Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 11 novembre 2015

Haiti council names 2 candidates for presidential runoff

David Mcfadden, Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Government-backed candidate Jovenel Moise and former state construction chiefJude Celestinappear to be advancing to a runoff election for Haiti's presidency, according to preliminary results announced Thursday.

The much-anticipated results from the 54-candidate first round presidential contest on Oct. 25 were issued by Pierre Louis Opont, the leader of the Provisional Electoral Council. Since no candidate won a majority in that ballot, the two top finishers are set to meet in a Dec. 27 runoff.

Opont did not take any questions from reporters after delivering the preliminary results at the council headquarters, which was under guard by heavily armed police. He said Moise received 511,992 votes or 32.8 percent of the total, and Celestin got 394,390 or 25.2 percent.

Seven of the council's nine members signed off on the preliminary results, indicating that there was not unanimous agreement with the tally. An appeals period will follow the Thursday announcement and officials say certified results are expected in late November or early December.

Moise, handpicked by outgoing PresidentMichel Martellyto be his successor, greeted applauding partisans gathered at a fancy hotel in Petionville, not far from the electoral council headquarters. Looking into TV cameras, the top vote getter told Haitians they were backing the right man.

"I'm standing in front of you because I am the winner," said Moise, an agricultural entrepreneur who set up a banana plantation in Haiti's north and founded a public-private project called Agritrans to successfully export the fruit to Europe.

But several major candidates have alleged fraud by the well-financed Tet Kale campaign behind Moise and voiced concern that the results do not accurately reflect national will.

The candidate who placed third in the official tally with 14.2 percent, former senatorMoise Jean-Charles, has asserted in recent days that he won half of Haiti's 10 departments. Last week, he insisted that partially burned ballots checked with his name were found by his backers in Port-au-Prince and numerous ballots supporting his bid had gone missing elsewhere.

After the preliminary results were announced, Jean-Charles said the results were a sham orchestrated by Martelly, who he insists would be pulling strings in a Moise presidency. He called on his supporters to participate in a "peaceful revolution" to ensure their voice is heard.

But tire barricades were already burning in a few spots of Port-au-Prince and Associated Press journalists saw one dead body on a street in the neighborhood of Delmas 33.

A crowd of Jean-Charles supporters gathered around their dead colleague and insisted he was fatally shot in the neck by officers with a newly created police unit referred to as BOID. Chanting "freedom or death," the crowd scattered Jean-Charles campaign posters around his corpse.

Firefighters who arrived to douse the flaming barricades were pelted with a few rocks, but managed to put out the flames. One furious partisan screamed at them: "You won't have enough water to put out all the fires tomorrow!"

In recent days, eight presidential candidates, including Celestin and Jean-Charles, asserted that there were instances of "massive fraud" during Oct. 25 election — perhaps as a way to prepare their partisans for a loss. They warned that if fraud went uncorrected it "would make the alleged results of these elections unacceptable" and asked the council to form an independent commission to review the electoral processes over the next 15 days.

Celestin's campaign manager did not offer any immediate comment now that his candidate apparently secured a spot in the runoff. At least one presidential candidate in the top 10,Pierre Sauveur Etienne, said he would throw his support behind Celestin, the government-backed candidate in the last election cycle.

The top two finishers announced in preliminary results don't always make it to a runoff in Haiti. During the last election, disputed preliminary results showed Celestin edging out Martelly for one of two spots in a runoff ballot, but under international pressure Haiti's electoral authorities reviewed the count and eliminated Celestin from the race.

MarketWatch

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Eurasian Minerals Sells Haiti Joint Venture Interests for US $4 Million and an NSR Royalty

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eurasian-minerals-sells-haiti-joint-venture-interests-for-us-4-million-and-an-nsr-royalty-2015-11-02

Published: Nov 2, 2015 7:00 a.m. ET

 8 1

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Nov 2, 2015 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Eurasian Minerals Inc. (the "Company" or "EMX") (EMX)(nyse mkt:EMXX) is pleased to announce the sale of its interests in Haiti to joint venture partner Newmont Ventures Limited ("Newmont" or "NVL"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Newmont Mining Corporation NEM, -1.02% for a US $4 million (CAD $5.3 million) cash payment and a retained 0.5% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty interest.

The now terminated EMX-Newmont joint ventures (the "Joint Ventures") covered six designated exploration areas along a 130 kilometer trend of northern Haiti's Massif du Nord mineral belt. Since 2013, activities in the designated exploration areas have been limited to care and maintenance only.

Pursuant to the transaction, Newmont acquired all of EMX's interest in the Research Permit applications on the following terms:

-- Newmont paid US $4 million (CAD $5.3 million) in cash to EMX at closing; -- The Joint Ventures were terminated; -- EMX retains a 0.5% NSR royalty on the 49 Research Permit applications covering the designated exploration areas; -- EMX retains the right to acquire any properties proposed to be abandoned or surrendered by Newmont.

