100 Years Anniversary of US Occupation of Haiti

While the present UN military force (MINUSTAH) is reaching its 11th year, many political observers are watchful to find similarity between the earlier occupation and the present occupation by the MINUSTAH. In October 2010, the UN soldiers from Nepal had introduced cholera epidemic in the country that took over 8000 lives. Moreover, the present foreign domination has become the root causes of several violations at all possible levels, whether it is economic, human, civil, cultural or key decisions involving country's progress. With their extreme negative consequences, a collective reflection is very important because it has enough potential to inspire patriotism.

We may recall that in the beginning, Citigroup, a powerful private City Bank of New York bankers, with an intention to destabilize the Haitian economy, refused to pay Haitian workers their hard earned money for work done on a foreign financed Haiti railroad construction. Then they brought the U.S Marine in Haiti to secure good business and revenues. Gradually, the banking, deep water ports and Haitian customs receipt, and every other important means were shifted to the hands of the foreign invaders. Haiti's gold reserves were shifted to the vaults of the National City Bank of New York and Haitian Gourd was linked to the U.S Dollar instead of earlier gold reserve. Earlier, there wasn't any Haitian migration to other countries, but it was organized and encouraged by the Americans after the occupation. Between 1915 and 1931, about 400,000 Haitians emigrated on U.S arranged boats to Cuba to work in the sugar cane plantations. Mass migration led to a food and economic crisis that further forced many people to migrate to the Dominican Republic. The U.S military found and secured a strong foothold in Haiti hundred years ago and that tradition is still continuing with the MINUSTAH.

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