| GARR and PAPDA condemn the Haitian government
In total despair and with tears in their eyes, peasant farmers could only look on helplessly as their fields of nearly ripe maize and beans were obliterated. When one of the first victims tried to protest, the police threatened to kill her. Of the 54 farmers and landowners effected by this destruction operation, 14 of them have been compensated. Most of these are small farmers holding less than a hectare. The others have refused to accept compensation fixed at 50,000 gourdes per hectare. They are preparing to take legal action against the government and have already enlisted a law firm. As for the farmers who farmed the land, they have got nothing. A surveyed area of 54 hectares of agricultural land is marked out - not only in the area of Nan Kakawo but also in Pitobert, an area that the Haitian state has yet to give up despite numerous protests. No official act declaring these lands State property has been published, nor has any information explaining the clearance operation, backed up by armed force, been given. The GARR and the Platform to Advocate for Alternative Development (PAPDA) deplore the attitude of the government in ignoring the demands, recommendations and concerns about the free zone on the border that have been voiced by citizens from a variety of social sectors. Source: Groupe d'Appui aux Rapatries et Refugies (GARR) (translated from French by Charles Arthur for the Haiti Support Group)
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