Please see www.eurasianminerals.com for more information.

About EMX. Eurasian Minerals leverages asset ownership and exploration insight into partnerships that advance our mineral properties, with EMX retaining royalty interests. EMX complements its generative business with strategic investment and third party royalty acquisition.

Mr. Dean D. Turner, CPG, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and consultant to the Company, has reviewed, verified and approved disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain "forward looking statements" that reflect the Company's current expectations and projections about its future results. When used in this news release, words such as "estimate," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which, by their very nature, are not guarantees of the Company's future operational or financial performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause Eurasian's actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors may include, but are not limited to: unavailability of financing, failure to identify commercially viable mineral reserves, fluctuations in the market valuation for commodities, difficulties in obtaining required approvals for the development of a mineral project, increased regulatory compliance costs, expectations of project funding by joint venture partners and other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date otherwise specifically indicated herein. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified in this news release, and other risk factors and forward-looking statements listed in the Company's MD&A for the six-month period ended June 30, 2015 (the"MD&A") and most recently filed Annual Information Form for the year ended period ended December 31, 2014 (the "AIF"), actual events may differ materially from current expectations. More information about the Company, including the MD&A, the AIF and financial statements of the Company, is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the SEC's EDGAR website at www.sec.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Eurasian Minerals Inc. David M. Cole President and Chief Executive Officer (303) 979-6666 Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.

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SOURCE: Eurasian Minerals Inc.

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The new taxes and the privileges of the state employees of the State have been cancelled

The Prime Minister is going back on his decision to grant immense advantages to higher level government officials immediately after they retired.

Also being cancelled is the order that would have increased taxes on certain items including passports, fiscal rolls and driving licenses.

 During an important meeting which took place last Saturday in his office, the Prime Minister made the decision to cancel the order granting certain advantages to senior civil servants, once they retired. According to this order, the President of the Republic could benefit from a severance pay of two millions five hundred thousand gourdes and the ministers and secretaries of states two million gourdes.

This was to ease their entrance back to civilian life after having lost the numerous advantages and the opportunities they were granted in their respective functions. The same order also removed the customs duties for these senior state officials in case they purchased a car. The car in question could also be housed in a garage for up two years at the expense of the state … etc. … etc. …

Also following the meeting last Saturday, a press release from the prime minister’s office canceled the increase of certain taxes. The increase had caused anger among the population and threatened two days of strikes on November 9th and 10th. The Leader of the government said that the country cannot face two more days of strikes and Evans Paul used this opportunity to express his loyalty to the Haitian population.

However, in spite of this important decision, which should have calmed the protests and returned order to the country, groups lit barricades of burning tires almost everywhere through the streets of the capital, and the police proceeded to make numerous arrests last Saturday.

Among the people who was were arrested was the singer IZOLAN who was later freed.

Evans Paul considers that the two days of strike planned for Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 will no longer serve their original purpose.

The International community issues a call for restraint

The International Community, represented within "Core Group", took note of the publication of the preliminary results of the elections of October 25th and issued an appeal to all to continue to participate in a responsible way

Sandra Honoré, the special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General and the members of the international community in Haiti, represented within "Core Group" (the Ambassadors of Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, United States of America, the European Union, and the special Representative of the Organization of American states), took note of the preliminary results of the first round of the presidential elections of October 25th and anticipated the organization of a second tour to be held on December 27th, 2015, with the local elections and the second round of the general elections in certain districts.

"The Core Group calls all the actors to deal with each and every one of the challenges, in accordance with the electoral decree. Regretting the isolated acts of violence and vandalism, observed after the announcement of the preliminary results, the Core Group asks insistently that Haitian authorities arrest and judge the people responsible for unrest to the full extent of the law.”

The Core Group repeated its call to all the actors to continue to participate in the electoral process with responsibility, respect and restraint, looking forward to the definitive results of the first round of the presidential elections as well as the preliminary results of the general and municipal election.

Little Farm Trailer Resident Fights Eviction

By NADEGE GREEN • WLRN

Clemencia Charles had just left a prayer meeting at her church. She waited for everyone to leave for the night, including the pastor. Then she returned to sleep outside on the floor.

“I didn’t tell anyone what I was going through,” she said. “I prayed and went to sleep."

Charles had been evicted from her trailer home in El Portal earlier that day in October.

Coral Gables-based Wealthy Delight purchased the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal where Charles had lived and gave the mobile home residents a deadline of February to move out.

Until February, Wealthy Delight has said it will pursue evictions against mobile home tenants who do not pay the monthly fee to lease the land their homes sit on.

