NEWS on 23.1.11 IN RELATION TO HAITI

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO HAITI

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12260873

23 January 2011 Last updated at 04:39 GMT

 

HAITI's PREVAL: 'BABY DOC' DUVALIER 'MUST FACE JUSTICE'

 

Haiti's ex-leader Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier had the right to return to the country but must now face justice, President Rene Preval says.

 

Mr Preval was making his first comments on the issue since Mr Duvalier's unexpected return from exile last week.

 

Mr Duvalier has been charged with theft and misappropriation of funds during his 1971-1986 rule.

 

He is also being sued for torture and other crimes against humanity. He has said he is ready to face "persecution".

 

In a news conference on Friday, Mr Duvalier called for national reconciliation, claiming his return from France had been prompted by the earthquake that devastated Haiti last year and his desire to help rebuild the country.

 

On Saturday, Mr Preval said that according to the Haitian constitution, no-one could be forced to remain in exile.

 

"Duvalier had the right to return to the country, but under the constitution, he also must face justice," he said at a news conference during a visit by the Dominican president.

 

"If Duvalier is not in prison now, it is because he has not yet been tried."

 

Mr Duvalier is barred from leaving the country pending the outcome of an investigation into his alleged crimes, Mr Preval said.

 

SWISS FUNDS

 

Mr Duvalier arrived on the day Haiti was supposed to hold a second round of elections to choose a successor to Mr Preval.

 

The vote has been postponed because of a dispute over who came second in the first round.

 

Official results said it was Jude Celestin, a protege of Mr Preval's, but international observers have urged Haiti to revise the result in favour of singer Michel "Sweet Mickey" Martelly, who was placed third.

 

Some have voiced concern that Mr Duvalier's return could add to the political uncertainty.

 

One theory offered by analysts and lawyers to explain Mr Duvalier's return is that he was trying to stave off attempts by Switzerland to donate to Haiti nearly $6m (£3.7) frozen in Swiss bank accounts.

 

Under a new Swiss law that comes into force on 1 February, the funds can be released even if Haiti has not made a legal move to get them.

 

Mr Duvalier wrongly predicted that he might be able to avoid prosecution, observers say.

 

"If Duvalier goes back to Haiti and is not prosecuted, then he could say 'I was available for prosecution, and you didn't prosecute me: Give me my money back,'" said Reed Brody, a lawyer at Human Rights Watch.

News in relation to HAITI on 24.1.11

 

Danish TV2 news and Swedish SVT: HAITI's FORMER DICTATOR FEELS THAT THE LEGAL NETWORK IS TIGHTENING

 

Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier feels that the legal network is tightening now that Haiti's president has declared that he must answer / account for the crimes committed during his rule from 1971 to 1986.

 

Yesterday during a visit to the Dominican Republic, President Réné Préval said that everyone is accountable for their crimes before the courts.

 

"The government has done all that it can do, and now we hope that the courts will do their part", Préval said.

News in relation to HAITI on 25.1.11

 

Danish DR1: FEWER CHOLERA-INFECTED PEOPLE IN HAITI

 

So far the cholera epidemic has cost 4,000 human lives. But it seems that fewer Haitians get infected.

 

In November 2010 there were around 12,000 new cases every week. That number has fallen to 4,700.

 

The doctors cannot say whether the epidemic is decreasing OR if the fall is only a temporary one. "The general situation is better. But the problem is that you cannot predict the development of the epidemic, so the leader of Medicin Sans Frontières / MSF's (Doctors without border's) group in HAITI.

Documentary about HAITI sent on 25.1.11 in the UK

 

An English friend watched a documentary about Haiti today – on Tuesday 25.1.11 – and sent me a link, BUT you might have to be in the UK to see it:

 

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od#3153261

 

It is available for viewing for 2 weeks.

 

 

The following is what my friend got out of the documentary:

 

 

The main points:

 

1) When the earthquake struck, thousands of the most dangerous prisoners in Haiti escaped their prison. In the 'city' of tents they have a perfect hideout. They also control these areas with guns and their 'armies'.

