- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Haiti: Citizens mobilize against corruption
Several hundred people demonstrated in Port-au-Prince last Friday after a call was launched on social media to denounce the corruption and the shady management of funds lent to Haiti by Venezuela for more than a decade.
"When we see the scale of the poverty and the problems of the country regarding health, education, and environment, it is terrible to know that more than three billion dollars were wasted" said Bernard Gotchen, age 33.
In the middle of the crowd gathered in front of an administration building to oversee the management of the public money, Gotchen wears with pride his T-shirt which represented one of many slogasn shared on social media: "Kote kob Petrocaribe la?" (Where is the Petrocaribe money? In Creole)
The movement "Petrocaribe Challenge", launched in the middle of August on Twitter by Haitian personalities, called for Internet users to post photographs of themselves holding a sign requesting accountability.
This campaign of virtual citizens became a reality last Friday when several hundred people, most of them young people who had demonstrated before, took to the streets.
For 12 years, Haiti benefited from the Petrocaribe program, introduced by former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. The program allowed several Latin American and Caribbean countries to acquire petroleum products at a discounted cost, and to pay their invoices over 25 years at an interest rate of 1%.
"When Venezuela offered this program, it was certainly to help all of the small countries stop undergoing the big interest rates of the IMF and the other international authorities: they gave us a small interest rate so that we could develop. Thus, all those who stole the money have to go to prison," assured Gerdy Ithamar Pierre-Louis, a 23-year-old law student.
Chanting slogans demanding the arrest of corrupt leaders, numerous demonstrators brandished the portraits of former Secretaries and senior officials whom they accused of having badly managed, or otherwise spent for personal use, Petrocaribe funds.
In 2016 and in 2017, the Haitian senate conducted two inquiries on the misuse of about 2 billion dollars of this money. Dozens of former ministers from the party currently in power were investigated, but legal proceedings never followed.
"I am realistic: I know that there is no justice in my country and this is why we are here." Concludes Gerdy Ithamar.
DAVID BONTEMPS DIVES INTO THE ROOTS OF HAITIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC!
The pianist of Haitian origin from Quebec, David Bontemps, helps us discover the music of the " black Chopin " of Haiti.
Indeed, with the album Gede Nibo, he is inspired by a piano composition written by the composer Ludovic Lamothe in 1934. He performs a series of variations which bring quite a new picture of the music stemming from the Pearl of the Antilles.
Bontemps, who is also a pianist and a founder of the group Montreal Creole jazz Makaya, shows himself as an interpreter seriously connected to the instrumental esthetics of classical music. He was trained in a classical piano program.
Bontemps ends the program with his composition Ankh ("life" in Egyptian hieroglyphic language), written just after the earthquake which destroyed Haiti in 2010.
France officially banished smartphones and tablets at schools
By: Amelie B Publié: in August 16th, 2018
Emmanuel Macron kept his promise. The use of smartphones and tablets in elementary schools and French middle schools is now history! The National Assembly recently passed a law forbidding the use of any electronic means of communication within schools, starting this school year.
It’s no secret. The use of smartphones and tablets within schools could be responsible for several problems linked to concentration. It may also have a very negative impact on the academy performance of the pupils that use them. This is why France decided to forbid its pupils in elementary and middle school from using their electronic devices within schools. This strict measure aims at improving the students’ performance, according to specialists.
Starting next month, children and teenagers under age 15 can no longer answer their messages on Facebook, nor glance at Snapchat videos of their friends! The use of smartphones and tablets is forbidden from now on in schools, and those who dare to break this law will receive heavy penalties. Did the French become too strict with their pupils? Not really … when we know all the damage which the addiction to mobile phones can cause.
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- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Haiti: Dominican Republic : a hardening of the procedures to obtain a Dominican visa for Haitians
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic imposed new conditions on Haitians in order to obtain a tourist's visa, in spite of the Dominican government’s goal to increase the number of visitors to the country by reaching 10 million tourists, reported Listin Diario.
From now on, to obtain a Dominican visa, a Haitian candidate must supply a letter from persons living legally in the Dominican Republic who will guarantee that the applicant will not stay in the territory longer than the time granted by the visa, which is valid for 60 days and authorizes one or several entries.
The new measure also requires that an application from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs be completed.
