French troops deploy to the northern Haitian city of Gonaives

[DuctapeFatwa]

French troops Thursday moved into Gonaives, Haiti's fourth largest city, as part of a deployment into the northern part of the country, a military spokesman said.
"The French have deployed to Gonaives today. By the weekend there will be about 350 soldiers of the French contingent in northern Haiti, said Major Xavier Pons.

Eventually virtually all the 750 French troops in Haiti will be deployed in the north of the country...

http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040318200529.zd1g7emq.html

[eablair3]

1. I tend to take the reports from Haiti with a grain of salt

I saw another similar report, which I posted below.

The one thing I keep remembering was Kevin Pina's last live report on Flashpoints where he talked of all the reports of , violence, killings, murders, assassinations and political purgings and repressions against Lavalas. Nothing I have seen has indicated that this was incorrect. In fact, reading between the lines, it has essentially been confirmed. Reports were out that one of the first things the criminal opposition did was to destroy a radio station (including the transmitters and antennaes) used by some orphaned or street kids to kill that source of information from the Haitian people.

Pina had to go undercover in an attempt to stay alive. He said during his last report something to the effect of: "be wary of the reports that you will be getting out of the mass media as they are usually based on Haitian media reports, which are all owned by the opposition." Pina went on to say that "you will not be hearing the truth out of Haiti for quite a while."

I still note that Kevin Pina is not back on the air. So, I'm guessing that the situation in Haiti is still bad and still very dangerous to those that don't toe the wealthy and U.S. propaganda line.

When Pina is back on the air and giving his reports like he should be able to do in a free society that has freedom of the press, then I will start to think that they (the U.S.) is doing what they said they were going to do. If Pina is not free to give reports, then the U.S. either has not made it safe, or they are allowing the opposition to hunt down those that they do not like, such as members of the Lavalas party.

It sure reminds me of the death squads in El Salvador. Killings, murders, and "disappearances" of those that were political active. Those people have been in hiding, and I hope Pina is safe and back on the air soon.



______________________-
March 19, 2004 6:30 AM

Troops move to Haiti's rebel-held north

By Ibon Villelabeitia and Michael Christie

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (Reuters) - International troops in Haiti have made their presence felt in areas of the country that have
been strongholds of rebels behind the revolt that helped oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

With security improved in the capital Port-au-Prince, 150 French Marines from a 3,000-member U.N.-sanctioned force sent to
Haiti after Aristide was ousted on February 29 were deployed in the northern city of Cap Haitien, Haiti's second-largest city, and had
secured the airport, said Lieutenant Colonel Louis Acacio.

Acacio, an aide to French Colonel Daniel Leplatois, the deputy commander of the international force, said the troops began
arriving on Tuesday and might number 300 within days.

Acacio said the French troops were patrolling Cap Haitien's streets, where armed rebels are still in control and there is no Haitian
police presence.

snip

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=4802042