 

2) The politicians are just as corrupt as the gangsters, and they often work together. The main police chief says they need a revolution to change anything.

 

3) There is no rule of law, and this is the real problem in the country.

 

Suspects are held in prison for up to five or six years before trial, whether they have stolen a chicken or murdered someone. There is a difference though. The petty criminal (e.g. the chicken thief) will eventually be either convicted or acquitted (after five or six years in prison!!!!!) BUT many of the murderers (or more dangerous and well-connected criminals) are able to bribe themselves out of prison. Often a chicken thief will spend far longer in prison than a murderer or rapist.

 

4) Aid often falls into the hands of gangsters, for example they get the tents and then sell them.

 

5) Many experts in the area say that the problems will not be solved by any more donations or aid. The only way to improve the country is a) for the international community to work with the Haitian organisations, especially the police, to expand their powers and personnel, and to bring order and justice to the country, and b) for jobs to be created so that people can earn a wage honestly and by making an effort.

 

6) The very cause of the problem is that Haiti has been given so much help for so long (30 years). The country has become dependent on NGO money and support, and the people have become lazy and just expect to be given what they need (Haitians said this). Instead of working to improve things by working with the Haitian institutions (politics, the police), the NGOs have instead set up an alternative set of institutions which do not work, and have NOT helped the country.

 

 

It was a very interesting programme because it completely changed my mind about what is needed. If international donations have not reached Haiti because the experts know that it will go to corrupt politicians and gangsters, and that they need to make major changes to society first, then I can understand that now.

 

It is absolutely shocking viewing. Stories of thousands of women raped so far, often by gangs. Murder everywhere. What is clear is that Haiti is a hell on earth.

 

It was a fantastic documentary – see it if you can.

 

After seeing it, I truly believe that without huge reform of the government and/or huge efforts to bolster the police NOTHING will change, no matter how much money is donated or tents are sent.

NEWS ON 27 JANUARY 2011 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

NEWS ON 27 JANUARY 2011 IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS

 

 

German ZDFtext: HAITI: GOVERNMENT CANDIDATE AT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION GIVES UP

 

In Haiti, Jude Celestin - the Haitian government's candidate at the presidential election has given up thus ending a week-long conflict in relation to the result of the chaotic first round of the election held on 28 November 2010. The government party "Inite" announced that the political stability is to continue with Celestin's withdrawal. Due to the conflict, the second round of the election was postponed.

 

With the withdrawal of its candidate, the government party followed the recommendation of the Organization of American States. This organization was convinced that election fraud had taken place in favour of Celestin.

Chris is so damn sweet and i thought that message was really cute

I donated cash money to Red Cross, so you don't need a credit card.

Chris is so damn sweet and i thought that message was really cute

 

 

It was - and the HAITI issue means a lot to him as he visited the country some years ago.

 

I just wish that HAITI had made more progress than it has since the earthquake more than one year ago. But I find it positive that the president's candidate withdrew meaning that the alleged election fraud didn't pay off (if election fraud did take place).

You can build up a country by employing and training people to do different jobs. I heard that the Japanese are constructing earthquake buildings and you can train workers to do this and run their own business. Haiti has lots of resources so they have to be tapped into. I heard Fair Trade was working with the farmers. They need to get lots of building and training groups in there to get the country to build up and and take care of itself. Other countries have done this.

NEWS ON 29.1.11 IN RELATION TO HAITI

 

NEWS ON 29.1.11 IN RELATION TO HAITI

 

 

Swedish SVT: HAITI'S ELECTION RESULT WILL BE PUBLISHED NEXT WEEK

 

The final result of the disputed first round of the presidential election in Haiti in November will be published on Wednesday 2 February 2011 according to the election commission.

 

The second round of the election will be held on 20.3.

 

The publication of the preliminary results from the first round caused enormous protests when president Réné Préval's hand-picked candidate Jude Celestin was announced as number 2 in the first round with more votes than a popular singer. Now the government party has withdrawn its support to Celestin.

