International

Over 900 residency and work visas were issued to Haitians who entered Acre, Brazil illegally. The visas were issued by the Federal Task Force that was sent to Acre to deal with rising illegal immigration. State of Emergency was declared by Acre in the second week of April when more than 1,700 people illegally entered Acre within a fortnight. Though most of these illegal immigrants were Haitian, there were Africans and Asians too who entered the state through the route that has dense vegetation as a result of which, the border forces of Brazil cannot patrol the area properly.

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The 5th summit of ACS (Association of Caribbean States) was attended by heads of State and Government of 15 countries. The last confirmation was from Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela's President, Nicolas Maduro. The ACS summit was held at Petion-Ville located in Republic of Haiti from April 23 to April 26, 2013. The 15 heads of states who attended the summit of Association of Caribbean States were:
• Haitian President, Mr. Michel Martelly.
• President of Venezuela, Mr. Nicolas Maduro.
• Mr. Winston Baldwin Spencer - honorable Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
• The Commonwealth of Bahamas' Prime Minister, Perry Christie.
• Dean Oliver Barrow - honorable Prime Minister of Belize.
• Juan Manuel Santos Calderon - President of Colombia.
• Laura Chinchilla Miranda - President of Costa Rica.
• Danilo Medina Sanchez - President of Dominican Republic.
• Otto Perez Molina - President of Guatemala.
• Porfirio Lobo Sosa - President of Honduras.
• Enrique Pena Nieto - President of Mexico.
• Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal - President of Panama.
• St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister - Denzil Douglas.
• Suriname's President - Desire Delano Bouterse.
• Sebastian Pinera - President of Chile (the observer country of Association of Caribbean States).
Siberia, Spain, Finland, Argentina and South Korea, which are the other observer countries, also attended the summit. Secretary Generals of SELA and CARICOM and representatives of ECLAC and SICA also attended the summit. Haitian President, Michel Martelly and Foreign Affairs and Worship Minister, Pierre Richard Casimir expressed that it was a great honor for Haiti to host an international summit. The theme of the summit was "Revitalizing the Vision of the Association of Caribbean States for a Stronger and More United Greater Caribbean". During the summit, issues like improvement of maritime and air transport, disaster management and sustainable trade and tourism growth were addressed.

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It started as an outreach program dreamt up while its founder was on a medical trip to Haiti. Dr. Jeremiah 'Jerry' Lowney went to Jérémie, Haiti, to take stock of the health needs and offer his skills as a dentist in the regional clinics. Moved by what he saw, Lowney built an outpatient clinic, offering the full spectrum of care, however basic, to the families within the community. It was the birth of the HHF (Haitian Health Foundation), and is the reason for this remarkable man's new distinction, being among United States President, Barack Obama's 12 Champions of Change.

When he built the first HHF building with his own resources in the early '80's, Lowney was able to give immediate help to the poor and desperate through the clinic and other facilities housing X-ray equipment and a full laboratory. His initial effort grew to where HHF aid is offered in 104 rural communities, a representation of a quarter million of the poorest in the hemisphere.

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It has been years since Haitians have tried fleeing from their troubled country. Of late, there has been a new destination that Haitians have chosen - Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico takes them closer to the United States. In fact getting to Puerto Rico now means getting to New York, Boston or Miami. Though Haitians do not require a passport to move from Puerto Rico to one of these cities in the United States, they definitely require some kind of identification. This proof of identification could be something like a driver's license.

Fake driver's licenses and passports have been on the rise for quite some time. A huge number of Haitians, who are trying to migrate into Puerto Rico, have been caught by authorities for providing fake licenses as a means of documentation. Over 350 Haitians have been arrested in the last six months for such acts. What used to be just a handful of illegal immigrants last year has now risen up to about 400!

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With over 4.5 million Haitians living in other countries around the world, the new Minister of the Haitian Diaspora, still fresh from her inauguration, will have her ambitious work--to post representatives in each region--cut out for her. But, organizing the Diaspora in just such a fashion is what Minister of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE) Bernice Fidelia has in mind.