In court documents, the company alleges Charles owes $1,420.

Charles denies owing any money and said she had proof she paid Wealthy Delight, but the 59-year old, who attends weekly prayer meetings, never got a chance to present her defense to a judge. In order to get what is called an evidentiary hearing, the court required her to deposit the money Wealthy Delight said she owes into the court registry.

Charles didn’t have the $1,420 and her lawyer said she shouldn’t have to deposit money she doesn’t owe. 

“This is a bar to justice,” said Evian White, an attorney with Legal Service of Greater Miami who represents Charles. “That’s not the way the justice system should work.”

Charles now is back in her home -- at least temporarily -- after a series of twists and turns in the legal system led her to file for bankruptcy to fight off the eviction.

Charles’ case gives a glimpse into the court system and some of the challenges for low-income residents who can’t afford to deposit hundreds and sometime thousands of dollars to fight an eviction case in court.

Haiti - Economy: Garius Lornick takes away the title of "The most remarkable Young person of the World 2015"

On Saturday, November 7th, 2015 in Kanazawa, Japan, the young Haitian entrepreneur Garius Lornick who was the winner of the competition, "The Ten Most Remarkable Young Haitian of 2014" TOYP organized by the Junior chamber international Haiti (JCI Haiti), was selected among thousands of candidates worldwide coming from 17 countries. He participated with 10 other finalists in the competition TOYP 2015, to take away the much sought after title of "The Most Remarkable Young Person of the World.”

After careful consideration of the jury, made up of JCI partner personalities worldwide and the consideration of the votes from Internet users, the Jury awarded the title of "the Most Remarkable Young Person of the World in 2015" to our fellow countryman Garius Lornick.

More about Garius Lonick:

"From the age of 12 years, Lonick Garius took his future and his education in his own hands. When his parents’ finances were reduced, Garius was forced to leave school and become an entrepreneur as way to insure the financial stability of his own education.

Although confronted with numerous obstacles during his first years, Garius financed his studies thanks to his entrepreneurship efforts, weaving dry banana tree leaves, to make hats, baskets and crafts for the resale. He pursued this company until he obtained his high school diploma in medical technology. Garius then launched the Center of Biological Diagnostic (Bioced), a medical initiative offering laboratory tests, and internal medicine services, psychiatry, gynecology and dental care at reduced costs, to allow low-income people to have access to reliable health care.

Because of the immense success of Bioced and his entrepreneurial experience, Garius along with six partners, launched the Superior School of Applied Nursing and Medical Technology (ESNATECH). Despite having to grapple with a number of infrastructures challenges and low registration in the first years, the percentage of children registered increased and ESNATECH offers now 1,000 classes and takes care of all the operational costs. Because of the success of the schools, a scholarship program was implemented to help young students who cannot afford to pay for such an education.

Garius developed his entrepreneurial spirit at a young age as way to finance his own education. Since then, he turned to actions to contribute to the well-being of humanity. Today, he is holds a university degree, owns four different companies, employs about 100 people and is a main agent of a laboratory, working in the screening of the HIV and supplying technical support.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 23 novembre 2015

 Haiti - Culture: The Haitian artist Black Alex passed away

The Haitian artist Jamecy Alex Pierre, better known under the name of "Black Alex", died last Friday, November 13th, 2015. This announcement was made on the airwaves of Radio Caraïbes during the show Matin Caraïbes.

More than once, rumors spread about the death of Black Alex. Personalities from the Haitian cultural world began to pay tribute to the one who was considered for a long time as the unruly child of the Haitian rap.

It was the group "King Posse" which propelled him center stage in the 90’s. Since then, he never left the heart of the many Haitians who followed the evolution of his career, as well as his setbacks.

At the beginning of this year, the star singer of the group King Posse, Black Alex, who lived for several years with HIV, converted to Protestantism in the church Shalom Tabernacle de Gloire. Thousands of television viewers watched the event. Black Alex suffered for several years of diverse health problems, including pneumonia.

Cocaine: Venezuelians arrested in Haiti
>
> 11/11/15, 6:08:24 PM: BOGOTA, Colombia — Two nephews of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores have been arrested in Haiti on charges of trying to smuggle 800 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S., two people familiar with the case said Wednesday.
>
> The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela and cast a new look at U.S. accusations of drug trafficking by top-level officials in the socialist South American nation.
>
> The two arrested men, identified as Efrain Campos and Francisco Flores, were detained Tuesday night when they arrived on a private plane in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, said Michael Vigil, the former head of international operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration, who was briefed by U.S. authorities about the undercover operation.
>
> Vigil said Campos claimed to law enforcement that he is the son of Flores and stepson of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Both Campos and Flores were traveling on diplomatic passports but don't have diplomatic immunity, Vigil said.

