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Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:00:10 -0800 (PST)<br>
From: Haiti Action Committee <haitiaction@yahoo.com><br><br>
<br>
******Urgent Action Alert from the Haiti Action Committee******<br>
<br>
As UN's Brazilian commander is found shot dead on his<br>
hotel balcony....<br>
New UN massacres in Cite Soleil could come any day now<br>
Be on the alert. The situation in Haiti is dangerous<br>
and moving fast. <br><br>
In the nine days since January 1st, at least 23<br>
civilians have been shot to death by UN forces in Cite<br>
Soleil, according to reports from human rights workers<br>
in the Haitian capital. Consider these developments:<br><br>
1. Brazilian General Bacellar, who's been commanding<br>
UN forces for barely four months, was found shot in<br>
the head Saturday on the balcony of the 5-star Hotel<br>
Montana. Officials called it an apparent suicide. Late<br>
last week, Bacellar had tense meetings with UN and<br>
coup regime officials and the right-wing business<br>
elite. They reportedly put "intense pressure" on the<br>
general "demanding that he intervene brutally in Cite<br>
Soleil," according to AHP.<br><br>
This coincided with a pressure campaign by Chamber of<br>
Commerce head Reginald Boulos and sweatshop kingpin<br>
Andy Apaid, leader of Group 184 [the business group<br>
that helped mastermind the February 29, 2004 coup that<br>
ousted President Aristide]. Last week Boulos and Apaid<br>
made strident calls in the media for a new UN<br>
crackdown on Cite Soleil, the sprawling, impoverished<br>
neighborhood that is a stronghold of support for<br>
President Aristide and his Lavalas Party and a center<br>
of resistance to the coup regime. <br><br>
2. On January 6 the Chilean UN chief Juan Valdes<br>
announced that UN troops would "occupy" Cite Soleil,<br>
"and warned that civilians could be harmed," reported<br>
Guy Delva for Reuters. Valdes told a local radio<br>
station: "We are going to intervene in the coming<br>
days. I think there'll be collateral damage but we<br>
have to impose our force, there is no other way,"<br>
Reuters said. <br><br>
According to "some UN officials" quoted by Reuters,<br>
Bacellar [who has not been shy about shooting up Cite<br>
Soleil in the past] "had opposed Valdes' plan" to<br>
escalate even further the UN military operation in<br>
Cite Soleil. This is an operation characterized by<br>
repeated UN killings of innocent civilians throughout<br>
2005 and so far in 2006 -- "aggressive" by any<br>
standard, but not apparently aggressive enough for<br>
Boulos, Apaid and the US-backed coup regime.<br><br>
3. Bacellar's death comes on the heels of Boulos's<br>
call for a "general strike" January 9, aimed at<br>
forcing the UN mission to get tough on Cite Soleil<br>
"bandits"-- a code word for Lavalas supporters. Apart<br>
from the absurdity of the Chamber of Commerce calling<br>
a "general strike" -- it was an employer strike<br>
basically ignored outside the capital -- it does show<br>
that Haiti's business elite is once again beating the<br>
drum for more brutal UN armed incursions against the<br>
poor. This brings to mind a similar high-pressure<br>
campaign by the business elite -- just before the July<br>
6th UN massacre of at least 60 civilians in Cite<br>
Soleil.<br><br>
4. To justify a possible new crackdown in Cite<br>
Soleil, the coup regime has made absurd claims that<br>
Cite Soleil is a haven for "Colombian drug<br>
traffickers," and a hiding place for the victims of<br>
kidnappings that have plagued the Haitian capital. But<br>
the kidnappers are hardly the poor residents of Cite<br>
Soleil, surrounded as it is by UN troops. The<br>
kidnappers are mostly well-connected to the business<br>
elite and coup regime. Even Police Chief Andresol<br>
admits the National Police are involved in much of the<br>
crime wave, including kidnappings. And what "Colombian<br>
drug trafficker" would be hanging out in a tin shack<br>
in Cite Soleil, without clean water or electricity,<br>
and sewage flowing in the street? <br><br>
5. Replacing Bacellar as interim UN military force<br>
commander is General Eduardo Aldunate Herman, a<br>
Chilean army officer who served the brutal<br>
dictatorship of General Pinochet as an officer in the<br>
CNI, the Chilean political police. Aldunate Herman has<br>
been accused of participating in the 1973 overthrow<br>
of Chile's elected government, and of involvement in<br>
the 1976 killing of a Spanish diplomat. He is a<br>
graduate of the US Army's School of the Americas.<br><br>
If we take UN chief Juan Valdes at his word, this<br>
could be another massacre in the making. UN troops<br>
showed on July 6, 2005 in Cite Soleil, and on many<br>
other occasions, that they will shoot and kill men,<br>
women and children in their homes, in their beds, as<br>
they go about their daily chores. <br><br>
Now is the time to act -- to let them know the world<br>
is watching and demands an end to the killings!<br><br>
Contact the following official. Demand that he<br>
intervene to stop a new massacre and occupation of<br>
Cite Soleil!<br><br>
* Juan Gabriel Valdes<br><br>
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to<br>
Haiti<br><br>
Phone: 011-509-244-9650 or 9660 Fax 011-509 244 3512<br><br>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
Others who need to hear the same message:<br><br>
* Thierry Fagart<br><br>
Human Rights Chief, UN Mission in Haiti<br><br>
Ph: 011-509-510-3183 or 3185 - ext. 6360 fagart@un.org<br><br>
<br><br>
* US Embassy in Haiti<br>
Telephones: 011-509-223-4711…222-0200 or 0354…Fax:<br>
011-509-223-1641 or 9038<br>
Email to Dana Banks, Human Rights Officer:<br>
BanksD@state.gov <br><br>
[OVER THE WEEKEND OR AT NIGHT -- Call 011-509-222-0200<br>
and press "0" for emergency] <br><br>
<br><br>
* Craig G. Mokhiber<br><br>
Deputy Director, NY Office of the UN High Commissioner<br>
for Human Rights<br><br>
Ph: 917-367-5208 mokhiber@un.org<br><br>
*** Contact your local media. Ask that they cover the<br>
UN killings of civilians in Haiti.<br><br>
Tune in to
<a href="http://www.haitiaction.net/" eudora="autourl">
www.haitiaction.net</a> for updates on what is<br>
happening.<br>
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