Haitian Multi-Millionaire Linked to Kidnapping Rings

The arrest of Stanley Handal, a multi-millionaire suspected to be a ring leader of the kidnapping enterprise, seems to corroborate the many reports which suggested all along that the materminds of the kidnapping phenomenon are rich and powerful individuals from Haiti‚s ruling elite
who have powerful connections in the banking industry and within a faction of the post-coup government, and who, as identified by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, are the primary owners of firearm stocks in the country.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=55&ItemID=8165

Nonetheless Lavalas political activists or suspected sympathisers of the deposed constitutional president continue to be scapegoated and marked
for elimination on the pretext that the regime and its
foreign accomplices are « fighting bandits ».

Most disturbing of all, in the last few weeks, news broke that the Police had distributed machetes and supervised numerous public lynchings in the poor neighborhoods.

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=53720272/K=Haiti/v=2/SID=e/l=NSR/R=1/SIG=1208pg8v3/EXP=11
25077280/*-http%3A//sg.news.yahoo.com/050825/3/3uh9l.html

We are receiving frequent on the ground reports of major UN/MINUSTAH operations in the poor neighborhoods like Cite Soleil. The last such operation, which was well-documented, resulted in the deaths of several
dozen civilians. Independent journalist and fimmaker Kevin Pina wrote an emergency appeal about the coming massacre on August 18th, 2005, where he
writes:

"If the UN goes ahead with its plan for a second major military incursion against Cite Soleil, it is guaranteed the number of casualties will far exceed July 6th and further tarnish and expose the real role of the UN in
guaranteeing the coup of Feb. 28, 2004."

http://haitiaction.net/News/KP/8_18_5/8_18_5.html

As early as June of this year, the Police spokeperson who refused to divulgate the identity of a detainee suspected of involvement in kidnappings, shamelessly intervening to protect his « good family name », was lamenting to reporters how "there are people of good family and high
social level that unfortunately are involved in kidnappings,"

So, why are the poor still the target of such senseless repression?

Any investigative journalist or government or U.N. officials online willing to comment ?

Jafrikayiti
«Depi nan Ginen bon nèg ap ede nèg!»

(Brotherhood is as ancient as Mother Africa - L'entraide fraternel date du temps où, tous, nous fûmes encore dans les antrailles de l'Afrique-mère)