Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

[hipeter924]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

The chinese are good business partners. I have been working with them for years myself and they have been a patient group to work with.

Yep as they always think long term, and don't just go for short term gains like American or European businessmen; which is good because the easiest short term gain is to suck a company dry or asset strip.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

Wyclef Jean confirms run for Haiti's top job


Hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean has officially confirmed he is running for president of Haiti.

He spoke to a Miami radio station Thursday morning in a broadcast that was streamed online for listeners in Haiti, according to the Miami Herald.

On Thursday morning, his publicist announced Jean will step down as the founder and chairman of the Yéle Haiti Foundation, his charity that has supported relief efforts in his home country since the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Speaking in Haitian Creole, Jean said the earthquake is the main reason he is running.

"For the 250,000 people who died in the earthquake, that's the reason we ought to see a change in the system,'' Jean said.

Jean was reported to have boarded a plane for Haiti after the interview.

A Grammy winner as a member of hip-hop band the Fugees, Jean has been an outspoken advocate for his country.

However, he has faced accusations that his Yéle Haiti Foundation mismanaged funds.

The agency was alleged to have paid Jean to perform at fundraising events and bought advertising air-time from a television station he co-owns. Jean held a tearful news conference in February to defend the organization.

On Wednesday, the Smoking Gun website posted documents indicating Jean personally owes $2.1 million US in back taxes to the U.S. government.

He is expected to be one of about a dozen candidates throwing a hat into the ring for the Nov. 28 presidential election.

Jean now has until Saturday at midnight to file his paperwork and then must prove to a nine-member electoral council that he is eligible to run under Haitian law.

Qualifications include holding solely Haitian citizenship, living for five consecutive years in Haiti and owning land there.

Wyclef has never held a U.S. passport despite living predominantly in the U.S. since age nine, but he may run into difficulty over the residency requirement.

He is expected to make an English-language announcement of his intention to run on Larry King Live on Thursday.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2...president.html

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

Haitians protest election results
Violent clashes reported in Port-au-Prince



Haitians are setting fires and taking to the barricades as thousands of people protest the results of the country's presidential election.

Furious protesters in the capital, Port-au-Prince, were reported to have set fire to the headquarters of the ruling political party on Wednesday.


"[Protesters have] got barricades all around the city," CBC's Connie Watson reported. "You can't move in a vehicle. You can only get around in a moto-taxi or by foot, and that is becoming a very dangerous proposition."

Watson said big chunks of concrete littered many roads Wednesday, meaning only pedestrians or motorbikes can pick their way through the debris.

The protests first erupted Tuesday, after the provisional electoral council said none of the candidates had won an outright majority in the first round of voting.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/1...-protests.html


Simplified Chronological Summary:


1. Haiti was a French colony.

2. Slaves rebeled and gained freedom (so they thought).

3. They were forced to pay 'reparations' for their rebellion.

4. America looted Haiti.

5. The International Monetary Fund looted Haiti.

6. Then Aristide, immensely popular president, was ousted by CIA with UN blessings.

7. Now this natural disaster followed by UN-brought cholera meanwhile the Elite ride on the backs of the poor. No wonder Haitians are so poor.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

I love how western powers like to put dictators into power "democratically". Why can't imperialists just leave Haiti alone, haven't they done enough damage??


Duvalier returns from exile to Haiti

Former dictator Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier, who has been living in France for the past 25 years, has returned to Haiti, Haitian national TV reports.

The surprising development caught the nation off guard as it grapples with a political crisis and the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake.

Duvalier, 59, arrived on an Air France plane about 5:50 p.m. local time Sunday. He wore a dark suit and blue tie. He was greeted at the airport with hugs from supporters. He was taken into an immigration office before customs.

"He is happy to be back in this country, back in his home," said Mona Beruaveau, a candidate for Senate in a Duvalierist party who spoke to the former dictator inside the immigration office. "He is tired after a long trip."

She didn't say why he has returned but that he would hold a news conference on Monday.

A handful of loyalists have been campaigning to bring Duvalier home from exile in France, launching a foundation to improve the dictatorship's image and reviving Duvalier's political party in the hopes that one day he can return to power democratically.

Duvalier and his wife fled into exile during a 1986 popular rebellion and have been living in Paris.

Duvalier and his father, Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier, tortured and killed their political opponents, ruling in an atmosphere of fear and repression ensured by the bloody Tonton Macoute secret police.

The end of his reign was followed by a period known as deshoukaj or "uprooting" in which Haitians carried out reprisals against Macoutes and regime loyalists, tearing their houses to the ground.

In the fall of 2007, President René Préval told reporters that Duvalier could return to Haiti but would face justice for the deaths of thousands of people and the theft of millions of dollars.

In France, the deputy spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry said she had seen news of Duvalier's arrival in Haiti, but had "no information" about the matter and could not confirm that he'd left France. The spokeswoman did not give her name, in accordance with ministry policy.

Government of Canada sources told CBC News on Sunday that "Canada is aware of his presence and we'll monitor the situation."

Since the January 2010 quake, Canada has committed $550 million to Haiti. Canadians have raised another $220 million for a total of $770 million to help offer relief in the wake of the earthquake disaster that killed more than 300,000 people and left a million more homeless.

Duvalier's return Sunday comes as the country also struggles to work through a dire political crisis following the problematic Nov. 28 first-round presidential election.

Three candidates want to go onto a second round. The Organization of American States sent in a team of experts to resolve the deadlock, recommending that Préval's candidate be excluded.

Préval was reportedly not pleased with the report. OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza was scheduled to be in Port-au-Prince to meet with Préval on Monday.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2011/0...r-returns.html

[Federate]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

Great slideshow on Haiti's history explaining why the country is poor by using key points in their history http://insidedisaster.com/haiti/the-...haitis-history

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

Great slideshow on Haiti's history explaining why the country is poor by using key points in their history http://insidedisaster.com/haiti/the-...haitis-history

There was a World War going on and America was plundering Haiti. Home of the brave my vor.

[Federate]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

Seven years after the CIA kidnapped democratically-elected president of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide, put him on a plane and sent him to South Africa in forced exile, Aristide just received his Haitian passport and will return to the country shortly. Second former Haiti president to return to the country in a few months, after "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned last month.

All that is left is for Wyclef Jean to return to the country of his ancestors and take over the country in a coup d'etat

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

We should see if we can buy all of Haiti's debt for a couple Drams. I figure we can rebuild the infrastructure by making movies of the despair and begging for money on TV. However I think scum like Sean Penn already stole that idea


Sean Penn was presented with the “Hollywood Humanitarian Award” by Lt. General Keen at the Hollywood Awards Gala ceremony last October 25, 2010.

[Federate]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

KanadaHye you're going to have a field day with all your naysayers .

[KanadaHye]

Re: Why is Haiti so poor? A history of quake-hit island

I'll have to take a gander when I get a chance