In regions including North America, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, Mexico, Canada etc., the Diaspora faces challenges which include, but are not defined by the issues of racism and discrimination. 2 million Haitians are estimated to live in neighboring Dominican Republic, where racism was said to be 'rampant' by a UN envoy in 2007. In the United States there is an estimated 1.2 million Haitians, and the government has turned new eyes to Haiti while making plans and reviewing their policy on immigration.

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Former student of the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras (AMAN), the School of Command and General Staff Army and the School of Cavalry Squadron Officer where he earned first place in his classes, Lieutenant General Edson Leal Pujol has made a career out of receiving important titles. As of March 27, 2013, he has added yet another to his already impressive list.

He has succeeded his countryman, Major General Fernando Rodriquez Goulart as the second successive Brazilian Force Commander of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). The announcement was made by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who went on to thank former Force Commander Goulart and express the UN's gratitude for his service in the post. In his tenure, Goulart's leadership, professionalism, and his dedication to the UN's mission of stabilizing Haiti proved to be great and necessary contributions. His legacy has left a tall order for the new Force Commander to fill.

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In synchronization, two Haitian college friends lives' have run on parallel tracks. Michel Adrien and Ulrick Cherubin are both mayors of their adopted towns in Quebec, Canada. Adrien runs the town of Mont-Laurier and Cherubin, Amos. Each has experienced popularity with their constituents, with multiple terms of office.

Cherubin, almost 70, and Adrien, in his mid-60s, first got acquainted at Port-au-Prince University during the 1960s. They had each decided on a teaching career, and it was Adrien, with better math skills, who helped Cherubin meet his general education requirements.

During Cherubin and Adrien's early life, Haiti suffered under the tyrannous reigns of François Duvalier and son, Jean-Claude. Adrien left Haiti after graduation, immigrating to Montreal. Within a year, he found a teaching position in Mont-Laurier. Although a town with little racial diversity, he felt accepted at once. Cherubin, who left Haiti in 1971, also found acceptance in Amos. He arrived there on the offer of a teaching position in 1973.

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Independent Expert on Haiti's Situation of Human Rights, Michel Forst of United Nations has resigned. This announcement was confirmed MINUSTAH's spokesperson. MINUSTAH is a peacekeeping mission working in Haiti. The spokesperson confirmed this announcement to the Caribbean Journal. He said UN Human Right Council's recent session held during the 3rd week of March, 2013 that Forst's resignation was completely on personal grounds and that Forst served Haiti as independent expert on Human Rights for 6 years since 2008.

In his final address to Human Rights Council, Forst, a native of France, said that he was really disappointed in Haiti's Rule of Law as well as human rights. He strongly disapproved a few aspects that included:
• Magistrate nomination for partisan or political ends.
• Arbitrary arrests.
• Extended pretrial detention.
• Threats given to journalists.

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From April 17th -21st the National Day of the Diaspora will be celebrated for the third year. This event was promulgated in 2011 by President Michel Martelly. The Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, Dr. Fidélia, is extending an invitation for every citizen to come and enjoy the events planned for the day, being offered free.

MHLA is partnering with the Association of the Haitian Diaspora Working in Haiti to present this year's theme, "The Real Integration of the Diaspora for a Green Haiti". It will focus on greening Haiti's infrastructure: solar energy, green buildings, agriculture, and recycling. President Martelly, as keynote speaker, will officiate on opening day, Wednesday the 17th, at Karibe Convention Center.

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A small colony of Germans colonized St. Domingue, as Haiti was known then, in Bombardopolis. The government of Haiti (GOH) received them warmly, and made them citizens when Haiti won independence from the French. By the 1850s, Germans became permanent residents.

But Germans' motives for settling there spelled trouble for GOH later on. They began meddling in the country's internal affairs, with several failed coup d'etats. As an example of their greed for power, they coerced GOH into paying exorbitant indemnities for a minor incident involving a Haitian-German at the Port-au-Prince dock. Haiti paid quickly to halt threats of violence to Port-au-Prince.

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