The interested party has to include a letter requesting a visa, along with personal data such as nationality, place of residence, financial means, and the purpose of the trip. As for the financial means, the foreigner has to prove his or her financial solvency by sending a bank certificate of savings account, a check register, a checking account or a bank certificates and a letter from an employer with the date of hire, the job held, and the salary received.
These requirements are limited to the citizens of ten countries, including Haiti. Cuba, Beijing, Hong-Kong, India, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq are the nine others who are the list of countries considered as a migratory risk by the Dominicans.
Chile announces a plan to help Haitians go back home
The Chilean Deputy Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Ubilla, has just announced that his government is working on a plan to help Haitian immigrants who wish to return to their country. Indeed, the Chilean media announced last week that some Haitian immigrants who were disappointed by the reality in Chile asked the Chilean government for help to get back to their native country because they could not pay the travel expenses.
"In September, we are going to define the conditions of this social program with conditions which will provide governmental help for the air transport towards Haiti", indicated Ubilla to the press recently. The person in charge took care of specifying that the government will make sure that the trip takes place in decent conditions and that these immigrants will have to conform to the formalities which will be established.
"The Haitian community, which arrived en masse in 2017 in Chile, had expectations which were not satisfied because the reality for which they hoped does not correspond to that of our country because of the differences of language and climate, etc.", specified the deputy minister.
This desire to return to Haiti is, partially, the fault of the Haitian authorities who are delaying supplying certificates and other documents to these immigrants who cannot regulate their status. They cannot, by any means, find employment without legal status, according to the Chilean laws.
The Diaspora mobilizes
Rezo Nouvèl
Montreal: Haitians take to the street on September 1, 2018
Return the Petrocaribe money!
A protest was planned for Saturday morning, September 1st, at the Toussaint Louverture Park in Montreal. The group then planned to walk towards the Haitian consulate in Montreal at 300 Leo-Parizeau.
The purpose of the protest was to demand that the Haitian government return the Petrocaribe money that it has received over the years. “We of the Diaspora have a responsibility and a duty to show solidarity with those in Haiti who had the courage to hold the government accountable for the waste of $3.8 billion.”
PetroCaribe is an Energy Cooperation Agreement initiated by the Government of Venezuela to provide a preferential payment arrangement for petroleum and petroleum products to some Caribbean and Latin American countries. It was established on June 29, 2005 under the sponsorship of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly belongs in Jail, Not on Parkway for Labor Day
Kote Kòb PetroKaribe a?
July 7th 2018 Collective,
KOMOKODA,
"Just as our ancestors had risen up in legitimate fury against slavery on the night of August 21st, 1791, the Haitian people rose up in righteous rage against the "shithole" reality of their lives on July 6th & 7th, 2018: political, social, and economic subjugation by foreign powers; rampant corruption by government officials; and a tiny minority living in unbelievable wealth while 90% of the population lives in abject poverty.
The July 7th 2018 Collective has joined forces with KOMOKODA to denounce and to shut down Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly's presence in the New York City Caribbean community Labor Day festivities. He acts out the role of a vulgar carnival king whose popularity mde him President but in reality he was imposed as President of our country by Bill and Hillary Clinton to cover up the billions of dollars of Haiti earthquake relief money they stole. The US gave Martelly free rein to loot billions from the Petrocaribe loans and from his $1.50/money transfer and 5C/min phone call illegal tax on the Haitian Diaspora. His lewd performances are merely a cover for him to launder illicit drug money and funds stolen from the Haitian treasury.
While we salute the movement calling for accountability of the Petrocaribe billions, we want to point out that a sham Parliament cannot investigate the thieves in the Executive branch of Government, and corrupt judges with a history of selling their rulings cannot try the Pretrocaribe thieves. We join the people of Haiti in calling for a total uprooting of the system of governance which exists today in our country. Only out of the ashes of our "shithole" system will we build a new country which will benefit and give hope to all of Haiti's children.
July 7th 2018 Collective,
KOMOKODA,
Haiti: a Haitian-American is murdered upon his arrival in Port-au-Prince
PORT-AU-PRINCE - A Haitian-American, Christian Daniel, 65, traveling from Austin, Texas, to Haiti to visit his mother, was killed by strangers shortly after his arrival on August 13th, according Daniel’s niece, Vanessa Bissereth.
Christian Daniel left Haiti to come to the United States in the 90’s. He then became an American citizen. He was appreciated in his community of Runberg Lane in Austin for his talent as a handyman.