News on 1.2.11 in relation to Haiti

 

Swedish SVT: Aristide is allowed to return to HAITI

 

Haiti's government is prepared to issue a diplomat passport to former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. That means that he can return after 11 years in exile in South Africa, a high official announced on Monday 31.1.11.

 

Aristide, Haiti's first democratically elected president has expressed his will to return to help his country. He was forced to leave Haiti in 2004 after an armed uprising.

 

Recently the former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned to Haiti.

 

 

Swedish SVT: 6 million dollars on ex-dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier's bank account has been blocked by the Swiss authorities.

News on 2.2.11 in relation to HAITI

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12342870

 

2 February 2011 Last updated at 11:09 GMT

 

HAITI ELECTION: Second round line-up to be announced

 

Haitian authorities are due to announce definitive first round results from November's disputed presidential poll.

 

Former first lady Mirlande Manigat is in the delayed second round, now set for 20 March.

 

But it is not clear whether she will face singer Michel Martelly or government candidate Jude Celestin.

 

Initial results put Mr Celestin through, sparking days of unrest. International monitors said there had been widespread fraud in his favour.

 

Under sustained international pressure, the ruling party, Inite, withdrew Mr Celestin from the race but the candidate himself has refused to confirm that he will not take part.

 

The second round was supposed to take place last month but was postponed because of the dispute.

 

There have been calls, including from some of the other defeated candidates, that the election should be scrapped and a new one held.

 

Uncertainty

 

Mrs Manigat won the first round on 28 November, while preliminary results gave Mr Celestin a narrow lead over Mr Martelly.

 

But within hours of the announcement, there were protests and riots by supporters of Mr Martelly, who complained of vote-rigging.

 

The incumbent President, Rene Preval, called in a team of international monitors who found widespread fraud in Mr Celestin's favour and recommended that he withdraw.

 

Mr Preval's mandate formally ends on 7 February but he has parliamentary approval to stay in office until 14 May.

 

The political uncertainty has added to Haiti's problems as it tries to recover from last year's devastating earthquake as well as a cholera outbreak.

 

The situation has also been complicated by last month's surprise return from exile of former leader Jean-Claude Duvalier.

 

Baby Doc, as he is widely known, now faces corruption and human rights abuse charges relating to his 1971-1986 rule. He has denied any wrongdoing.

 

In another development, the government has now said it is ready to issue former President Jean-Betrand Aristide a passport, opening the way for his possible return.

 

Mr Aristide, the first democratically-elected president of Haiti, was ousted seven years ago and has been living in exile in South Africa.

 

His party, Fanmi Lavalas, was barred from standing in the latest presidential and legislative elections, allegedly due to technical errors in its application forms.

Interesting that the Haitian government is allowing Aristide to visit, odd that his party was barred from participating in the last election though.. Perhaps Aristide's visit signals a change in Haiti's government, allowing international vote monitors in was a refreshing thing as well - hopefully their findings will be upheld.

Corruption must be held in check for progress to occur; some habits are hard to change though! And since the U.S. has meddled so much in Haiti's affairs in the past (I think Aristide was forced out in 2004 by a U.S. backed coup) , I have to wonder if our secret policy of supporting dictators will begin to change in favor of popularly elected leaders. One would hope so, for in the long run, that is what truly improves business and humanity's future.

News on 3.2.11 in relation to HAITI

 

NEWS on 3.2.11 in relation to HAITI

 

 

Danish DR1: HAITI's ELECTION COMMITTEE PUBLISHES THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES FIGURING ON THE BALLOT IN THE SECOND ELECTION ROUND ON 20 MARCH 2011: Former first lady MIRLANDE MANIGAT and the popular singer MICHEL MARTELLY

 

The first election round on 22.11.10 was chaotic. Since then it was difficult to decide who was to run against Mirlande Manigat who was the winner of the first round, but who had less than the necessary 50% of the votes to avoid a second round. The regime tried to have its own candidate - Jude Célestin - on the ballot in the second round, but lost.

 

This outcome is in accordance with the recommendations from the organization OAS (Organization of American States) and is backed up by the United Nations and the USA.

