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</font><h5><b>AHP News - February 10, 2004 - English translation
(Unofficial)<br>
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<br><br>
<br>
Government officials again condemn the lethal violence by opposition
partisans and denounce a campaign of disinformation<br>
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<br><br>
</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Port-au-Prince, February 10,
2004 -(AHP)-</b> Government officials again denounced Tuesday the lethal
violence perpetrated over the past few days by armed supporters of the
political Platform of the 184 in several regions of the country.
<br><br>
Secretary of State for Communication Mario Dupuy, speaking at the 58th
edition of the government's Press Tuesdays, particularly condemned
terrorist acts committed notably in Gonaïves against police officers,
members of the civilian population and public buildings. <br><br>
Mario Dupuy said he was saddened by the behavior of certain journalists
who he claimed are working as press attachés for the terrorists, blindly
relaying the false information that they give them in an attempt to
psychologically destabilize the police and the general population.
<br><br>
Mr. Dupuy reaffirmed that one police officer from the Swat Team was
killed Saturday in Gonaïves during the attempt to re-take the city from
the grip of the armed men of the Platform. <br><br>
He also recalled that each time the Haitian people take to the streets to
say no to an attempted coup d'état, the opposition generally steps up its
violence in an effort to prevent the people from doing so. <br><br>
"If from 1991 to 1994, the forces of terror caused more than 5,000
deaths in their attempts to be successful in their coups, what would they
do with the more than one million Haitians who took to the streets
Saturday to reaffirm their determination to live in a democratic society
where power is won through elections", Mario Dupuy
wondered.<br><br>
The secretary of State for Communication once again asked those who are
bringing grief to the population to pull themselves together in order
that peace may return to the country. <br><br>
He also asserted that when one rejects dialogue and one wishes at any
cost to attain unconstitutional objectives, the only way one can try to
do so is through blind violence. <br><br>
The Minister of the Interior and Territorial Collectivities, Jocelerme
Privert, in turn presented an assessment of the death toll since the
beginning of the violence. <br><br>
According to Jocelerme Privert, 41 deaths have been recorded in the
Artibonite department, 30 of which were at Pernales, including police
officers, government officials and members of the population.<br><br>
Mr. Privert stated that these acts of violence constitute a flagrant
violation of the provisions of the Constitution because, he said, this is
no longer a matter of peaceful demonstrations calling for the departure
of the elected authorities, but rather terrorist acts led by the
fugitives from justice who have escaped from prison and are on the
payroll of the opposition. <br><br>
"The arson attacks against buildings representative of the State
such as police stations that are there to provide security for every
hamlet as well as the offices of the General Taxation Authority, tasked
with collecting taxes, are designed to deprive the population of the most
basic services and to provoke an uprising against the elected
authorities", said Minister Jocelerme Privert. <br><br>
Mr. Privert reminded the people behind the current troubles that
the country belongs to all Haitians without distinction and not to the
government. It will be the taxes paid by the Haitian people that will
have to be used to rebuild the government buildings that have been burned
down. <br><br>
He asked the authors of acts of violence to respect the rights of their
fellow Haitians by ending their arson attacks against schools and homes
of government supporters. <br><br>
For his part, the Secretary of state for Public Security, Jean
Gérard Dubreuil, called on the population to continue to count on the
national police, to remain calm, but vigilant with respect to the
violence committed notably in Gonaïves by partisans of the opposition.
<br><br>
Jean Gérard Dubreuil deplored the ongoing wave of disinformation
regarding the situation in Gonaïves. <br><br>
As of February 9th, police officers from the Haitian National Police
stationed in the troubled regions and who were obliged to take evasive
action to ensure their safety, have continued to show up for duty at
their station even though they were rumored to be dead. <br><br>
He too said that until there is evidence to the contrary, the police
force has only documented one death in Gonaïves. <br><br>
Jean Gérard Dubreuil reassured the population that the reaction of the
government to the situation in Gonaïves will be effective, even if it is
slow in coming. <br><br>
"Would the population like to be governed by terrorists who set fire
to public buildings and private homes along with people who loot
containers of the merchandise inside, which belongs to individuals",
Mr. Dubreuil asked. <br><br>
He asked the opposition Platform to adopt the same civilized behavior as
the Haitian people did on February 7th during the giant demonstration
that drew hundreds of thousands of people, according to independent
sources, and more than a million, according to the organizers. <br><br>
Police commissioner Emmanuel Monpremier, present at Tuesday's press
briefing, and whose death had been announced by several radio stations in
the capital, said he was deeply saddened at the behavior of certain media
which, he said, generally broadcast information that has not been
verified. <br><br>
Commissioner Monpremier reminded all those who are trying to
psychologically destabilize the police through this wave of
disinformation that their effort will fail. <br><br>
The commissioner also reminded all Haitians and journalists in particular
that they are called upon to assist the national police in carrying out
its work. <br><br>
He announced that any defamation of character against him personally
would be addressed through legal action. <br><br>
<br>
</font><h5><b>AHP February 10, 2004 12:15
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