Bissereth said that before his trip in mid-August, Daniel had told his family that he planned to bring food to his mother’s village and to do odd jobs for the inhabitants, just as he did in in Austin. She declared that after Daniel landed in Haiti, three men attacked him while he left the airport and murdered him.
Bissereth said that Daniel's family in the United States learned of his death from close friends in Haiti. A state employee from the U.S. State Department confirmed that the authorities had had knowledge of the death of this American citizen in Haiti "We supply all the appropriate help to the family and offer them our most sincere condolences for this loss " declared spokespersons.
Christian Daniel leaves behind Vespa his wife; Don, his 20-year-old son who is studying at the University of Texas; and Kristine, his 14-year-old daughter.
The family also faces enormous financial difficulties to return the body to the United States and pay for burial. Bissereth launched a "GoFundMe" page at https://www.gofundme.com/eutbk9-please-help-christian-come-home
The family is asking for donations to cover the costs to transport Daniel's body back to Austin and to pay for the additional funeral expenses. As of September 3rd, $11,305 had already been received out of a $25,000 goal.
THE MAX BLANCHET BLOG
Berkeley, CA
December 2017
HAITI – 63 Years of Hurricanes (1954-2017)
Some facts and comments:
- During the last 63 years, Haiti was hit by 28 hurricanes, or approximately one hurricane every 2.3 years. In the last 15 years, the frequency has increased to nearly one hurricane every year.
- 2008 has been exceptional to date in that 3 hurricanes and one tropical storm – Gustav, Hanna, Ike and Fay -- have hit the country over a period of 4 weeks from mid August until mid September. Three hurricanes have also hit Haiti in 2007. This could very well be the result of global warming, which is projected by some researchers to increase both the frequency and strength of hurricanes in that part of the world.
- Most of the hurricanes have been of Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. A Category 3 hurricane produces maximum winds of 111-130 miles per hour and storm surges of 9-12 feet above normal sea level. See the chart below for a complete definition of the 5 categories of the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The category given for each hurricane listed on the chart below reflects its strength at its peak, which did not necessarily occur while the hurricane crossed Haiti.
- Most hurricanes (15 out of 28) have hit the Southern Peninsula or parts of it; eleven (12) have hit the northern parts of the country and the other its center. That part of the country is protected by its mountains.
- The loss of human life has amounted to 18,286 fatalities, mostly in the Caribbean and the US, with 12,697 (69%) occurring in Haiti alone. The statistics for Haiti probably understate the magnitude of the problem there.
- The impact on Haiti has been particularly dramatic over the years for three reasons:
- i) Rapid demographic growth resulting in the doubling of the population during that time frame, from 4.7 million to 10.7 million today. Haiti’s demographic density is 385 inhabitants per square kilometer. Corresponding figures for Cuba and the Dominican Republic are 97 and 192 respectively, 5).
- ii) A massive migration from the countryside to the cities where 50% of the population (5.2 million) reside today. In Port-au-Prince alone the population has grown from 200,000 to 3.0 million today. This has led to the chaotic growth of urban areas with flimsy construction taking place wherever land is available -- on steep slopes, dangerously close to ravines and gullies, and on flood plains.
iii) Massive deforestation: forest coverage has decreased from approximately 50% in the 1950’s to less than 2% today.
- All in all, these hurricanes have caused economic damages amounting to probably more than 165 (?) billion dollars mostly in the Caribbean and the United States. The figures for Haiti are not available although it is worth noting that Ike had caused damages estimated at 180 million dollars in the agricultural sector alone, according to Mr. Gué, the Minister of Agriculture. Matthey has caused 2 billion $ in losses across the South and the Center, according to a formal evaluation of the Haitian government in 2017.
- It is interesting to contrast the situation in Haiti with that in Cuba where a strong central government, seconded by equally strong local governments, has managed to control the grave problems confronting Haiti: rapid demographic growth, unbridled migration to the cities and deforestation. In addition, the Cuban government has been able to move large number of people to safe locations where their basic needs (shelter, security, food and health care) were met ahead of approaching hurricanes and during their passage. For example, shortly before Ike’s landfall one fifth of Cuba’s population (2.3 million) was moved to safe areas and shelters. Even large farm animals were moved to safe areas. As a result the human fatality rate in Cuba has been only a small fraction of what it has been in Haiti.
