Haiti UN mission chief found dead

[cal04]

The head of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti has been found shot dead in a hotel room, UN officials have said.

The body of Gen Urano Teixeira Da Matta Bacellar, a Brazilian, was discovered at a hotel in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The general had taken over as head of the 7,600-strong peacekeeping force in September last year.

Haiti has been blighted by political and criminal violence and instability over the last two years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4590700.stm

[peacetalksforall]

1. "...been blighted by political and criminal violence and instability

over the last two years.

Brought to them by the George and Dick Administration of the U.S. America with some positive support from France.

The U.S. of America disposed of a duly elected President and put in criminals. The people of Haiti are being massacred and George and Dick are content? Another tourist industry decimated. Another generation of Haitians crushed. And we still hear about how people hate us for our freedom. Just how free are Haitians from our sinister, devastating influence and policy and coordinated actions? We kicked the President out and put in criminals with manipulated banking.

[HuffleClaw]

2. hey, you suppose bush will make a huge stink out of this ?

like he has about that lebanon/syrian thing? will he DEMAND action?

[bemildred]

3. Are we ready to let Aristide come back yet?

Goddamn arrogant morons.

[Mika]

4. Are you kidding?

Allowing Aristide to come back would mean corporations operating sweatshops might have to increase their min wage to $2.00 a day, and that just wouldn't be prudent.

:sarcasm:

[1932]

5. ...and they'd also pay income tax

which would pay for infrastructure and education which would reduce the pool of desperate people willing to work for nothing and it would give the currently poor people an opportunity for a dignified life.

Can't have that.

[dehaiti]

12. Aristide?

I live in Haiti and know that Aristide was at least as corrupt as the Duvaliers. His theft of government funds in the millions is now well documented. I believed he was a champion of the poor 15 years ago but then saw him become another meglomaniac dictator. For one one of the more balanced views of what the situation in Haiti is I suggest you go to this link: http://grassrootsonline.org/weblog/longtime.html

[bemildred]

13. Here is a different point of view:

Beloved Haiti

A (Counter) Revolutionary Bicentennial

February 14/15, 2004

As I write this there is an attempt to start a civil war in Haiti, engineered in the United States of America and supported by its lapdogs in Caricom and the Organization of American States. Former Haitian military men who have received "some form" of training and logistical support while hiding out in the neighboring US semi-colony, the Dominican Republic, are systematically attacking the Haitian National Police at primary strategic points along the entire route from Port-au-Prince to the Dominican Border near Ouanaminthe. Only Cap Haitien has not fallen so far as St Marc, Gonaives, and Trou du Nord a town at a key bridge between the border and Cap Haitien has been ransacked by right-wing paramilitaries, who are the armed wing of a US-funded "opposition" that cloaks itself in the name Convergence Democratique, and now falsely claims no connection with this activity.

The main road between Port-au-Prince to St. Marc to Gonaives to Cap Haitien to Trou du Nord to Ouanaminthe is often the only passable route cross country, and these seizures have effectively cut off the western coastal towns from the capital and isolated Cap Haitien, the second largest city in Haiti. At last word, these former Haitian military units--some of the same ones who worked for the notorious Duvaliers and for the savage Cedras-Francois junta--have abandoned St. Marc.

The ridiculous names like Gonaives Resistance Front that these right-wing paramilitaries have assigned themselves are already being echoed in the capitalist press, which also refers to them, idiotically, as "rebels," and to their activities as the activities of "crowds." A contact I spoke with hours ago who returned from Port-au-Prince today told me that the real crowds are those who are fleeing these fascist coup operations in the North and the massive PRO-Aristide demonstrations in the capital. This contact said the situation here is very similar in many respects to the US-supported attempt to overthrow another democratically elected government, that of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

The paramilitaries have opened ships and stores for looting, capitalizing on the desperate poverty and hunger of Haitians to direct the energy of masses into looting, in order to neutralize them politically. But it has only worked locally. My contact said that contrary to what's going on here, the Haitian masses are "crystal clear" that this is a US-supported coup attempt.

http://www.counterpunch.org/goff02142004.html

[dehaiti]

14. Goff

I know Stan Goff and Kevin Pina. Respect both of them but I believe their hatred of the US foreign policy closes their eyes towards criminals such as Aristide. A criminal is a criminal be it Bush or Aristide. As a Haitian I find it offensive that people think that we cannot recognize corrupt dictators and are called dupes of the US if we do so. Left wing dictators are just right wing dictators in masquerade.

