Toronto - Members of the Canada Haiti Action Network (CHAN) as well as groups in the Haitian community in Montreal are planning a seven-city day of information, action and protest this Friday to mark the four-year anniversary of the imposition of a United Nations regime in Haiti.
On February 29, 2004, Haiti's elected government and president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, were ousted by a foreign-backed right-wing rebellion. The ousting was facilitated by a resolution of the United Nations Security Council, adopted at an overnight session on February 28/29. Several thousand soldiers from the U.S., France and Canada were then deployed.
"Four years later, the UN mission in Haiti has nothing to show for its efforts," said Niraj Joshi here yesterday. She is a coordinator of CHAN and of the Toronto Haiti Action Committee. "The human rights situation remains precarious, and poverty and starvation are on the rise."
"The economic and social policies of the nominally sovereign government of Haiti are controlled by international institutions, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations agencies.
Joshi says that members of her network were deeply disturbed by a January 29 Associated Press report that street vendors in the capital city of Port au Prince are once again selling biscuits made of dirt and clay to starving residents.
"Starvation in Haiti is not news to members of our network and to other human rights observers that have been to Haiti in the past four years," she said. "Canada, the U.S. and the UN Security Council are hiding from the world that their occupation regime is failing the Haitian people."
The UN has a 10,000-member police, military and administrative regime in Haiti. It spends some $600 million per year, almost double the national budget of the Haitian government. Haitians deeply resent that for 25 years, the wealthy countries of the world have repeatedly blocked or disrupted their efforts to create democratic and socially-progressive government.
Speaking in Vancouver, CHAN coordinator Roger Annis says that affiliates of the network will hold meetings, rallies or protest demonstrations in at least seven cities across Canada on or around February 29.
In Montreal, members of Haitian community organizations will hold a rally and demonstration on February 29. Annis is one of several CHAN coordinators to recently travel to Haiti on human rights investigative delegations.
Media Contacts for Canada Haiti Action Network: Roger Annis (Vancouver) 778-858-5179Niraj Joshi-Vijayan (Toronto) 416-731-2325
