International

State Department Special Coordinator for Haiti, Kenneth Merten. Haiti's recent parliamentary elections were beset with random episodes of violence at the polls. There was vandalism, looting, and gunfire at some polling stations. Many political parties have criticized the Provisional Electoral Council (PEC), in particular, for being behind the disturbances with the motive of trying to keep citizens from voting, or to getting them to vote for certain candidates by offering bribes to them.

The Obama government sent State Department Special Coordinator to Haiti, Kenneth Merten, to consult with various political players. The U.S. wants Merten to stress to electoral participants elections must be fair and inclusive, and follow the PEC's calendar. Because of weak voter turnout, 18% by PEC's reckoning and 4-5% by electoral observers, political parties are demanding cancellation of the first round of parliamentary elections. They are also asking for PEC President, Pierre Louis Opont, to be ousted and a provisional government take charge of elections.

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As per news report dated August 21, 2015, with the start of repatriations of undocumented aliens under the National Regularization Plan (PNR) by the Dominican Government since Saturday, August 15, the Haitian Foreign Minister Lener Renauld on Wednesday (August 19) has said that simply deporting some people living in the D.R, illegally with undocumented status, does not warrant Haitian authority to accept them as their compatriots. Without adherence to the protocol established between the two States earlier in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS), Haiti cannot accept or receive persons at risk of statelessness in its territory. We may recall that Haiti and Dominican Republic had signed a "Memorandum of understanding on the mechanisms of repatriation between the Dominican Republic and Haiti" on December 2, 1999.

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Following the decision of the Haitian government to put some restrictions and conditions on certain Dominican products arriving in Haiti in order to insure quality and that the imported products are taxed appropriately, many who have been benefiting from the status quo are putting out all kind of arguments to convince the government to go back to its decision. We who love Haiti and want the situation to be changed have an obligation to support our government.

Effective October 1, 2015, a total of 23 Dominican products will no longer be allowed to enter Haiti by land but either by boat or plane. In addition, only two cities are designated to receive these imported products, Port-au-Prince or Cap Haitian.

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After years of conducting uncoordinated politic toward the Dominican Republic; after so many years of Master/ servant relationship between the two countries, I am feeling a little bit hopeful with this decision of the Haitian government to put restriction on 23 Dominican-made products in direction to Haiti. This marks a turn in decades of allowing the Dominican Republic to export everything they want to us with any restriction.

Haiti accounts for $1 billion annually of Dominican imports. I want to make an important correction in that figure; this is an official number which does not take into account the illegal trades. In addition, Haitians currently studying in the neighboring country also contribute largely to the Dominican economy.

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It is clear that the Dominican authorities did not take the recent decision of the Haitian authorities to ban 23 Dominican products from from the road, with grace and resignation. Having an understanding of what the decision will likely do their economy, Industry and Commerce minister of the Dominican Republic, Jose del Castillo, already sees room for talk with the Haitian government in order to come to an understanding regarding the ban.

Jose del Castillo said the Haitian government needs to analyze the possibility of withdrawing the measure which will affect not only Dominican industry, but also Haitian merchants and transporters. He estimated that having the products transported by sea or air as suggested by the Haitian authorities suggested would raise costs.

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New York City to release Haitian Creole Immigrant Rights and Services manual

In acknowledgement of the Haitian immigrant community and their contributions to the building of New York City (NYC), Controller Scott Stringer has issued a Haitian Créole version of the Immigration Rights and Services (IRS) manual.

At a media event held at Flatbush Caton Market, Stringer announced the news in the presence of Haitian Council Member, Mathieu Eugene, and Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte. Other Haitian and Caribbean civic and government representatives were also there.

The IRS manual is 70 pages of resources in areas of health, legal, social, and education. It also includes information on public benefits, voting, and civic participation. IRS is an important tool for Haitian immigrants newly arrived to the metropolis, and will be distributed to immigrant communities in five NYC boroughs.

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Mysterious contaminated wheat flour from Dominican Republic. The ministers of trade and industry, public health, and agriculture issued a statement regarding imported flour sent by the Dominican Republic to Haiti. Their concern focuses on the very high levels of potassium bromate and azodicarbonamide that have been detected, injurious to humans. The ministries took immediate action, ordering the wheat flour supply off the market. It is deemed not acceptable for human consumption by sanitary and phytosanitary standards by the World Trade Organization (WTO) regulators. Further importations of the contaminated wheat flour will be subject to quarantine, until it is determined the shipment is in compliance with WTO regulatory standards.

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Black Activists want Obama to Address DR Human Rights Abuses

A U.S. coalition of black activists and immigrants, Rights4AllInDR, are putting pressure on Obama to take a tougher stance regarding the Dominican Republic's (DR) immigration policy, which has made Haitian migrants and their Dominican-born children stateless. The protests of R4ADR are driven by the DR's resolution to deny previously uncontested citizenship to undocumented immigrants' offspring. Even Haitians with Dominican bloodlines are being denied citizenship rights.

The international community believes racism the reason behind the DR's Constitutional Court ruling in 2013, retroactively making Haitian migrants, their Dominican-born children, and children of Haitian-Dominican unions stateless. In other words, Haitians are black and therefore inferior.

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Organization of American States (OAS) issued a report, stating policies and practices implemented by the Dominican Republic (DR), under immigration reform, have risked rendering people stateless, as well as initiating a humanitarian crisis at the DR / Haiti border. OAS activists organized at the OAS building, then walked the half mile to the White House gates. There they protested loudly, carrying placards and demanding rights for everyone in the DR. Obama as yet to make a public statement on the issue. The U.S.'s gesture has been to send humanitarian aid to those in refugee camps on the border.

The international community has been vociferous in its denunciation of DR denationalization policies, pleading with them to carry out deportations humanely. Why the U.S. has not definitively expressed its opposition to the harsh immigration policy is perplexing. Rights 4 All in DR's, France Francois, thinks it sly Obama would fly to Africa to discuss human rights but ignore the ". . . human rights crisis . . . taking place right in our backyard." So far over 40,000 Haitians and Dominican-Haitians have deported themselves in fear of inhumane treatment. The majority of them are camped along the border.

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Sullivan Street Bakery, the famous wholesale bakery and retail café of New York City is opening an outlet in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood. Its founder, Jim Lahey is known as "no-knead bread pioneer", a 2015 James Beard nominee for best baker. Sullivan Street Bakery has 2 restaurants (Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea) in the New York City and supplies bread to more than 250 New York restaurants. Lahey hopes to have the same business here, expecting little competitions from Zak Stern's Wynwood bakery, and some other good restaurants of Miami.

The strategic location of the new restaurant supports his plan to the point of wholesale business. His bread recipe, which requires more time than effort, is one of the most popular recipes the New York Times has ever published. The new bakery will be opened at the Lemon City Square building over an area of 4,000 square feet. In Little Haiti the owner Jim Lahey is partnering with Steven Perricone of Perricone's Marketplace & Café (Miami's best Italian restaurant) in Brickell. The location of the lease is on the eastern border of Little Haiti, where the upcoming commercial activities are heating up gentrification. Perricone's Upper Eastside Partners bought two plots, an 18,530-square-foot site, in May for $2.76 million. Lahey has plans to add one branch of "Co pizzeria" here. "Co" is his first pizza restaurant opened in Chelsea in 2009 where Lahey put his own spin on pizza while celebrating artisanal food culture and communal dining keeping bread as the centerpiece of the meal.

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