Thousands protest, demand Aristide trial

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 08, 2004

Thousands protest, demand Aristide trial

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Multinational forces hoping to avoid more bloodshed between rebels who helped topple President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and pro-Aristide street gangs on Sunday encountered the first signs that keeping the peace will be difficult.

U.S. Marines returned fire during an attack on protesters in the Haitian capital, a Marine major said. It was the first known armed action by U.S. forces sent to stabilize the country.

"Three Marines fired from the palace in the direction from which the shots were being fired," Marine Maj. Richard Crusan told The Associated Press.

At least five people were killed, including a foreign journalist: cameraman Ricardo Ortega of Spain's Antena 3 television network. More than a dozen people were injured.

Reports from witnesses that pro-Aristide militants fired into the crowd could not immediately be confirmed.

Haitian police and U.S. and French troops who had been guarding the march route taken by thousands of anti-Aristide protesters began patrolling the area of the shooting.

Working in an environment that is brimming with weapons and where there is still no government in control, U.S. and other international forces say they must be careful not to be seen as choosing sides.

But Aristide's supporters already say the 2,000 peacekeepers �� more than 1,000 U.S. Marines and Canadian, Chilean and French soldiers �� are here to protect anti-Aristide forces. They say the multinational force offered them no protection during a planned parallel rally. Their protest has been rescheduled for today. "The Americans are only here to protect those who helped oust Aristide," said Ednar Ducoste, 23, an Aristide supporter. "If we had guns, we would be fighting against them right now."

Guy Philippe, who led the rebels who helped depose Aristide, vowed last week to disarm. Sunday, hours after he was mobbed by cheering crowds during the rally, he said he was ready to change his mind. Philippe told local Radio Vision 2000 he would be "obliged very soon to order the troops to take up the arms they laid down" under U.S. pressure.

A fear is that disturbances like Sunday's attack on the protesters could escalate into riots. "They're both threats, but from different angles," Marine Col. Dave Berger said of the rebels and gangs.

Marines already have faced hostility from armed pro-Aristide militants angry over their leader's departure and an "occupation" by foreign troops. Sunday's anti-Aristide rally also took up the cry against foreign intervention: "Help, yes. Occupation, no!"

The multinational forces have not received instructions to disarm the rebels or dismantle the street gangs that supported Aristide. Any move against either group would jeopardize their neutral status.

Source: Agencies

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