Dominican Hams Attempt to Install Repeaters in Haiti

[ARRL]

Eight members of the Radio Club Dominicano (RCD) -- the Dominican Republic's IARU Member-Society -- and Union Dominicana de Radio Aficionados (UDRA) arrived in Haiti on Friday, January 15, to install an emergency radio communications station and a mobile station. Shortly after they arrived, the hams returned to the Dominican Republic for safety reasons.



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[Robb]

Without sounding too political - it sounds as if Hugo Chavez has sent his contingent in and is taking advantage of the situation in Haiti - to ensure drug trafficking will continue from that 'drug-relay' half of the island.

Sounds like a job for the UN and Interpol...

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I doubt it Rob. Haiti and the Dominican have had border wars for years and years. Sounds like an armed group was pissed at either the Dominicans or the fact that it took so long to arrive at all. I got this in my in box yesterday. Perhaps more operators are going to try.


RAC News Bulletin - January 17th, 2010

Haiti, the Amateur perspective.

We have all seen the tragic human toll and devastation of the
Haitian earthquake as reported by the media. We have been asked
what the Amateur community is doing about it.

To our knowledge, since the earthquake, less than half a dozen
Hams have been reporting from Haiti and have done so very
sporadically. Most have severe constraints for electricity, fuel
or other required facilities.

Apart from a couple of Hams embedded with the UN or the Red
Cross, none other have succeeded to enter the country and stay
to operate.

Yesterday, a convoy of Dominicans made up of representatives from
that government and including 8 Amateurs, entered Haiti by road
on its way to their Embassy in Port-au-Prince. Almost at
destination they were attacked by gunfire resulting in one dead
and several wounded. All 8 Amateurs are safe. The convoy turned
around and is now safely back in the Dominican Republic.

Outside of Haiti,there are scores of Hams listening on the
published HF frequencies for emergency communications and ready
for any QSPs.

Here in Canada, our Vice President Field Services, Doug
Mercer, VO1DTM, is watching the situation very closely, ready to
give any help that might be needed.

We also have French speaking operators like Gerry, VE2AW and
Richard, VE2DX, that are ready on the frequencies to speak to
anyone in need in Haiti.

We are also getting ready for the future. At the Request of
the Salvation Army SATERN I have recruited about 20 Hams, fluent
in French, that are now poised to leave for Haiti when required.

This is the situation as of now and we will update you when we
have something significant to report.

73,

Daniel A. Lamoureux, VE2KA
Vice President International Affairs, Radio Amatuers of Canada
----------
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[Robb]

From the C I A:
Haiti - CIA
"...Disputes - international:
since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island

Illicit drugs:
Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis..."

Dominican Republic - CIA
"...Trafficking in persons:
current situation: the Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a large number of Dominican women are trafficked into prostitution and sexual exploitation in Western Europe, Australia, Central and South America, and Caribbean destinations; a significant number of women, boys, and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, the Dominican Republic is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of not adequately investigating and prosecuting public officials who may be complicit with trafficking activity, and inadequate government efforts to protect trafficking victims; the government has taken measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts with children through criminal prosecutions (2008)

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money laundering activity in particular by Colombian narcotics traffickers; significant amphetamine consumption (2008)..."


As far as Cannabis is concerned, even Californians and Canadians have no problem acquiring or using the stuff. But Chavez believes the best defense is a good offense - and he hates the US of A. Since Chavez has been alleged for privately supporting the drug trade to mess with us...
The Dominican Republic is no better and under the same drug dealings with SA.
Oh well...

 

[GLR]

Sounds like a job for the UN and Interpol...

Ahh yes, we all know how wonderful the UN is.

 

[sp5it]

Yeah, amateur repeater is something, that people in Port au the Prince needs the most those days.
Mike

 

[Robb]

How many have they buried so far?
50,000 or more?
That is what I heard.

 

[SR385]

To get a good idea of how heavily armed the warlords are and the people that are now free to roam with little order...check this documentary out.

Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006)

It was horrible there when things were 'normal'. The prison collapsed and the ones they deemed bad enough to keep are now free.

It will be years before that mess stabilizes again.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Rob, I was not disputing that fact that drugs along the border are a major problem. I was just referring to just this incident. To date there have been a large number of people attacked when they arrived to help.

This is an excerpt from todays local paper The Chronicle Herald:

"Still, with a blocked city port and relief groups claiming the U.S.-run airport is being poorly managed, food and medicine are scarce. Anger was mounting hourly over the slow pace of the assistance.
``White guys, get the hell out!'' some survivors shouted in the city's Bel-Air slum, apparently frustrated at the sight of foreigners who were not delivering help.
Crowds were reportedly attacking UN vehicles in the slums outside the city, accusing the international community of doing too little to distribute food. There were also reports of looting, including at least one case in which looters made off with a coffin from a funeral home."