U.S. RESUMES DEPORTATIONS OF HAITIANS - 7.2.11

 

U.S. RESUMES DEPORTATIONS OF HAITIANSposted by: Natasha G.

 

The U.S. has resumed deporting Haitians after a one year post-earthquake moratorium. About 700 have been classified as "criminal aliens." Spokesperson for ICE Barbara Gonzalez contends that all are consistent with the U.S. policy of removing those who pose "a threat to public safety." Twenty seven Haitians have already been deported.

 

However some believe the deportations are inhumane since Haiti is still struggling with a vicious cholera epidemic that has killed almost 4,000 and infected 20,000. Haiti is also dealing with a shaky recovery from last year's deadly 7.0 earthquake and a disputed presidential election. Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center's Executive Director Cheryl Little asked, "Why is it so urgent for the U.S. to deport Haitians when Haiti remains in ruin? It makes no sense for either country." She added, "This is death by deportation."

 

Sure enough, 34 year-old Wildrick Guerrier died shortly after being detained in a Haitian jail, exhibiting cholera symptoms such as extreme vomiting and uncontrollable diarrhea. Guerrier had been living in the U.S. as a legal permanent resident since he was a teenager, and was completing an 18 month criminal sentence when a judge ordered for his deportation.

 

A number of advocacy groups came together to file an emergency petition with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) to halt the deportations of hundreds of Haitian nationals by U.S. immigration authorities.

 

Submitted by the University of Miami School of Law, Human Rights and Immigration Clinics; the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center; the Center for Constitutional Rights, Alternative Chance, and the Loyola Law Clinic and Center for Social Justice, the petition contends, "The Haitian state has no capacity to provide for the safe and dignified reintegration of those deported, many of whom are long-time U.S. residents with no resources in Haiti...While we support the enforcement of immigration laws, we are concerned that the continuing state of emergency in Haiti will jeopardize the lives of those deported and divert resources from the recovery and reconstruction effort."

 

The petition also calls out the recent raids that have taken place, claiming that immigrants in Florida have been separated from their families and legal service providers, and have been sent off the remote detention camps in Louisiana. Among those detained include Haitians who were convicted of minor offenses and then released for good behavior, as well as mentally disabled individuals and parents of U.S. citizens.

 

To read the full petition and sign, click here.

 

http://capwiz.com/jesuit/issues/alert/?alertid=23241516

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12458930

 

14 February 2011 Last updated at 18:12

 

HAITI CHOLERA CHALLENGE 'FAILED' BY AGENCIES

By Mark Doyle

 

BBC International Development Correspondent

 

The cholera outbreak that has killed 3,600 people in Haiti since October 2010 has not been suppressed - despite billions of dollars in promised aid, according to a report by Haitian and US researchers.

 

The report says more than a third of people made homeless by the massive earthquake in January 2010, and now living in tents, still do not have access to clean water, and a quarter still do not have a toilet.

 

This is despite highly-publicised promises of help by aid agencies and foreign governments.

 

Cholera is spread through contact with human faeces - so lack of washing and toilet facilities is a direct cause of death.

 

The study says the epidemic has not yet peaked, so unless the situation is addressed there will be more unnecessary deaths.

 

The report, by New York's City University, is based on a survey by Haitian sociologists. It says aid agencies have failed to address the real causes of the cholera outbreak - including widespread poverty and unemployment that was endemic before last January's earthquake.

 

"Much more progress needs to be made", says the enquiry; "not only in aid delivery but in coordination".

 

'Missed opportunity'

 

The Haitian government says the earthquake killed over 230,000 people. It made around two million people homeless.

 

The new study says the international community and the Haitian government failed to capitalise on the movement of people out of the capital Port au Prince in the immediate aftermath of the quake.

 

It says there was an opportunity at that time to undo the mistakes of the past including "failed neo liberal development policies that swelled the population of shanty towns of the capital".

 

This was a reference to cutting import taxes on rice in the 1980s. This policy led to a flooding of the local market by US rice, a decline in local rice production, and mass rural-urban migration.

 

Another "neo liberal policy" was the encouraging of low-wage factory jobs in the capital. This also served as a magnet to rural people.

