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</font><h5><b>AHP News February 15 2004<br>
English translation (Unofficial)<br><br>
</b></h5><font face="Trebuchet MS" size=2><b>Serious internal divisions
at an opposition demonstratiom in Port-au-Prince: acts of vandalism are
committed against members of the public<br><br>
<br><br>
Port-au-Prince, February 15, 2004 -(AHP)</b>- A serious internal split
led to the premature end of an anti-government demonstration held Sunday
by the opposition political Platform led by industrialist André Apaid,
Junior.<br><br>
The misunderstanding took place as a significant proportion of the
demonstrators, led by one of the coalition leaders, Hervé
Saintilus, refused around mid-day to follow the route for the march that
had previously been agreed upon with the police. <br><br>
A real problem over leadership and authority thus manifest itself within
the Platform of the 184, as the two most senior leaders, André
Apaid, Junior and Charles Henri Baker quickly disappeared, announcing,
but without being heard, the end of the demonstration. <br><br>
As it happened, the demonstrators following Saintilus subsequently
committed acts of vandalism in Delmas 34 et Delmas 41, where the group
smashed the windshields of numerous vehicles, citing as pretext that they
had been attacked. <br><br>
The victims accused the top leaders of the Platform of having unleashed,
they said, wild beasts to "devour the population". <br><br>
The majority of the murders committed by opposition supporters during
recent demonstrations by the Platform are the result of the refusal of
the demonstrators to keep to the routes for the march that had been
previously established. <br><br>
The demonstration on this February 15th drew little more than 3,000 to
4,000 people. <br><br>
The last demonstration by the Fanmi Lavalas Political organization drew
some 300,000 people from across Port-au-Prince on February 7 according to
independent sources and over a million people according to the
organizers. <br><br>
Opposition leaders, who recognized the failure of their demonstration
sought to explain it by the fact that the police had organized, they
said, searches in several streets of the capital very early in the
morning. <br><br>
However many sectors of the population declared that they were
disappointed at the fact that the opposition political coalition is
involved in armed struggle in its attempt to oust the government, through
the lethal violence committed in Gonaïves and in other areas in
the north of Haiti. <br><br>
They said they were particularly disappointed that the opposition is
utilizing the services of individuals who carry a reputation as criminals
and coup leaders, such as Jean Tatoune, Louis Jodel Chamblain (FRAPH) and
Guy Philipppe.<br><br>
Many opposition supporters also declared they were discouraged by the
latest joint communiqué by the United States, Canada, the OAS and
CARICOM, which on Friday called specifically on the political opposition
and civil society to act in a responsible manner, to refrain from all
acts of violence, to assume their responsibilities and to become involved
in the democratic process consistent with CARICOM's latest proposal for
resolving the crisis.<br><br>
Several of the opposition supporters expressed hope that all the actors
will return to the negotiating table in order to find a peaceful way out
of the crisis. <br><br>
<br>
</font><h5><b>AHP February 15, 2004
1:30PM.</b></h5><font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
</font><font size=3><a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freedomarchives.org</a></font></body>
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