Haiti Elections: Thousands protest

Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Thousands of people aligned with the political opposition demonstrated in the Haitian capital on Wednesday against President Michel Martelly, accusing him of orchestrating an "electoral coup d'etat."

The protest comes after seven presidential candidates called Monday for an independent investigation of initial vote results that determined Jovenel Moise, backed by Martelly, drew 32 percent of the ballots on October 25.

Moise will go into a runoff on December 27 against Jude Celestin, of the Lapeh party, who garnered 25 percent of the vote.

The election is the latest attempt in the Americas' poorest country to shed chronic political instability and work toward development.

But Assad Volcy, spokesman for the Pitit Dessalines party, hit out at what he called an "electoral coup d'etat," as the opposition rallied through Port-au-Prince.

"We do not trust the electoral courts and the CEP," Volcy said, referring to the provisional electoral council.

"Our only recourse is the streets."

The demonstration was attended by Maryse Narcisse, who is legally challenging the results of the poll.

"I'm here to accompany the Haitian people, who demand respect for their vote," said Narcisse, who came fourth in the vote.

More protests by the opposition are expected to take place in the capital on Thursday and Friday.

The CEP is expected to announce final results of the first-round vote "in the next week," a spokesman said.

Three former Haitian prime ministers and the sitting prime minister participated in a meeting last week for the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals

In attendance were former Prime Ministers Gary Conille, Laurent Lamothe and Jean Max Bellerive. Current Prime Minister Evans Paul also made the trip to participate in the event. The conference was held at the North Miami campus of Florida International University and Miami Herald journalist Jacqueline Charles was in attendance.

This is a summary of her report about the event:

Taking place over three days, and co-hosted by Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Jean Monestime and North Miami Mayor Smith Joseph, the conference opened Thursday and ended Saturday. Its 400 attendees included a who’s who in the Haitian diaspora and Haiti politics, with keynote addresses by three Haitian former prime ministers — Garry Conille, Jean-Max Bellerive, and Laurent Lamothe — as well as current Prime Minister Evans Paul.

At the foundation of all of the addresses: leveraging the power of Haitians living abroad beyond their annual $2 billion in remittances to elevate Haiti and its diaspora.

“If we empower this Haitian diaspora, we can do good work in Haiti,” said Dr. Jean-Philippe Austin, a radiation oncologist who serves as Florida finance chair for the Democratic National Committee and a founder of Haitian-Americans for Progress. “We don’t need to do one more [non-governmental organization].”

Welcoming the focus, Haiti Central Bank Governor Charles Castel told the group that “We are really open to benefit from your expertise.” But the case of Haiti, he warned, is not simple.

“It’s a very complex and complicated situation,” he added. “Sometimes, we criticize the players of today, forgetting what we are facing, the reality of Haiti.”

That reality includes a country that’s struggling financially and facing a deepening political crisis over its recent elections. Weeks after the Oct. 25 presidential and legislative elections, opposition protests continue to grow in the country, raising questions about the fate of the Dec. 27 runoffs.

Jean Max Bellerive

What Haiti needs, he said, is “a vision; not slogans or non-realistic promises of changing everything overnight just because you think you are better men or women than the previous team.

“We need real programs that people can understand and support. To do that, we have to build teams beyond public-relations and marketing staffs,” Bellerive said. “All Haitians need to be in agreement that it’s time to change the way we do business.”

Evans Paul

Haiti’s prime minister tells S. Fla diaspora he supports vote verification. Haitian Prime Minister Evans Paul says he is open to a request by a group of presidential candidates and local observers for an independent verification of the count in the controversial Oct. 25 first round presidential elections.

But Paul, in an interview with the Miami Herald, said he also wonders if the appointment of an independent five-member commission will be enough to place trust in the country’s ongoing electoral process. “I don’t have a problem to do an independent commission,” Paul said prior to his address Saturday at the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals conference at Florida International University in North Miami. “The question is who will make up this commission because the trust crisis in Haiti doesn’t exclude anyone.

“The members of the [Provisional Electoral Council] come from institutions that the country trusts the most,” Paul added. “If you don’t trust these people, then the others who you would appoint, on what planet will you find them?”

Laurent Lamothe

Former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, who also addressed the conference Saturday, supported Paul’s call for a solution to the electoral crisis.

One of the first persons to criticize the CEP after it rejected his presidential candidacy to run for president, Lamothe said the current crisis is predictable. But the destiny of the country, he said, is hanging in the balance and something has to give.

“There needs to be a talk between all of the stakeholders,” Lamothe said, noting that he supports “every request that it would take to make the process trustworthy and transparent, and every request that would make the legitimacy of the next president to be clear and clean cut.”