[bemildred]

15. It is not my impression that Goff defends Aristide as such.

He appears to me to advocate democratic elections and constitutional order, and his complaint with the recent putsch in Haiti is that it was done by violence at the behest of and with the assistance of foreign arms. Therefore I think it is false to say that he closes his eyes to the faults of Aristide, he simply defends him as the legitimately elected head of state. This is discussed a bit in the piece I posted. We have a corrupt dictator here in the USA too, but we are not going to invite Canada in to remove him and select us a new boss.

[dehaiti]

17. Agree to a Point

First, Aristide was democratically elected, much as Duvalier was. He ran essentially unopposed and though the polls were open in my city few bothered to vote as it was a foregone conclusion. As far as foreign arms are concerned,Aristide imported 1000s of them to arm his gangs who have quickly forgotten him and now use these arms to kidnap and continue their drug trade. Aristide hired a US corporation to provide his personal security for his entire term in office , if he trusted the poor he championed why hire US mercenaries?. If he was indeed a champion of the poor why did he not die at the gates of the palace fighting as a true Haitian patriot instead of leaving as a multimillionaire just like the thieves in power before him? He was and is a fraud.

[bemildred]

18. 2000 elections:

Population: 6,867,995 (July 2000)
Number of registered voters: 3,668,049 (1995)

Presidential Candidate: Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE
Party: Lavalas Family Party (FL)
Valid Votes Received: 2,632,534
Percent of Valid Votes Received: 91.81%

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/election.watch/americas/haiti1.html

Seems like a decent turnout.

Here is Congressman John Conyers statement on the 2000 elections:

On May 21, 2000, the Haitian people showed their strong desire for democracy. It was clear in the early morning hours, when at 5:30 am, dozens of voters were already waiting in line to cast their vote to shape their future. Forecasting that the elections would have low turnout and a high rate of violence, the nay Sayers predicted the high registration that Haiti experienced was due to the people wanting an identity card and not due to the people wanting democracy. Clearly the nay Sayers were wrong, not only was there a high turnout and very little election related violence, but the democratic process worked exceptionally well.

For these elections, Mr. Conyers led a congressional delegation to Haiti consisting of Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Congressman Bill Delahunt. We witnessed dedicated voters, serious about their role in the democratic process. We witnessed diligent poll-workers who carried out their roles with careful deliberation and great professionalism. We witnessed party observers who monitored the BV's (polling stations) from dusk to dawn. We witnessed international observers led by the OAS (Organization of the American States) who canvassed the entire Haitian countryside providing an international presence. We witnessed the Provisional Electoral Council, (CEP); administer an extremely complex and difficult process with great aplomb. The Haitian people were able to accomplish this giant first step towards democracy with little or no help from the US despite the US's constant criticism of this nation which is in its infancy of democracy.

The AP reported that, "Last week, millions of Haitians braced under a scorching sun and the threat of violence and voted. According to official records about 60 percent of the three million eligible voters went to the polls, surpassing many established democracies."