 

Aid agencies and the Haitian government should have worked outside Port au Prince, the report says, and "seized the moment to initiate job creation to rebuild rural Haiti's delapidated infrastructure".

 

Dire situation

 

"Instead, all the food-for-work and cash-for-work, not to mention aid distribution, was centred in Port au Prince. Predictably… the camps swelled to an estimated 1.7 million people at their peak, making the aid response more difficult".

 

The report says the situation is dire despite the widely publicised promises of aid.

 

In one camp for displaced people in the Carrefour district of Port au Prince, people without access to a toilet throw their faeces, wrapped in plastic bags, on top of a rubbish pile which is next to a recently-created cholera treatment centre.

 

As well as criticising the response to the cholera outbreak, the report questions the wider "aid dependency" which the private aid agencies - known as Non Governmental Organisations, or NGOs, have created.

 

It says some NGOs:

 

undermine the capacity of the state

have no accountability to people they serve

do not always work in under-served areas when asked to by government

lack coordination

are top-down and top-heavy.

 

The report says only a tiny proportion of the aid money promised to Haiti has reached the Haitian government - in the early days after the earthquake it was estimated to be just one per cent.

 

And yet, ultimately, the study says, it is only the government that could coordinate actions to address crises such as the cholera outbreak.

 

Some NGOs privately criticise the government of Haiti for CORRUPTION; foreign governments say they cannot risk handing over money to DYSFUNCTIONAL institutions.

 

But the report says "pointing fingers at the Haitian government or the Haitian people is not the solution".

 

It says some NGOs are more interested in attracting funds - and so perpetuating their own futures - than in solving the problems they say they came to Haiti to address.

RESETTLEMENT PLAN EXCLUDES ALMOST 200,000 FAMILIES

 

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=54472

 

HAITI

 

RESETTLEMENT PLAN EXCLUDES ALMOST 200,000 FAMILIES

By Jane Regan

 

 

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Feb 14, 2011 (IPS) - One year and one month after Haiti's horrendous earthquake, the world's eyes are focused elsewhere.

 

Aside from a few updates on ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haiti has fallen from the headlines.

 

Gone are the foreign reporters and news crews pumping out anniversary stories.

 

Long-forgotten are the one-year reports from United Nations agencies, the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and watchdog groups, full of self-congratulations or hand- wringing over the lack of progress on Haiti's reconstruction.

 

But there has been a kind of progress.

 

Haitian authorities – or, to be more precise, those who have authority in Haiti, but who are not necessarily Haitian – actually do have a plan for Haiti's homeless.

 

The ambitious 30-page "Neighborhood Return and Housing Reconstruction Framework (version 3)," obtained last month by Haiti Grassroots Watch, outlines plans to rebuild neighbourhoods with better zoning and better services, help homeowners rebuild safer homes, or relocate homeowners to new homes in less precarious locations.

 

However, the Framework leaves out Haiti's largest group of earthquake victims: the poorest of the poor. The renters.

 

"With a few exceptions, the reconstruction is not going to make people homeowners who were not homeowners before," Priscilla Phelps, senior advisor for Housing and Neighbourhoods for the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), told IPS and Haiti Grassroots Watch in January.

 

That means 192,154 families – more than half of the 1.3 million internally displaced persons tallied last fall – will be left out in the cold. Or, in the case of Haiti, out in the sun, the rain and the dust.

 

According to the Framework, "[r]eturn and reconstruction will not change the tenancy status of earthquake affected households: the goal is to restore owners and renters to an equivalent status as before the earthquake, but in safer conditions."

 

For home- and land-owners, things are moving forward, albeit very slowly.

 

Humanitarian agencies have over 100 million dollars to build 111,240 "transitional shelters" or "T-Shelters" – small huts, usually 18 square metres. As of Feb. 1, only about 43,100 had been built, due to the rubble choking poor neighbourhoods and Haiti's convoluted land ownership situation. (Most donors want to be sure on land titles before building a T-Shelter.)