Plea for the unification of Haiti with its Diaspora

The Ambassador of Canada in Haiti, Paula Caldwell St, Onge, addressed the 4th conference of the National Association of the Haitian Professionals (NAHP) in Miami last Friday. The event’s theme was “The plea and the unification of Haiti with its Diaspora ".

For the Ambassador, this subject is of major importance, because she is, like all of us, witness to the relationship of the Haitian Diaspora in Canada with its country of origin, Haiti, which Dany Laferrière, Michaëlle Jean, Fabienne Colas etc… illustrate marvelously. "The latter are perfect examples of the links which exist between Haiti and Canada."

According to her, the members of the Diaspora play a key role in the Haitian economy, especially through the numerous money transfers which they make daily.

"We can also notice that Canada’s actions are now focused on promoting economic activity at the local level, its growth, and the implementation of an environment that encourages investments whether Haitian or foreign.

To do it, Canada supported the Haitian government in the adoption of laws which guarantee this environment; it helped to build the road of Cayes-Jérémie with the aim of facilitating trade; it set up programs for financial assistance in agriculture from 2011 till 2014 with international and local partners and supplied 12.3 million dollars of credit to 9,600 agricultural entrepreneurs with the aim of stimulating national production.

The Canada’s action also allowed more than 440,000 Haitian to obtain credits for small and medium-sized enterprises. Furthermore, in association with the Haitian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Canada works to strengthen the links between the Haitian and Canadian private sectors through trade activities."

Ambassador Paula Caldwell St-Onge announced that from now on Canada is going to place sustainable economic growth at the center of its decision to contribute to the economic development of Haiti.

This will have the following objective:

·To improve the access to credit and other financial services;

·To support the improvement of the business climate and to free land titles.

·To support the development of key sectors such as agriculture, mining, tourism and the production of goods.

·To contribute to the capacity, the independence and the responsibility of the economic entities, including municipalities.

Dweynie Esther Paul became, last Tuesday, the first Haitian-American to be elected judge of a civil court in New York State.

Born of Haitian parents in Queens, Dweynie Esther Paul represents from now on the 2^nd municipal district which includes Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights and Ocean Hill around of Brooklyn (New York).

"For those who have been given a lot, much is expected! I am so much blessed and honored to be able to serve the whole community of Kings County. Today, we made history together. I share this moment with the Haitian community and our big Pan-African black community.

This victory is the result of the meeting of our communities, our talents and our resources. It also comes from a strong desire to see a fair and just judicial system. I wish to live according to the values and the aspiration of this community while I perform my duties. I am anxious to thank all those who supported me, my family, my parents and God! ", declared Judge Dweynie Paul in the Kinanm Lounge.

Dweynie Esther Paul studied at SUNY Stony Brook University where she obtained a double degree in political sciences and in social sciences, with a minor in children and family studies.

She also studied in London (England) at Middlesex University within the heart of their legal system and had an internship with the Labor Political Party (the equivalent of the Democratic Party in the United States).

Upon her return from England, she had an internship with the Honorable

Daniel Lewis of the New York Supreme Court in the county of Queens.

She continued her studies within the graduate program at Stony Brook and obtained a master's degree in public policy. Afterward, she went on to George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C., where she received her jurist's Doctorate degree.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 24 novembre 2015

 Sitting Senator shot by police in protest against election fraud

More than 50,000 were in the streets for a protest against election results they deem fraudulent.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (sentinel.ht) – Sitting Senator Steven Benoit was taken to the hospital after police opened fire on a protest against election fraud that had, beforehand, been proceeding non-violently.

Injuries sustained by sitting Senator Steven Benoit and former Senator Jean-Charles Moïse, who finished third in the preliminary election results.

Benoit was injured in the head by the gunfire of possibly rubber or real bullets. Witnesses say real rounds were being used. He was among more than 50,000 who protested against election results. The senator and presidential candidate was taken to the hospital.

Benoit accepted his defeat in the October 25, 2015, elections but like more than a dozen other candidates, believe the totalitarian ruling party of President Michel Martelly had engaged in massive fraud.

Horse shot by police after being dismounted by former Senator Jean-Charles Moïse

Another candidate, a popular opposition presidential candidate, who may be the greatest victim if the fraud decried had actually occurred, is former Senator Jean-Charles Moïse. He was dismounting a horse during the protest when witnesses say police shot rubber bullets and fired tear gas at him.

The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) of Pierre Louis Opont on Tuesday rejected calls for transparency requested by candidates, human rights and election observation organizations.

Haitian-American organizations have criticized the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General, Sandra Honoré, and members of the Core Group, for encouraging the Martelly regime to take strong measures against citizens protesting against the validity of the results.

