US deploys a coast guard vessel near Haiti

[DuctapeFatwa]

The United States deployed Saturdaya coast guard vessel in front of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, where rebel forces were preparing to launch an assault to oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Authorities of the US Embassy in Haiti refrained from detailing the mission of the ship, reports from Port-au-Prince said, but the US government claimed to be preparing the dispatch of 2,000 Marines to be stationed near the coasts of the Caribbean country.

Washington voiced concern over a possible massive arrival of Haitians to the United States and its national coast guards detained in the last two days some 500 Caribbeans trying to reach the shores of Florida. They were fleeing the escalating violence that in the last two hours killed at least 10 people in Port-au-Prince, where mobs looted warehouses and shops amid persisting anarchy and absence ofpolice.

The US Embassy urged in a communique Friday the Haitian insurgents to stop the assault on the capital and rebel leader GuyPhilippe said he was attending the US call in order not to attack the capital in the next two days


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-02/29/content_1336851.htm

[alarimer]

1. gee

We can't have all those Haitian refugees coming into the US now can we?? But we can allow any Cuban who manages to land on US to stay.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Truly! The more Cubans, the merrier, according to Bush and his pals

They've got that all arranged. Welcome them with instant legal status, instant green cards, work visas, Section 8 taxpayer subsidized housing, food stamps, social security, education assistance, medical treatment, etc.

Nice work if you can get it, right?

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. They already turned back a boat

with 500 refuges a few days ago.

If the US doesn't want to get involved, then we need to lift the embargo that Daddy Bu$h put on them and get the CIA to quit meddling and arming the opposition.

[Malva Zebrina]

4. I'm weary of being a citizen connected to a bully without brains.

or any concept of diplomacy. I am just weary of all this military aggression.