 

Agencies and construction firms also have at least 174 million dollars pledged of the 350 million dollars needed - in 2011 alone - for repairing or rebuilding homes and neighbourhoods. As of Feb. 1, of the approximately 193,000 homes needing to be repaired or rebuilt, only 2,547 had been repaired and 1,880 rebuilt.

 

But for the hundreds of thousands of former renters living hunched under tents in camps with few or no services, with an average of 392 residents per latrine, there is no shelter – transitional or permanent – on the horizon. Because they are supposed to rent.

 

Sanon Renel, of the Housing Reflection and Action Force coalition (Fòs Refleksyon ak Aksyon sou Koze Kay - FRAKKA), which is mobilising with unions and other groups on the housing issue, is outraged.

 

"This is pure and simple exclusion. You could even call this an official policy of apartheid," Renel told IPS.

 

In addition to losing all their belongings, many of Haiti's displaced also lost jobs, as well as the huge sums they had paid out for school tuitions and rent prior to the earthquake. In Haiti, one rents six, 12 and even 24 months at a time. Renel noted that it will take years for families to save that up again.

 

"These people are factory workers, day labourers. Many are former peasants forced into the city because their land has given out, or because they can't make ends meet. They are the eternal victims of an economic system that protects big landowners and rich capitalists," said Renel.

 

A typical example of "reconstruction"

 

The way the housing issue is being handled offers a typical example of Haiti's "reconstruction".

 

The Framework "is intended to signal what the approach is going to be," according to the IHRC's Phelps, who likely helped author the plan and who recently co-wrote 'Safer Homes, Stronger Communities: A Handbook for Reconstructing After Natural Disasters' for the World Bank.

 

But the document has never been approved by the government of Haiti. Not by the parliament, not by President René Préval, and not the Inter-Ministry Commission on Housing, which groups together five ministers.

 

Nor has the document ever been held up to public scrutiny or discussed at fora where local urban planners, construction firms or other stakeholders – like FRAKKA and the homeless people themselves – could perhaps make their opinions known.

 

Nevertheless, the Framework is more than what the "approach is going be".

 

De facto, it is the plan. Because NGOs are moving forward, according to Jean-Christophe Adrian of UN-HABITAT, which chairs the "Shelter Cluster" of the 200 or so NGOs working on the housing issue.

 

"The document represents the consensus," Adrian explained.

 

Phelps notes that the Inter-Ministry Commission on Housing has "seen it and made remarks," but they have never openly approved or disapproved of it, nor has it been made public.

 

In fact, national government officials have only gone public on one housing project – a plan for 3,000 to 4,000 apartments in the Fort National neighbourhood overlooking Haiti's National Palace.

 

"It's a project of public housing high-rises, respecting building norms for earthquake zones, which will house many hundreds of families," Jacques Gabriel, Minister of Public Works, told Agence France Presse in January.

 

But when Minister of Social Affairs Gérald Germain and his bodyguards showed up to place the cornerstone on Jan. 12, they were chased away by angry, homeless protestors.

 

"We want explanations!" a man who identified himself as Leguenson told AlterPresse.

 

Haiti's homeless are not the only ones who want explanations. According to Phelps, the project does not yet have IHRC approval.

 

Nevertheless, not unlike the lack of coordination and communication sometimes apparent in other sectors, the first stone for the Fort National project was going to be placed even before it received the IHRC's green light.

 

Or perhaps the Haitian government has decided to skip the IHRC? But according to a decree, it is "responsible for continuously developing and refining development plans for Haiti."

 

"There are still a lot of questions that have to be worked out," Phelps explained. "The proposal they have made is one that needs some vetting. It's quite expensive."

 

Shelter Cluster authorities are also sceptical. "Our experience shows us that, in all countries, these types of projects end up benefiting the middle classes. They don't benefit the poorest people," Adrian said.

 

With authorities bickering, with no high-rise in sight, and with construction and reconstruction only planned for the homeowners, 13 months later, Haiti's poorest earthquake victims are left exactly where they were on Jan. 13, 2010 - in tents and under tarps, living in subhuman conditions, under constant threat of eviction, facing a depleted housing stock with no savings.

