Haiti Observer Blog

Former head of presidential security, Mr. Carel Alexander will now serve as the director-general of Haiti's Ministry of Defense. During a ceremony on Tuesday, Defense Minister Jean Rodolphe Joazile announced Alexander's appointment. As the new director-general, Alexander will coordinate, monitor, and liaise all the ministry's technical and external services. He will closely work with Joazile.

In his speech, Carel Alexander, a former commander of the Corps of Intervention and Maintenance of Order and former head of presidential security, expressed appreciation over the appointment. He said that being named as the new Defense Ministry director-general is a chance for him to serve the country once again. He vowed to commit himself to the efforts of the Defense Ministry to protect the country and ensure peace and order. He promised to utilize his skills, knowledge, and capabilities to support the ministry's initiatives and to carry out the tasks given to him.

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There was a case of smuggling in Cite Soleil that will soon be coming to a head. In a country as desperately poor as Haiti, contraband or the transportation of illegal goods, also known as smuggling, constitutes a major portion of crimes committed in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Recently, a crack-down on the crime of smuggling has been initiated at the Institutional Committee, in the office of Prime Minister-Elect Laurent Lamothe.

The genesis of the crack-down began when Director General Fresnel Jean-Baptiste of the General Administration of Customs (AGD) sent his agents to lock-down a warehouse in Cite Soleil, whose contents held a wealth of smuggled merchandise from outside the country that had snuck through Port-au-Prince customs. Among the items discovered were 74 bags of frozen peas, 1,500 bags of milled corn, 250 cases of Mazola oil, and 495 gallons of Alberto oil.

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Muscadin Jean Yves Jason, former mayor of Haiti capital of Port-au-Prince, fell in hot water as the authorities investigate the recent devastating fire in the public market. Jason received a subpoena to appear in court amid the investigation. His lawyer, Andre Michel, confirmed the reports but said that the former mayor would not heed the summons due to several confusions in the subpoena. Michel expressed ire over the court invitation, saying that it was a form of "political persecution" orchestrated by the authorities who want his client to be the suspect in the fire. He laid down the reasons why he did not advise his client to appear in court despite the subpoena.

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The soldiers, who were fully armored, stayed outside the legislative building and were unable to enter the building. The soldiers had 3 pickups and a bus, all with obscured number plates, and were trying to air their grievances. The demobilized soldiers interrupted a meeting that was ongoing. The members present in the meeting were to form a commission that will be vet viability of designated Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe.

The Demobilized Haitian soldiers were protesting against actions that will be taken by the minister for justice and I quote his sentiments, "I will seek police officers in special units of the police, and send them to attack the military that are on bases." They said they are in the constitution and that cannot be changed by anyone.

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Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe has set his sights on corruption, fraud, and smuggling in the country. He announced his determination and commitment to battling these crimes at a meeting with representatives of the Economic of Private Sector of Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The attendees of the meeting discussed measures aimed at fighting corruption in the government and other sectors, as well as tax fraud and smuggling incidents occurring along the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Lamothe called for a public-private partnership among the business people in order to crackdown on Corruption, Tax Fraud and Smuggling. The Haitian Prime Minister said the partnership can create a new policy aimed at making a much-needed change. Laurent Lamothe believes that putting an end to such crimes can lead to higher government revenues. And higher revenues mean better resources for the government to use in development efforts.

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To alleviate corruption countrywide, mainly in the border with the Dominican Republic, the Haitian government declared the creation of a National Security Agency. The announcement came in public on June 12 of this year. About 2,500 persons will join the agency to monitor the traffic of goods in the border, said Interior Minister Thierry Mayard Paul. Smuggling causes the country an annual loss of $ 500 million. There will be several unit of the National Security Agency including civil protection, fire-fighter, environmental police, the permanent secretariat for risk and disaster management and coast guard, the Interior Minister added.

Haiti is one of the most corrupted countries in the world according to different international organization's survey reports. Development of the country has seriously been being hampered for quite long because of corruption. Therefore, to fight corruption the Haiti initiated a movement against corruption in the first week of June. 40 members of the electoral board and government officials who were engaged in corruption were identified in that campaign and detained. A total asset worth $92,000 was found by their name, allegedly from public funds.

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The Haitian Coast Guard which is the Marine Unit of the National Police Unit of Haiti is one of the best things the country has ever had in a very long time. It is the only reason why there are eventful and success in what the country is trying to achieve as they play a very big role in their work. Among the many things the police unit has been able to achieve is a good and functional coast guard service unit that is very much functional and efficient at what it does.

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Known as Jean Tatoune, Jean Pierre Baptiste is one of the few Haitians who have made a name for himself for openly showing his contempt for two Haitian presidents and making significant contributions towards their ousting from the throne of power. He first came into the limelight in 1985 when he courageously organized demonstrations against the corrupt and dictatorial rule that was the landmark of the Duvalier rule. The city of Gonaives was the base of his operations and he was greatly loved if not respected.

After the Duvalier rule came to an end, Aristide took over. Jean Pierre Baptiste (alias Jean Tatoune) did not spare him either; he led a strong revolt in 1994 that was dubbed the Raboteau massacre after 15 to 25 people were killed in cold blood. This action led to a trial in 2000, after which he was convicted and imprisoned in his hometown of Gonaives.

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Smuggling is a punishable crime of transporting goods, and even individuals, illegally or without lawful means. This has been a growing global problem for countries that rely on the import and export exchange market. Smugglers cheat their way in without paying the proper taxes and their illegal merchandise such as drugs, firearms, and other contrabands.

The Caribbean is known for its growing smuggling problem because of the easy back-and-forth transportation between islands which lack sufficient security and checkpoints, most especially to Florida. In Haiti, smuggling has been quite rampant with discovered contrabands such as cocaine and guns that were easily entered to the country.

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The Cannibal Army, which initially was known as Popular Organization for the Development of Raboteau came into being in the 1980s under the stewardship of Amiot Metayer. It was formed with an aim of resisting the dictatorial rule of Duvalier and was a major oppose of the 1991-1994 military regime. This made it vulnerable and increased its risk of being attacked by the army, a fact which led to what is known as the Raboteau massacre.

Following the restoration of the rule of law, the Cannibal Army became one of the most powerful gangs to be hired by politicians to bring down opponents. This was done by often utilizing some crude and uncivilized means to achieve their goal. It is said that its leader, Amiot Metayer, swore his allegiance to President Aristide and was often called upon to rein terror upon his political enemies.

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