The Core Group includes the ambassadors of the United States, France, Canada, Spain, Brazil and European Union. It is led by the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti that has employed a Barack Obama – Hillary Clinton foreign policy that began by propping up a musician named Michel Martelly in 2010.

With the Core Group’s support, Haiti’s young democracy went from one of more than 5,000 elected officials nationwide in 2010 to a totalitarian regime ruled and dictated by one in 2015.

Fedora Mathieu wins the René-Lubien Prize

Mrs. Fedora Mathieu who was born in Port-au-Prince, but has lived in Quebec since 2005 won the Prize René-Lupien annual award for an excellent master's thesis whose subject-matter is of interest to the French-speaking community in Canada. The thesis, which must be drafted in French, may be either in the field of sciences, or humanities.

Titled " The implementation of the law for the creation of housing by non-government humanitarian worker following a disaster: the Haiti case”, Mathieu’s thesis, benefited from the financial support of the prestigious Gordon F. scholarship. Its objective was to analyze the relevance of non-governmental, humanitarian worker and their legal obligations regarding business and social issues, following the earthquake of 2010. According to one of the evaluation reports, the thesis provides evidence of an "excellent understanding of the stakes, the situation, and the problems connected to the lack of legal supervision for the activities of these non-governmental, humanitarian workers. The document also possesses remarkable literary qualities, according to one of the evaluators: "I have rarely read a master's thesis so well written. The methodology is rigorous, the plan is very well followed and the organization of ideas is excellent. "

Mrs. Fedora Mathieu is the recipient of the Medal of the Bar of Paris as well as numerous other honors for her academic achievements.

HL / HaïtiLibre

Syrians coming from Haiti arrested: Three Syrians were arrested with false Greek travel documents last Saturday. Police advises vigilance and an increase in security

SIMPSON BAY - The police have arrested three (3) men, who tried to enter the country on Saturday; November 14th, using false documents.

The men in custody are believed to be nationals of Syria who arrived at the Princess Juliana International Airport around 7:30 pm on an Insel Air flight originating from Haiti. They were soon after held by airport immigration after it was discovered that the travel documents they presented were false.

The suspects were turned over to the “Back Office” at the PJIA who further investigated the documents and determined that the Greek passports the men were travelling with were indeed false. The suspects are remanded in custody pending further investigation.

In the meantime; the Police is urging members of the community to be vigilant and proceed with caution given the current situation unfolding in France.

Authorities manning critical infrastructures are urged to heighten security measures and remain alert for any suspicious activities or persons. They are also advised to contact the police immediately should they encounter any suspicious activities in these areas. (Police Force Sint Maarten)

Dominicans of Haitian descent turned into ‘ghost citizens', says Amnesty

Amnesty International report says authorities in the Dominican Republic have rendered generations of people stateless, in violation of their human rights

The Dominican Republic has violated the human rights of tens of thousands of people by stripping several generations of citizenship, according to a scathing new report by Amnesty International.

The report details decades of discriminatory practices codified into laws that have turned Haitians and their DR-born children into “ghost citizens”. These stateless people lack identity papers for work, healthcare, schooling or the right to live in either nation on the island.

“With the stroke of a pen, authorities in the Dominican Republic have effectively wiped four generations of Dominicans off the map,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty’s Americas director.

Since the 1990s, Dominican authorities have created a “legal maze” of bureaucracy to recover their papers, the group said, noting a 2013 court ruling that rendered stateless anyone born in the country to an undocumented foreign parent. The ruling was enforced retroactively to 1929, leaving as many as four generations of Dominicans of Haitian descent stateless and without valid documents.

“The ruling was outrageous,” said Chiara Liguori, Amnesty’s expert on the Caribbean and the author of the report.

“Most of these people have never claimed Haitian nationality,” she said. “Dominicans who’ve never been to Haiti, have no ties there, are now obliged to prove themselves: to say first, ‘Look I’m a foreigner,’ and then apply for naturalization over two years. And to apply doesn’t mean they’ll get it.”

The ruling rendered people stateless even outside the country, prompting protests in New York and international denunciations from human rights groups who say the government is depriving people of basic needs.

“These people have a very strong sense of belonging to this country,” Liguori said. “They want to help and make a contribution. They don’t know what to think of themselves anymore.”

The rights group says these retroactive decisions have created “a continuing cycle of alienation and marginalization down the generations”. Although there are no clear estimates for how many people are stateless, Amnesty estimates the law affects several tens of thousands of people.

In 2012, a UN and EU survey found more than 200,000 people in the Dominican Republican had at least one foreign parent and were of Haitian descent.

Children with at least one Dominican parent are entitled to citizenship, though many struggle to receive recognition.

