editorials specific to the
oppression of the Haitian Global Village, most importantly, the
virulent immigration statues pertaining to Haitian Refugees. He
has recently recorded a solo album entitled "Insurgent,"
which will be released this year via record label. He can be reached
through his website: www.insurgentjg.com
***********************
Ezili
Danto Spoken Word Dance Theater
The
Premier Performance, Poetry, West African and Haitian Dance Company
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