 

(END)

 

NGOs and the "humanitarian industry"

 

"In the language of NGOs, Haiti is a 'humanitarian hot spot,' because the NGOs go where the donors go," journalist Linda Polman told a group of reporters in Petion-ville, Haiti recently.

 

"That's why all these organisations are here. They're waiting for the billions… Haiti is just one station on the trip NGOs make. They ask people for money because they say they are going to help… You have to ask them questions. You have to make sure they spend that money on you."

 

The Dutch author of "The Crisis Caravan - What's Wrong with Humanitarian Aid" took time out from her investigation into Haiti aid to urge Haitian journalists at Radio/Tele Metropole to dig into NGOs and the "humanitarian industry".

 

"NGOs are part of an international, multinational, multi-billion-dollar industry," she said. "Donor countries give over 130 billion dollars a year."

 

And that figure doesn't even take into account private donations.

 

According to Polman, about 37,000 NGOs, mostly from Western countries, work in poor countries. There are probably about 2,000 foreign NGOs in Haiti by her reckoning. And while NGOs say they come to poor countries to "help", that is not the only motivation, she said.

 

"This is a business, and sometimes they make decisions that are not moral," she noted.

 

In addition to being in business, they also do foreign policy work. In her book, Polman writes how, in 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 attack, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told NGO leaders that "American NGOs… NGOs are a force multiplier for us, such an important part of our combat team."

 

Polman pleaded with journalists to investigate the foreign NGOs in Haiti which – according to many journalist and watchdog groups – are not delivering the quality and quantity of assistance needed.

 

"Western journalists come and go and that is why it is up to you. Ask the NGOs questions. And if you don't understand, ask and ask again, because it's your money."

 

*Author Linda Polman's visit to Radio/Tele Metropole was part of an ongoing training organised by the Knight International Journalism Fellow in Haiti.

Text-TV from Danish TV station DR1 and Swedish SVT: The DEATH TOLL in HAITI after the devastating earthquake in January 2010 might rather be between 46,000 and 85,000 and not the official one - 250,000. This according to an examination made at the request of the relief organization USAID.

HAITI: NEW OUTBREAK OF CHOLERA

 

More than 10 people died and thousand(s) were hospitalized after new outbreak of cholera around the capital - Port-au-Prince.

 

310,000 have been infected and 5,332 have died since last year's outbreak of cholera.

It may be good to bring in people to teach people in Haiti of farming and building, since there are resources of vegetation and trees. Have them build earthquake proof buildings.

NEWS IN RELATION TO HAITI ON 3.6.11

 

CHOLERA WARNING IN HAITI: DEATH TOLL SINCE OUTBREAK IN OCTOBER 2010 RISEN TO 5,337

 

The cholera death toll in Haiti since the outbreak 7 months ago has risen to 5,337 until the end of May according to Haiti's Department of Health. By each day, 6 more dies, and 550 are infected. The Relief organization Doctors without Borders (Medecins sans frontières / MSF) has also recorded a significant increase of the cholera cases.

 

Since October 2010, 320,000 Haitians have been infected with cholera.

 

From Swedish text-TV /SVT.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13689711

 

7 June 2011 Last updated at 17:42 GMT

 

Haiti: Port-au-Prince flooding kills at least 11 people

 

At least 11 people have been killed in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, after torrential rain caused floods and landslides.

 

Two children were buried alive when their home collapsed and two people died in a tent city erected after last year's devastating earthquake.

 

Haitian officials said other such camps could be swept away as the hurricane season got under way.

 

The Dominican Republic and Jamaica have also issued flood alerts.

 

Days of heavy rain swelled rivers and flooded camps built to house thousands of evacuees after the 2010 earthquake.

 

The United States National Hurricane Center warned the rains could cause flash floods and mudslides in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

 

Haitian President Michel Martelly said he would visit Port-au-Prince's worst-hit neighbourhood, Cite Soleil.

 

"I'm now trying to help people and distribute some food, I hope people can find shelter," President Martelly said.

 

Some camps reported flooding of up to 1.2m (4ft).