- Unless comprehensive, effective, muscular, and sustained measures are taken to deal with these problems and the related issue of the general inadequacy of governance in the country, we can look forward to similar calamities in the future.
- To conclude I will tell two anecdotes regarding hurricanes in Haiti. In 1954, following the passage of Hazel in the Southwest, then President Paul Magloire sent a relief czar to Jérémie to manage the reconstruction and cleanup of the area. A great deal of assistance was delivered by the US Navy to help the fallout from Hazel. So enraged were the Jérémiens over his insensitivity, incompetence, and corruption that they sent a telegram to President Magloire asking that he be recalled. Closer to us, in 2004, Jeanne devastated Gonaïves where at the very least 3000 people died and hundreds of thousands displaced. Unfortunately, as it happened so often in Haiti, the reconstruction and cleanup work was contracted out to private firms on the basis of family ties (zanmitaj) and friendship (fanmitaj) with little regard for the competence of these outfits and with the predictable result that the work was poorly or not at all executed. The supplies were typically ripped off.
Will the new governments learn from these lessons in the future and do what is right in terms of initiating the monumental task of restoring Haiti’s environmental degradation in a systematic and honest manner?
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Naomi Osaka captures US Open; Serena Williams fined, penalized game for calling chair umpire 'a thief'
NEW YORK -- Serena Williams was penalized a game for calling the chair umpire a thief during an extended argument as the US Open women's final descended into chaos, with fans booing and play delayed before Naomi Osaka wrapped up a 6-2, 6-4 victory for her first Grand Slam title.
The biggest issue for Williams on the scoreboard Saturday was that she was outplayed by a younger version of herself in Osaka, a 20-year-old who is the first player from Japan to win a major singles tennis title and idolizes the 36-year-old American.
During the trophy ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium, thousands of fans jeered repeatedly, and both Osaka, the champion, and Williams, the runner-up in her bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam trophy, cried.
Williams put an arm around Osaka's shoulder and told the crowd: "I know you guys were here rooting, and I was rooting, too, but let's make this the best moment we can. ... We're going to get through this, and let's be positive. So congratulations, Naomi. No more booing."
Added Williams, with a laugh: "I really hope to continue to go and play here again. We'll see."
A teary Osaka addressed the pro-Williams crowd, saying, "I'm sorry. I know that everyone was cheering for her, and I'm sorry that it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the match. Thank you."
She added: "It was always my dream to play Serena in the US Open finals, so I'm really glad that I was able to do that. I'm really grateful that I was able to play with you. Thank you."
Miami International airport is going to have a Haitian Restaurant
Chef Creole, the popular Haitian-American restaurant in Miami will gain a space at the Miami International Airport very soon.
The restaurant will be located in the Central terminal at MIA. That area houses Concourse E, which is dominated by American Airlines’ domestic and international flights. The airport would be Chef Creole’s sixth location in Miami-Dade.
Commissioners recently voted to award the space on a no-bid basis to Haitian-American entrepreneur Wilkinson Sejour, owner of Chef Creole. That means Chef Creole will negotiate terms with airport administration. This marks the first time that a Black business has received such a contract. Congratulations.
New Government Named in Haiti
NATION NEWS.COM
Haiti has unveiled a new government, two months after Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant, resigned following days of violent protests against fuel price rises.
The unrest started after the government unveiled a proposal to remove fuel subsidies. At least four people were killed with shops and buildings burnt and looted.
Authorities said that the new administration, headed by new Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant, will have as its first task to calm socio-economic malaise in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
Ceant, 61, is a notary who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2010 and 2016. He was named to the post on August 5 but in a sign of discord between the legislative and presidential branches it took a month to reach agreement on his 18-member cabinet.
Six members retained their jobs from the previous cabinet. (CMC)
A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IS PLANNED FOR THE LITTLE HAITI AREA
Haitian Times
A property that for decades was home to a trailer park is to be reborn as a major mixed-use development bringing thousands of residential units, hotel rooms, nearly 350,000 square feet of commercial-retail uses and more than 1.9 million square feet of offices to the City of Miami.
If that’s not ambitious enough, the developers of Magic City Innovation District hope to attract a railroad station too as passenger rail grows in the region.
The project is on its way to the Miami City Commission for review and final approval, with a first reading tentatively set for Sept. 27.
Magic City Innovation District is planned for 6001 NE Second Ave., and the development team promises major investment and new employment opportunities for Little Haiti and vicinity.
