- AP
An unidentified Haitian who was rescued in the Caribbean by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter carries a boy at the Carrefour port, in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince yesterday.
Garwin Davis, Assistant News Editor
YES, THEIR country is on the brink of political collapse - anarchy some will say. The inescapable question, though, is despite what is happening in Haiti today, why would anyone leave themselves to the mercy of the sea, abandoning country, family and friends for an uncertain future?
The Sunday Gleaner, in interviews with several of the 103 Haitian refugees to have arrived in the island since last week, sought answers to this question.
"Life in Haiti currently has little meaning," 26-year-old Marc Christophe said, while enjoying a cooked meal at the Winnifred Rest Home in Fairy Hill, last week. "There is nothing there no hope, no future, no life."
He explained that people, some with no affiliation whatsoever with either the opposition and millitia groups or with factions aligned to President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, were fleeing in droves, noting that "we are all caught in a crossfire".
"To answer your question, it is a case of either dying at sea or stay here and be killed," he said. "At least when you take your chances with the sea, there is still some sign of hope here in Haiti, there's hardly a thing called hope."
His compatriot, who gave his name as Edson, agreed. "Most of us have left people we love dearly behind this wasn't an easy decision to make," he said. "Even before this war started, there were problems. There were no jobs nothing to hold on to. The feeling was that we could leave now and send for our families later."
Most of the refugees spoken to, while conceding that they would have preferred to have landed in the United States as opposed to Jamaica, were, however, full of praise for the treatment they have received since arriving in the island.
INSTIGATORS
"Jamaica Jamaican people nice," said one youngster who gave his name as Emily. "The Haitian Government felt that the students were the true instigators behind the conflict and many of us felt that we were being targeted. We fled, hoping we would land somewhere peaceful and then we found Jamaica. I pray for my brothers and sisters that we have left behind and hope one day we will meet again."
Emily noted that the decision to throw themselves to the mercy of the sea was made easier in their belief in a higher being and that they would be protected come what may.
"Even when we encountered difficulty at sea we never thought about giving up," he said. "We knew we would get to somewhere safe landing in Jamaica has been a blessing."
But while many of the 103 Haitian refugees have been busy counting their blessings, there are fears among some that a number of their countrymen may have perished during their mad rush to freedom.
"There were several other boats that had left out at the same time with us," explained Louis Cannes, another of the young refugees. "It is hard to say where they are now but one never knows we pray each day for their safety."
It's not known how many Haitians die trying to reach the United States or other countries since the crisis in Haiti escalated several weeks ago. Stories usually surface only when a boat capsizes close to Bahamian or U.S. shores and only because of the constant patrols carried out by the United States Coast Guard.
BOATPEOPLE
In 1991, tens of thousands of Haitian boatpeople fled to U.S. shores to escape brutal military leaders who ousted Aristide shortly after his resounding victory at the polls Haiti's first democratic elections. Hundreds of his supporters when not killed, maimed and tortured, died attempting to make the 600-mile trip to Florida in overcrowded, unsafe vessels. Then President Bill Clinton sent 20,000 U.S. troops to restore Aristide to power and halt the exodus. President Bush warned last Wednesday that any Haitians attempting to flee to the United States would be sent home.
For Emmanuel Nerval, another of the refugees, it would be inhumane to send the asylum seekers back home, noting that they would be like lambs to the slaughter. "Who would be there to guarantee that our rights would be protected," he said. "The Government is busy trying to survive and the opposition is all about seeking power if we are sent back we would surely be killed."
Manchioneal residents decry US stance on Haiti
ALTHOUGH THE parish is starved for resources and would be hard-pressed to accommodate another boatload of Haitian refugees, residents of Manchioneal, Portland, say the Government should grant political asylum to those fleeing from the neighbouring Caribbean island.
They were responding to questions from The Sunday Gleaner about Jamaica's ability to provide any sort of haven for Haitian refugees fleeing their battle-torn country and the United States' decision last week to return to Haiti any refugee caught trying to enter that country.
"It's amazing how a rich country like the United States could be holding such a hardline," said Josephine Bryan, a resident of Manchioneal. "Our Government in good faith cannot afford to take such a position -- we have an obligation to do all we can for these people, regardless of our economic situation."
RACISM
For Alma Panton, another resident, the U.S. decision not only smacks of racism but may be contrary to international laws.
"The stance being taken by the United States and President Bush is nothing short of tragic," she said. "It has always been easy for them to welcome the Cubans with open arms but the Haitians have never been afforded such luxury this is a clear case of racism. Isn't it ironic that a poor country like Jamaica has no problem in welcoming these refugees with open arms assisting them as much as we can and giving them all the treatment which is required by law. It brings tears to my eyes to see the out-pouring of love by my fellow countrymen to these refugees people literally tripping over themselves to assist."
U.S. Coast Guard, as reported by the Associated Press, repatriated 531 Haitian boat people at a dock near the capital Friday in a bid to choke off a tide of refugees from the troubled country. It was the first repatriation since Haiti's uprising began February 5 and underscored President Bush's determination not to allow the rebellion to lead to a mass exodus, despite pleas from human rights groups and several Florida lawmakers to allow them refuge. The Haitians including infants were left on the dock on the southern outskirts of the tense capital, Port-au-Prince. Most said they were fleeing the grinding poverty in Haiti, not because of political motivations or fear of being swept up in the three-week-old uprising, which has claimed at least 80 lives.
FLOODGATES
Jamaican authorities are now of the view that the stance taken by the United States could simply mean an opening of the floodgates to Jamaica, bringing additional pressure on an economy that is already barely hanging on. So far, 103 Haitian refugees have landed in Jamaica.
"I don't know what we are going to do," lamented Helen Green, a community health worker in Portland. "It's not as if our resources are going around in abundance we can barely provide that is the honest truth. I however feel it for these people to the point where I have been moved to tears on a number of occasions. Theirs is a situation where we simply can't turn our backs, despite the economic crunch we are in. If there is one thing we can say about Jamaica and Jamaicans, we are a caring and giving people, we will make sacrifices even at the expense of our own families."