Yolanda Alcino, a 25-year-old Dominican of Haitian descent, told the Guardian she was registered at birth but has been refused an identity card for the past eight years. The second oldest of nine siblings, she said her family illustrates “the complete, complicated reality” of life in the country – some of her brothers and sisters have papers, others do not.

“It’s hard to find work, we can’t get into school, get my children into school,” she said. “We’re discriminated against, and without education, without work, life is more difficult in almost every way.”

Alcino said that earlier this year the authorities told her that without an identity card she could not register her children or file a domestic violence complaint against their father.

“I can’t get my children their identities because of this,” she said.

The rights group interviewed dozens of people for its 60-page report, including one woman, speaking anonymously, whose daughter was unable to register.

“My daughter does not exist for the Dominican state. She is dead from a civic point of view,” the mother said.

People spoke of prejudice, beatings, work at the bottom of society, and being barred from schools and hospitals. One woman said that because she lacked papers, she had had to become a domestic worker for a wealthy family at the age of 10. The family forced her to work 15-hour days and beat her, she said, declining to use her real name for fear of being fired.

Jessica Profeta, a 14-year-old Dominican-born girl of Haitian descent, said her parents were refused a birth certificate repeatedly, and could not enroll her in school for a lack of papers. When her parents tried to enroll her in a naturalization plan, the line was so long that the office closed before her father reached the doors.

“I would like her to go to the university, to have a better future,” he said.

Programs such as a six-month naturalization initiative are insufficient, Guevara-Rosas said, since they was poorly advertised and demanded a list of papers that many could not supply. The naturalization program, for instance, expired in February and asked for testimony from a midwife or seven witnesses to prove a person was born in the country.

As in the US, undocumented workers are largely relegated to difficult work for paltry pay. Women often cannot find work except as cleaners and servants, and men often find themselves enduring brutal conditions on bateyes – sugar cane farms.

A Guide for the classification of hotels in Haiti

Last Thursday, Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries (MTIC) accompanied by Berthide Noailles, the person in charge of the national firm specialized in classification of the tourist establishments Protourism, launched the first Hibiscus Classification Guide (GCH) in Haiti.

This new reference document realized jointly by the Corporation of the Tourist Industry of Quebec (CITQ) and Protourism, is going to rate Haiti’s hotels according existing criteria held for the next Hibiscus classification campaign planned for the spring of 2016.

The GCH contains 7 main sections corresponding to the various estimated categories: rooms, bathrooms, food, interior decor, exterior of the building, services, on site activities and amenities, and sustainability of tourism.

Secretary Villedrouin mentioned that the quality required from the tourist establishments in welcoming visitors must be worthy for local as well as international tourism. "The visitors must require the nameplate of classification from the operators," supported Minister of Tourism, specifying that the Guide of Classification Hibiscus is available at the ministry for the operators so that they conform as quickly as possible.

It should be noted that the Hibiscus Classification does not take into account the quality of the service offered by establishments. However, through its Management) Training, the MTIC intends to assist the operators in the improvement of the quality of service. An entitled program "Qualicert" will soon be developed for this.

By January, 2016, the criteria contained in the Hibiscus Classification Guide will officially come into effect.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 2 décembre 2015

 Presidential Candidate Jude Celestin Says He May Not Compete in Runoff

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NOV. 27, 2015

The second-place finisher in the first round of Haiti’s presidential voting, Jude Célestin, said Friday that “no decision has been made” about whether he will take part in the scheduled Dec. 27 runoff against Jovenel Moïse, the candidate backed by the government. Mr. Célestin and seven other presidential candidates formed a coalition after asserting that the October elections and ballot-counting process were too problematic to be credible.

Evidence of massive frauds

A team of U.S.-based lawyers who witnessed last month’s Haitian elections say there is mounting evidence showing a clear pattern of systemic fraud, voter confusion and intimidation, and in some areas disenfranchisement.

The report paints a grim picture of a flawed, chaotic electoral process on Oct. 25. Not only were voting procedures inconsistently applied at poorly designed polling stations, the report notes, but the widespread use of observer and political party accreditation led to people voting multiple times and potentially accounts for as much as 60 percent of the 1.5 million votes cast.

“Without major corrective measures, these elections will represent a significant setback in Haiti’s long-struggle to consolidate democracy,” said the report based on the observations of a delegation of election monitors from the National Lawyers Guild and International Association of Democratic Lawyers Delegation.

The report’s release comes nearly a month after the vote to elect President Michel Martelly’s successor, and as the international community attempts to salvage the process amid growing and violent protest over allegations of fraud. Those accusations —political party monitors voting multiple times, ballot box stuffing and the manipulation of results at the vote Tabulation Center — have undermined many Haitians’ confidence in the announced results, despite international observers deeming them as acceptable. (Miami Herald)

Policemen injured

At least two policemen have been injured after clashes erupted between opposition supporters and police forces during a protest against presidential election results in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

One of the policemen was wounded after a protester opened fire, while the other was injured by demonstrators throwing rocks during the gathering on Tuesday.