The project would rise in phases as part of a Special Area Plan (SAP) under the city’s zoning code.
Attorney Neisen Kasdin represents the developers, MCD Miami LLC and its affiliate co-applicants.
In paperwork submitted to the city, Mr. Kasdin said the proposed Magic City Innovation District SAP consists of 37 abutting parcels in Little Haiti totaling about 17.75 acres.
Argentina Next Best Bet For Haitians As Chile Tightens Immigration Controls
Haitians emigrating to South America from their native country have traditionally chosen Chile as an adoptive home, based in part on its relative economic security. However, after President Sebastián Piñera revoked on-arrival tourist visas in April, the numbers have been dropping and those unable to stay in Chile have turned their gaze to neighbouring country Argentina.
Right-wing Piñera’s decision in April had immediate results, and since May, more Haitians are leaving Chile than entering the country, Economia y Negocios explained.
For those who do not wish to return home, Argentina is their new prospect. General Director of Legal Technique at the National Migration Management Group, Diego Enriquez, told Economia y Negocios that there had been an explosion of Haitians attempting to enter the country as tourists. However, Argentine authorities have been turning them away for not meeting the conditions required for being a tourist.
“We ask them a few simple questions; where they’re going to stay, their flight ticket, if they have any funds or a credit card, or if they have any relations or someone they’re coming to see,” he explained. “Faced with this simple interrogation, they cannot respond. It’s clear that they’re coming to Argentina not for tourism purposes, but rather to settle down or something else.”
HAITI HOLDS THE FIFTH PLACE FOR DEPORTED INDIVIDUALS FROM THE U.S.
HAITIAN TIMES
The U.S. deported 5,578 Haitians in 2017, a rise of 1699 percent from 310 in 2016
The increase is largely due to the Obama administration resuming deportations in late 2016 after suspending the majority of them due to major disasters in Haiti
The timing of the deportation spike coincided with a 203 percent increase in Haitian arrivals at the Southern U.S. border in 2016, which has since tapered off
The Trump administration has also made it harder for Haitians to come to the U.S., eliminating their eligibility for temporary agricultural and seasonal visas
Regardless of who made the policy changes, Haitian communities are feeling 'targeted' for deportation, said Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Boston-based Immigrant Family Services Institute
'There is a long list of people who have been deported over the last several months,' said Gabeau, who is Haitian.
'It's something that the community is not always aware of as people are deported so quickly that we don't have time to find out what's going on,' she told DailyMail.com. 'It's a way to get rid of as many of our brothers and sisters as possible.'
The Haitian population in the U.S. has risen steadily since at least 1980, and tripled between 1990 and 2015, according to a Migration Policy Institute analysis of Census data.
America has the largest Haitian migrant population in the world, with Florida and New York home to the nation's largest Haitian communities.
- Détails
- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Haiti finally has a new government after riots over fuel prices
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES of the Miami Herald
A well-known public notary who twice ran unsuccessfully for president became Haiti’s newest prime minister on Sunday after the Lower Chamber of Deputies overwhelmingly approved his political program and cabinet.
Jean Henry Céant’s ratification came after both chambers of parliament held separate back-to-back marathon sessions that began Friday afternoon in the Senate and ended shortly after sunrise Sunday with the vote in the Lower Chamber. Eighty-four deputies voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratification. Five were against and four abstained
One of the first tests awaiting him will come from the International Monetary Fund, which is awaiting the sitting of the new government to address the issue of the removal of fuel subsides — it still wants the fuel hikes, it has said. Meanwhile, international aid is decreasing and the local currency, the gourdes, continues to devalue.
In office for 19 months, Moïse is hard-pressed to show that his presidency is having an impact. He has been at odds with the international community, especially the Trump administration over the question of its support of Venezuela. His own police chief and his flagship public works program known as the Caravan of Change has been criticized by even his own supporters.
“The strategies the president have adopted are not good,” Sen, Kedlaire Augustin, a Moïse supporter, told Céant, while wanting to know if he will have the courage to stand up to the president. “How are you going to help the president have the courage to stand before the nation and tell them the state of the country’s finances so we don’t keep making promises?
“The president needs to have the courage to say he has problems,” with a part of the international community, the private sector and the police, Augustin said.