Unfortunately, there were irregularities that occurred in the election and there is a post-election problem of the vote count that is threatening to undo the democratic work of the citizens of Haiti. Without doubt there were irregularities that occurred in the election which have been conceded by the CEP. Now that the Haitian people have taken their first giant step towards democracy, it is more imperative that the US express its support for the Haitian democratic process by continue to work with Haiti to come to a solution which would be fair to all.

http://www.house.gov/conyers/news_haiti.htm

[1932]

6. The fascists don't like the Brazilian peace keepers.

Sergio Vieira de Mello (1948-2003)


Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1948, Sergio Vieira de Mello joined the United Nations in 1969 while studying philosophy and humanities at the University of Paris (Panthéon-Sorbonne).

He spent the majority of his career working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, and served in humanitarian and peace-keeping operations, in Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique, and Peru.

In 1981 he assumed his first high-profile position, when he was appointed Senior Political Adviser to UN forces in Lebanon. Thereafter, he occupied several important functions at UNHCR's Headquarters from 1983 to 1991 (Chef de Cabinet of the High Commissioner; Director, Regional Bureau for Asia and Oceania; and Director, Division of External Relations). Between 1991 and 1996, he served as Special Envoy of the High Commissioner for Cambodia, Director of Repatriation for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), Head of Civil Affairs of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), and United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region of Africa. In 1996 he was appointed United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, before being posted to New York in January 1998 as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. He briefly held the position of Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo and also served as United Nations Transitional Administrator in East Timor. On 12 September 2002 he was appointed United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In May of 2003, he was asked by the Secretary-General to take a four month leave of absence from his position as High Commissioner to serve in Iraq as Special Representative of the Secretary-General. It was there that he was tragically killed on 19 August 2003.

http://www.unhchr.ch/html/hchr/cv.htm

[Straight Shooter]

11. The death of Sergio de Mello broke my heart.

I blame bush 100 percent for the death of this courageous honorable man.

[1932]

19. Same here. That one really hurt.

Good guys trying to make life better for other people and dying as a consequence...it hurt.

[Tin Man]

7. There's a war being fought in Haiti - I'm betting he was shot by assassins

...there's a low-level war in Haiti right now between U.N. peacekeepers and the miriad political factions/gangs seeking to stake out territory. Gen Bacellar was most likely shot by an assassin armed with a high powered rifle, who simply waited for him to step out on his balcony in the AM.

Here's a few links that (indirectly) speak to the war in Haiti:

http://valparaiso.indymedia.org/news/2005/12/5427.php
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051221/wl_nm/haiti_canada_dc_5
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051225/wl_mideast_afp/haitiunrestunjordan_051225192009
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060106/wl_nm/un_staff_dc_1

[coffeenap]

8. Kevin Pina--incredible reporting and films from Haiti--

incredible guy. Here is one link to introduce those of you who don't know him or his work.

http://www.selvesandothers.org/view76.html

[malaise]

9. Interesting because

the UN Security Council made a statement yesterday demanding that the elections which have already been postponed three times take place urgently. Bushco et al have made a complete mess of Haiti.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20060107T000000-0500_96067_OBS_UN_SECURITY_COUNCIL_URGES_HAITI_TO_HOLD_ELECTIONS_BY_FEBRUARY__.asp
Edit - corrected to UN Security Council

[Mika]

10. BushCrimeInc doesn't want elections until..

.. they do away with more Lavalas Family Party members and electorate. The latest UN urging doesn't fit in with their plans. The assassination does.

[bemildred]

16. Calling it suicide now:

UN commander in Haiti dead in apparent suicide: UN

The Brazilian commander of the UN mission in Haiti was found dead in an apparent suicide, the mission announced.

General Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar "was found dead in his room from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," according to a report from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

A military source with the mission told AFP on condition of anonymity that the general had shot himself through the mouth.

Aldunate Herman took over as interim military commander of MINUSTAH, just hours after Da Matta Bacellar was found dead, according to Chile's defense ministry.

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=99977

[Tin Man]

20. Suspicious that he went to balcony to shoot himself - warning graphic pic

Could it have been he walked from his hotel room onto balcony, and was shot from a distance by assassin armed with rifle?
?x=380&y=254&sig=6wSCGpf5r8ojipqK5nfDjQ--