The violence came as supporters of different opposition groups gathered to protest the results of the first round of the country’s presidential elections, which were released on Monday by the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council.

On November 24, the electoral commission said that Jovenel Moise, who is backed by the ruling party, and opposition candidate, Jude Celestin, had come out as the two top winners of the first round of the presidential election held on October 25.

The commission added that Moise had won 32.8 percent of the votes, while Celestin gained 25.3 percent.

THE HAITIAN COMMUNITY ENJOYED A THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION AT THE CARIBBEAN MARKET PLACE

By: Elsie Etheart

Miami, November 26^th 2015 – Miami celebrated Thanksgiving, along with the rest of the county, which celebrates this day every year on the fourth Thursday of November, as a day set aside to thank God for all of the blessings he has granted.

The Haitian community also had its Thanksgiving meal.

On the menu was the traditional Turkey and all of the fixings, including: mashed potato, and sweet potatoes casseroles. However, the meal had a Haitian twist – the turkey was in a Créole sauce; there was a tasso of turkey, and let’s not forget the traditional "Rice and beans.”

This year, the event did not take place at the American Legion Park, as it had in the past. Instead, it was right in the heart of Little Haiti at the Caribbean Market Place. The magnificent Gingerbread construction is hardly used, due to a lack of vendors who are able to establish themselves there, given the difficult economic conditions in the Haitian community.

So the festivities this year were held at this pleasant location on Northeast Second Avenue, adjacent to the Little Haiti Cultural Center.

The creator, of this event, Emeline Alexis Shulz, and her family celebrated their ninth edition this year, with the food being prepared by renowned Haitian chef, Fifi, and presented by servers.

One month before Thanksgiving, Emeline Alexis went on Haitian radio to promote the event, which has a special theme every year. “Victory” was the theme adopted for this year. The musical animation was provided by the group Gospel Rèv La, which came from Haiti.

About 500 people were in attendance in the large room at the Market Place, where round tables were set with white tablecloth and chairs.

About sixty leaders from the Haitian community were present, along with local and state elected officials, as well as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other the community leaders all dressed in big white aprons inscribed with “Haitian Community Thanksgiving Brunch” and traditional chef’s hats.  

They took their place on one side of the buffet table, whereas the community members in a tight line, with their plates in hand, waited to be served. The organization of the event was impeccable. There was no pushing or shoving and no raised voices. For somebody just coming from Haiti such as myself, it was impressive!

A breakfast was also served with Soup Joumou, pâté, chocolate and orange juice earlier in the day. The first part of the program was spiritual, with a catholic priest and a Haitian Pastor speaking to the audience about the necessity to give grace and thank God for the blessings received.

The second part included liturgical dances, theatrical skits, songs, and let’s not forget the traditional jokes which made the audience roar.

Then the meal was served to the audience, while about 60 public servants hurried to deliver the brunch to home-bound citizens at hospitals or at their homes.

The headliner of the day was her majesty the turkey, “KODIN.” Sadly, she was in a big iron cage, as she waited to be raffled off and eventually beheaded by her new owner. The winner of the raffle, a joyful lady, happily left with her turkey in arms. 

This year there was no wild turkey chase by the audience, the space did not allow it. Instead, there was a competition for the best turkey imitation. There was also a potato sack race, where participants had to jump over huge pumpkins, causing many falls. Those racing had to quickly get back up and continue to race, but the audience was in stiches from laughter.

Organizing such an event, has become a tradition for Emeline Alexis Schulz who is assisted by her husband Klaus, his brothers and sisters, along with numerous friends and acquaintances who all donate for the celebration. The City of Miami also contributes by providing the facility, the cleaning crew, which must put back the place to its original state prior to the party, as well as the security.

The organizers would like to express their gratitude to all those who made this year’s Thanksgiving Brunch a huge success including:

• City of Miami District 5: Keon HardemonI
• Paola Pierre (HACOF)
• Sandy Dorsainvile: Executive Director Little Haiti Cultural Center
• Publix (Aventual)
• Pasteur Joanen Floreal AKA Pastor Fanfan: Shalom Community Church North Miami
• Radio 1580am
• Build A Better Tomorrow
• Radio 1700 am
• Nuriyo Island TV
• Gabrielle Hyacinth
• Marie Etienne, DNP
• Dr .Flore Lindor-Latortue
• Marie Paule Woodson AEDAP
• Yolaine Catering (Fifi)
• Christophe Simeon
• Jan Mapou