Augustin was among those who did not vote in favor of Céant, telling him he would abstain because he remained unsure of his sincerity and why he wanted the job.
Céant replied that he and the president shared the same vision of a better Haiti, and asked Augustin and others to join him.
“Today every Haitian, despite how they see themselves, should finally realize there is no first class or economic class in an airplane that’s in distress,” he said. “Everybody has to put their hands together, otherwise we will all perish together.
The United States demands that corrupt Haitian leaders pay for their acts!
The level of corruption and impunity among Haitian leaders is beginning to worry the international community
New York City, Friday, September 7th, 2018 - Ambassador Jonathan a representative of the United States at the United Nations, gave a speech during a U. N. Security Council Board meeting recently, during which he called upon the Haitian government to work with the MINUJUSTH and its international partners to strengthen its institutions in the judicial sector. He also called for the Haitian government to work with organization fighting against the corruption and to promote the judicial reforms to fight against the impunity and strengthen the rule of law.
Jonathan Cohen praised the Haitian National police force, for acting to protect the civilian population and abstain from any action which would have fueled the violence, during the riots of July 6 – 8, 2018.
The efforts of the PNH "allowed to avoid an escape of prisoners from the national penitentiary, which would have made even an extremely unstable situation in the city center of Port-au-Prince even more complex," noted the American diplomat. However, he added that that it is necessary to make more progress in the fight against corruption.
While he warned against the politicization of the police, Cohen also added that it is imperative that the corrupt individuals and anyone else involved in human rights violations should be held responsible for their acts.
5 people died following a lightning strike in Belladère
5 people were killed due to a lightning strike, in the afternoon of Thursday, September 13th, 2018. Heavy rains and a lightning storm in Belladère caused the deaths of the five victims, according to the on-line AlterPresse agency.
The United Nations has a new representative in Haiti
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, recently announced Mrs. Helen Meagher La Lime's appointment, as his special Representative and Head of mission of United Nations for the support for the justice in Haiti (Minujusth).
Mrs La Lime succeeds in her fellow countryman Mrs. Susan D. Page to whom the General Secretary expressed his gratitude for her dedication and her effective leadership at the head of Minujusth.
Ambassador to Haiti has a message for young professionals in Miami.
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
The U.S. ambassador to Haiti appealed for more engagement of the Haitian diaspora, telling a group young professionals in Miami that businesses in Haiti can benefit from their mentorship and knowledge as successful entrepreneurs.
“They need your help, your advice in order to scale up their enterprises to the next level,” Michele Sison said, delivering Saturday’s keynote address at the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida’s annual 20 Under 40 Top Young Professionals award ceremony. “Together, you are a strong force that could help shape the Haitian-American partnership in the years to come. We want to partner with Haiti in that.”
Speaking to the Miami crowd, Sison acknowledged that Haiti could do more to attract foreign and domestic investment. Many of the people she spoke to, she said, have said the Haitian government needs to improve the ease of doing business in Haiti by strengthening contract enforcement and contract liability.
“Donor support to help Haiti with its development and broader social and economic needs is not enough,” she said. “Haiti also needs increased domestic and foreign investment.
“There has never been a stronger case for fair , open and transparent government strengthened by a strong and independent judiciary,” she later said while noting that this is one of the first conversations she intends to have with the country’s next government. “These are all key ingredients for economic growth.”
In addition to stressing diaspora involvement, Sison touted some of the domestic revenue mobilization programs the U.S. has embarked on in Haiti to encourage Haitian self-reliance and resiliency. Among them,working with Haitian institutions, like municipalities, to increase government revenue streams through property tax and business tax collections.
“This works,” she said. “In some municipalities revenues increased.”
ACLU Asks Federal Judge To Release Haitian Asylum Seeker Jailed For 2 Years In Chardon
(Haitian Times, Sept. 12, 2018) The American Civil Liberties Union has asked a federal judge to order the immediate release of Ansly Damus, a Haitian immigrant who has been jailed in Geauga County for nearly two years as the government continues to appeal his asylum award.
Damus was an ethics teacher in Haiti and in one of his seminars used local government official Benjamin Ocenjac as an example of someone who used bandits to terrorize the population. “La Meezorequin” (“the Shark Bones Army”), an armed gang loyal to Ocenjac, beat Damus, set his motorcycle on fire and threatened his life, according to court documents.
About ten days later, Damus fled first to Brazil, and then to the United States, where he immediately presented himself for asylum at the California border in October 2016.