Foreign news crews have also been attacked as shown on the evening news here just today.This was done in protest to how long it took help to arrive. I can understand frustration but my God people have to realize that it takes time to move stuff and people.Haiti is so poor and backwards that they themselves did not even have heavy equipment to assist in rescues or to open up the roads and streets so aid could get in. 80% of the population of Haiti lives in poverty and 56% live in complete and abstract poverty and have been fighting among themselves for decades. With those kind of numbers I am sure education and tolerance is at an all time low.

 

[Robb]

I know you weren't . It's all good in da neighborhood...
I wanted to point out that Haitians and their voodoo practices help keep the people in fear. Not to mention the drug lords and the thoroughly corrupt gov't of Haiti - bought off by the huge and powerful drug cartels use this mode. We kicked out Papa Doc, Baby Doc, and Jean Bertrand Aristide within two decades due to their corrupt practices. It is sad that others who must live in this envoirment must do so under these terrible conditions before - and now.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

To get a good idea of how heavily armed the warlords are and the people that are now free to roam with little order...check this documentary out.

Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006)

It was horrible there when things were 'normal'. The prison collapsed and the ones they deemed bad enough to keep are now free.

It will be years before that mess stabilizes again.

One of the biggest contributers to the whole narcotics mess was president Jean-Bertrand Aristide himself. He was removed from power in a coup, put back in power with the help of the USA, and then finally deposed again and sent to South Africa. In his wake was a messy drug trade and a poverty stricken lawless land.I know several military members and police officers that went to Haiti in the wake of that mess.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I know you weren't . It's all good in da neighborhood...
I wanted to point out that Haitians and their voodoo practices help keep the people in fear. Not to mention the drug lords and the thoroughly corrupt gov't of Haiti - bought off by the huge and powerful drug cartels use this mode. We kicked out Papa Doc, Baby Doc, and Jean Bertrand Aristide within two decades due to their corrupt practices. It is sad that others who must live in this envoirment must do so under these terrible conditions before - and now.

Better check out the USA's role in that one a little closer. See my link to Wiki in my post above.

 

[GLR]

Good luck to them.

CQ C (and then he gets his head whacked off with a machete)

 

[peperoni]

Eight members of the Radio Club Dominicano (RCD) -- the Dominican Republic's IARU Member-Society -- and Union Dominicana de Radio Aficionados (UDRA) arrived in Haiti on Friday, January 15, to install an emergency radio communications station and a mobile station. Shortly after they arrived, the hams returned to the Dominican Republic for safety reasons.



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they did'nt want the frequencies jammed up like the day of 911 in NY ...
the president of Haiti has not showed his face or made a statement to his country .. to me he's a piece of shit ... many countries around the world
speak bad about the U.S.A. and when something happends the U.S. is there to help ... just to show the rest of the world we are the best ....
where are the french people ??? was'nt haiti under french rule at one time ??

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

"they didn't want the frequencies jammed up like in the day of 911 in NY..."

Who didn't and where did you get that idea? Makes no sense whatsoever.

As for the Haitian president not making an appearance, well just because the slanted American news networks did not show anything does not mean it did not happen. I saw the interview he gave to Reuters U.K. up here on CTV Newsnet.

Haiti earthquake: President Preval says country like a war zone - Telegraph

As for addressing the nation I ask you how? There is VERY little electricity left in the entire country. There are NO broadcast facilities left in the country. There were only two television stations in the entire country and both were in Port-au-Prince and both were taken off the air either by destruction of facilities or power outages. A similar fate was heaped upon the radio stations,many of which were small low powered community stations with extremely short range. Those that survived have nothing left let alone a TV or radio to receive such broadcasts even if they did happen. In fact there were very little BEFORE the earthquake as 80% of the population lived in poverty and 56% in total and abject poverty.

He has given other interviews in limited number to the various news agencies but ironically there is nothing much left at home to cover the events.

France had special rescue teams including dogs in Haiti within a couple days of the quake. French aid has been pouring into Haiti, or at least trying to, but in at least one case the US run airport in Port-au-Prince turned away a relief plane carrying a mobile field hospital that was badly needed. It had to attempt to return and land the following day. It appeared priority was being given to US aircraft at the airport.

French minister criticizes US aid role in Haiti - KTVZ.com Central Oregons News, Weather and Sports Leader -

I found this out in a couple minutes. It's always a good idea to have a handle on FACTS first before making broad sweeping accusations. op: