CHAN statement on Haiti and disaster relief

[bcholmes]

The Canada Haiti Action Network, working alongside colleagues in the UK and the United States, would like to announce the launch of a new petition campaign urging the reorientation of the relief effort in Haiti. It has become increasingly clear that the immediate crisis provoked by the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti has become a pretext for the massive deployment of military forces - particularly from the US, but also from Canada. For many reasons, this is a gravely mistaken policy, hidden amidst the outpouring of genuine concern for the suffering in Haiti.

The petition proposed is an appeal for an alternative direction for this critical humanitarian effort, one that respects Haiti's sovereignty, and directly acknowledges the need to reconcile Haiti's past in order to face the future.

We are fortunate to be able to launch this petition with an initial set of signatories. We hope that CHAN list members will not only sign on to this petition but also send it via email to friends, colleagues, and email lists for which it would be appropriate. You can find the petition online at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/relief-not-militarization-for-haiti

A shortened version of the statement has been published in the print edition of the The Guardian (UK) for January 22. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/22/haitian-empowerment-prime-goal. There may be many newspapers and magazines interested in publishing this statement -- we encourage submitting it to any publications that might consider it, including independent media websites. Please do post any successes in this effort to this email list.

Sincerely,

Kevin Skerrett, Ottawa Haiti Solidarity
Roger Annis, Haiti Solidarity BC