He has been held since then by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Geauga County Safety Center in Chardon. He has twice been granted asylum by a U.S. Immigration Court judge in Cleveland, finding his fear of persuction credible and determining that he had not firmly resettled in Brazil, which might have nullified an asylum claim. But the government has denied his release as it appeals those rulings. (Haitian Times)
Haitian designer runs new fashion brand in Hanoi
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Stanley Lucas < |
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- Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti
Haitian man served five years after getting framed. Now, he’s suing Biscayne Park cops
BY JAY WEAVER
September 18, 2018 07:34 PM
Updated September 18, 2018 08:10 PM
Clarens Desrouleaux, a Haitian man who served five years in prison after being framed for unsolved burglaries by Biscayne Park police, is accusing the town and three officers of violating his civil rights in a federal lawsuit.
Desrouleaux, 41, was deported to his native Haiti after he completed his prison term last year. But last month, Miami-Dade prosecutors threw out his conviction after discovering that a former Biscayne Park police chief and two officers pinned three home break-ins on him that he did not commit in January 2013.
Desrouleaux’s lawyer filed the lawsuit on Friday, the very day that former Police Chief Raimundo Atesiano pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring with the other two officers in depriving the former El Portal man of his civil rights. Atesiano also admitted in court papers that he violated the civil rights of two other black men framed for other burglaries in Biscayne Park while he served as chief during 2013 and 2014.
Atesiano, 52, faces between 2 and 2 1/2 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. The other two officers, Charles Dayoub and Guillermo Ravelo, who also pleaded guilty after admitting to falsely arresting Desrouleaux, are awaiting sentence, too.
(HAITIAN TIMES)
Petition against foam utensils in Haïti
Dear citizens, supporters of the petition, please urge the Haitian government to apply the Ministerial decision of July 10, 2013, which bans the production, the importation, the commercialization and the utilization, in any form of polythene bags and other objects in polythene expanded (PSE or PS or Styrofoam) for single use, such as trays, bottles, bags, cups and plates.
It’s hygienic, practical, light, and very cheap. Small dessert plates, large containers, soup bowls, plates, large cups, lunch boxes; it is unavoidable. In Haïti, it can be found everywhere, in cooperation agencies, in NGOs, in Ministries, in restaurants, on the street, in the trees, in the ravines, in irrigation canals, in mangroves, in the sea and in the fish.
It’s a cancer. It’s a time bomb. It clogs the sewers. It pollutes. It does not decompose; it can’t be recycled. It breaks apart in tiny polluting particles. The smoke is highly toxic when burned. We call it bwat manje, anbwate, fòm, foam or Styrofoam.
It embarrasses (more or less and less than more) policy decision-makers and well-meaning organizations. And, all are outlawed since the Ministerial order of July 10, 2013 «banning the production, the importation, the commercialization and the utilization, in any form of polythene bags and other objects in polythene expanded (PSE or PS or Styrofoam) for single use, such as trays, bottles, bags, cups and plates. »
Another decree that stops nothing…
Higher incomes for mango farmers in Haiti
AUTHOR: RIK NIJLANDSeptember 2018
Wageningen researchers did a study for the World Bank to see how mango farmers could earn more from exports to the US.
‘A lot of mangos disappear or end up as juice in Haiti before they get to the harbour in Portau-Prince,’ says researcher Rene Oostewechel of Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. He and Jan Brouwers of Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation did a study for the World Bank to see how mango farmers could earn more from exports to the US.
This would require technical improvements such as different cultivation methods, good timing of the harvest and better refrigeration. The Wageningen experts also recommended setting up a more transparent system of trade, which the World Bank wants to experiment with. ‘This is a new form of Fairtrade, in fact,’ says the researcher.
For every box of mangos, the harvest location and temperature during transport are recorded digitally using blockchain technology, as are the costs of trading and transport.
The payment system is linked to this data. The Haitian farmer owns the mango until it reaches the supermarket shelf. In the end he is paid the difference between the sale price in the shop and the costs accrued along the way. Currently, farmers sell their mangos for a few cents per fruit before they have even harvested them.
Yet the new system may pose some dangers, warns Oostewechel. ‘The farmers get their money later and they run more risk – if something goes wrong in transit for example.’