 

Meteorologists forecast more heavy rain for Tuesday night, increasing fears that already sodden hillsides could collapse.

HAITI THREATENED BY POWERFUL TROPICAL STORM "EMILY"

 

The authorities in Haiti encourages the inhabitants to evacuations and to seek shelter as a storm approaches.

 

According to the US Hurricane Center, the tropical storm EMILY is threatening i.a. Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

 

Haiti's leading meteorologist, Ronald Semelfort, says that torrential rain may hit Haiti late Wednesday.

 

It is dangerous for Haiti which is still fighting the devastation caused by the powerful earthquake in January 2010 that killed at least 225,000 people.

 

(Danish text-tv on DR1 and TV2 News)

NEWS IN RELATION TO HAITI ON 3 AUGUST 2011

 

 

HAITI REMAINS WITHOUT PRIME MINISTER

 

Haiti's President, Michel Martelly, has not yet succeeded in electing a Prime Minister (PM). Martelly has now made two attempts, but a majority in the Haitian Parliament has rejected his candidates.

 

Michel Martelly was elected president 3 months ago.

 

Martelly's latest PM candidate was Haiti's former minister of Justice, Bernard Gousse.

 

16 out of the senate's 30 member voted NO. And the rest abstained from voting!!

 

Bernard Gousse has been under suspicion of pursuing political opponents.

 

(Text-TV on Danish DR1 and Swedish SVT)

 

 

 

TROPICAL STORM "EMILY" THREATENS THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI

 

 

The tropical storm "Emily" moves toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti. There 630,000 remains homeless after the devastating earthquake in 2010.

 

The storm with torrential rain and very strong winds is - according to calculations made by meteorologists - expected to reach the island of Hispaniola - on which the Dominican Republic and Haiti are located - later Wednesday.

 

Experts are in particular warning against MASSIVE FLOODS.

 

(Text-TV on German ZDF / ZDF Text)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14399524

 

4 August 2011 Last updated at 15:32 GMT

 

Rain hits Haiti as Tropical Storm Emily looms offshore

 

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians in makeshift camps are bracing for heavy downpours as Tropical Storm Emily approaches.

 

Rain has damaged several hundred homes in the Artibonite region, the civil protection agency head told AP, but so far no deaths have been reported.

 

Haiti is still struggling to recover from the January 2010 earthquake.

 

President Michel Martelly took office in May but has not yet managed to form a government, complicating aid efforts.

 

Tropical Storm Emily has been bringing rain and strong winds to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the island of Hispaniola.

 

At 1500 GMT on Thursday, Emily was reported to be nearly stationary 145km (90 mile) south-south-east of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

 

While maximum winds were put at 85km/h (50mph), the main threat was from torrential downpours.

 

"This storm has a lot of heavy rainfall with it," meteorologist Diana Goeller told the Associated Press.

 

Forecasters said 15-30cm (6-12in) of rain could fall, but with up to 20in possible in some regions.

 

The head of Haiti's civil protection agency, Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, said rain had damaged buildings in the Artibonite region.

 

She also said a cholera treatment centre had been damaged in the Central Plateau region.

 

Stalemate

 

Haitian officials had issued a red alert and urged people to leave camps, many of which are sited on deforested hillsides.

 

"People living in unsafe housing will be the worst affected if flooding hits," Harry Donsbach from charity World Vision told AFP.

 

"Landslides are of courses a threat, but even simply heavy rain has the potential to worsen the volatile sanitation conditions in camps, which, with cholera still prevalent in Haiti, is a serious concern."

 

According to the International Office of Migration, some 634,000 Haitians still live in camps, although other estimates of what is a necessarily fluctuating population put the figure at 375,000.

 

 

On Tuesday, Haitian lawmakers voted against Mr Martelly's new choice of prime minister, Bernard Gousse, following their rejection in June of his first pick, Daniel-Gerard Rouzier.

 

President Martelly needs a prime minister in order to assemble a government that can work with international agencies involved in the task of rebuilding after the 2010 quake.

 

The lack of an administration is also hampering planning for potential disasters.