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(Haitian Times)
The Japanese of Haitian origin, Naomi Osaka qualified for the semi-finals in the Tokyo tournament by beating the Czech Barbora Strýcová in two set (6-3; 6-4).
The number 3 seated player who propelled herself to the summit by winning her first major title during the US OPEN at the beginning of the month, was not in a great shape against the Czech, but she still managed to succeed.
" I played three times against Barbora Strýcová and every time, it was very difficult," declared Osaka which succeed 6 aces in the match. " I think that it is almost impossible to play perfectly every match. I knew that I did not play so today, but I still adjusted and I managed to win. I never know why certain things do not work, but I have the feeling that it is my job to do my best in this situation,” continued the # 7 world ranked-player during a press conference after the match.
Petro-Caribe: Haitians in the streets of Miami denounce the corruption in Haiti
Florida, Saturday, September 15th, 2018 ((rezonodwes.com)) - The members of the Haitian Diaspora living in Miami demonstrated regarding #PetroCaribeChallenge during the afternoon of Saturday, September 15th.
In a sit-in organized in front of the General Consulate of Haiti in Miami, situated at 259 SW 13th St #3, the demonstrators demanded that Haitian authorities bring to the light as soon as possible any waste of the funds of the Petro Caribe program.
"We organized this movement to demand the rendering of accounts on the 3.8 billion dollars of the program Petrocaribe, the use of $1.50 taken for more than seven years from every money transfer of money directed to Haiti and the 5 cents collected on every entering phone call," declared one of the organizers of the movement who wished to remain anonymous.
Unfortunately, there were no signs or banners in English. That’s unfortunate, because the whole world should be alerted.
The Haitian actress Fabienne Colas, is a finalist for the "Businesswomen of Quebec" award
Fabienne Colas is in 7th place among 30 women finalists for the 2018 "Businesswomen of Quebec," organized by the Network of the Women of Quebec in cooperation with VidéoTron Affaire and Telefilm Canada.
The 39-year-old actress said she delighted by this recognition on her Facebook page: "To be among 30 finalists for the Businesswomen of Quebec Award, fills me with pride. A recognition for my commitment for diversity and inclusion through the Colas Foundation, my initiatives, my programs and seven festivals created in Canada, in the United States and in Haiti."
Born in Port-au-Prince, on March 18th, 1979, Fabienne Colas represented Haiti to several beauty contests abroad. In Haiti, she won the star and Golden Ticket award for best actress for the movie Barikad, directed by Richard Sénécal. She also received a nomination for the same movie from the Haitian Entertainment Awards in Florida.
Trump to Cap Refugees Allowed Into U.S. at 30,000, a Record Low
WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to cap the number of refugees that can be resettled in the United States next year at 30,000, his administration announced on Monday, further cutting an already drastically scaled-back program that offers protection to foreigners fleeing violence and persecution.
Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, announced the limit at the State Department, saying it reflected the “daunting operational reality” of addressing what he called a “humanitarian crisis” involving people claiming asylum in the United States.
The number represents the lowest ceiling a president has placed on the refugee program since its creation in 1980, and a reduction of a third from the 45,000-person limit that Mr. Trump set for 2018.
The move is the latest in a series of efforts the president has made to clamp down on immigration to the United States, not only through cracking down on those who seek to enter the country illegally, but by making it more difficult to gain legal entry.
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It is also the culmination of a quiet but successful effort by Stephen Miller, the president’s senior policy adviser, to severely restrict the number of refugees offered protection inside the country. As one piece of his broader push to narrow a variety of legal pathways for migrants to make their way into the United States, Mr. Miller had pressed for capping the program at as low as 25,000 people, according to people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.
Others inside the administration, including in the Department of Defense and, initially, the State Department, had supported maintaining the 45,000-refugee ceiling, these people said.
Mr. Pompeo, who was pivotal to the decision, had privately argued last month for keeping the number where it was, they said. He kept his final recommendation for a deep cut under wraps until Monday afternoon, when he announced it from the Treaty Room of the State Department.
In doing so, he adopted an argument made privately by Mr. Miller: that the United States needed to prioritize hundreds of thousands of people who have arrived at the United States border, claiming a credible fear of returning home, rather than refugees overseas who have already officially qualified as in need of protection and resettlement in another country.
“Some will characterize the refugee ceiling as the full barometer of America’s commitment to vulnerable people around the world,” Mr. Pompeo said. “This would be wrong.”