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The Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad (AMHE) Respond toWorobey’s theory |Journalist Guy Delva facing death threats that may belinked to the rich Boulos MREs | In memory of the Arawaks and Tainos of Haiti, the Island’s name is Haiti, not Hispaniola as the news casters insist, Columbus’s sailors brought syphilis to the Island and decimated the Amerindians population, not the converse… |
Date: 8 November 2007 HLLN Recommended Links: In memory of the Arawaks and Tainos of Haiti, HLL Network remmembers that “…In the sixteenth century, Europeans insisted that syphilis originated in Haiti, and was brought back by Columbus’ sailors. (the converse now appears to have been the case.)”Excerpted from: The Uses of Haiti (1994, updated 2005) —by Paul Farmer | See: In memory of the Arawaks and Tainos of Haiti (in French)|EN MÉMOIRE DES ARAWAKS ET TAÏNOS D’HAÏTI, Jean H. Philippe, November 7, 2007 Haitians Didn’t take this Bitter Pill in 1990, Won’t take it in 2007: HIV/AIDS Origin by M. Pierre, November 6, 2007 www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/defamed3.html#kawonabo ‘The Geography of blame’ – Haiti, AIDS and Racism in the Mainstream in the Media by William Bowles, Nov. 7, 2007 | www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/defamed3.html#bowles HLLN Recommended Links on the Origins of Aids/HIV The Revolutionary Potential of Haiti – The Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad (AMHE) responds to Worobey’s theory, Nov. 7, 2007 – In memory of the Arawaks and Tainos of Haiti (in French)|EN MÉMOIRE DES ARAWAKS ET TAÏNOS D’HAÏTI, Jean H. Philippe, November 7, 2007, – Journalist Guy Delva, facing intimidation and death threats, there may be a link with Senator Rudolph Boulos (from the rich Boulos MREs – morally repugnant elites), being questioned on the Jean Dominique murder and falsely obtaining a seat in Haitian senate (holds a U.S. passport) Media rights advocate under threat in Haiti by Haiti Support Group |press release, Haiti Suppport Group, Nov. 7, 2007 |Web site: www.haitisupport.gn.apc.or ************************************************************* Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad Respond to Worobey’s theory, November 7, 2007 www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/defamed1.html#AMHE The Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad (Association des Médecins Haïtiens à l’Etranger or AMHE) has reviewed the recent article by Thomas Gilbert and colleagues, reporting a phylogenetic analysis of archival blood samples collected from five early recognized AIDS patients at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 1982-1983. The study authors identify these five patients as Haitians who left Haiti after 1975. This article has several important limitations and does not provide any scientific breakthrough. Before a detailed critique of this paper, AMHE would like to point at the following remarks in methodological biases that may explain some of the study findings. First, the bias in selection of early samples of HIV among Haitians is quite obvious. The investigators chose a convenient sample under the unproven assumption that all these Haitian immigrants acquired HIV infection in Haiti. They obviously ignore that the clinical course of these patients perfectly fits the natural history of HIV/AIDS. No culturally-sensitive epidemiological investigation has ever been conducted of these initial Haitian immigrants presenting with HIV infection at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Therefore, the assertion that they contracted HIV in Haiti is presumptuous and not based on facts. Moreover, no archival samples from Haiti are included in the phylogenetic analysis and this constitutes a serious flaw. We do not know either how many samples of the pandemic clade B might have come from Haitian subjects, which raises the prospect of misclassification. Second, the authors do not adequately report on some of their methods and results. For example, they do not specify clearly the number of sequences for which there was uncertainty as to which subtype they belonged to; neither do they try to replicate their results by sequencing other HIV genes. While computer simulation techniques and phylogenetic analyses are important to our understanding of biological evolution, the application of these methods with such serious methodological limitations does not prove unequivocally the origin of the pandemic clade B subtype in the United States. Because these findings lack scientific validation, we need to raise questions about the motives of the authors; their paper not only does not advance our knowledge of the HIV epidemic but it continues with a dangerous precedent of victimizing an ethnic group with flimsy data. Needless to say that such half truths have been very harmful to the country and its people. The hasty classification of Haitians as a group at risk for HIV more than 20 years ago can be considered as a cloud hanging over good scientific practice. It destroyed the tourist industry in Haiti; its citizens have since been suffering from the social stigmata of presumed carriers of dangerous germs even though that classification was finally removed by the CDC. We are also afraid that such mishandling of data can have the unintended consequence of the refusal of Haitian patients to participate in research studies at American Universities for the fear that they will be used as guinea pigs in the furtherance of biased scientific protocols and conclusions. That would be the saddest of ironies for we all need good science to help us all against this calamity. “Science sans conscience n’est que ruine de l’âme”. Christian Lauriston, MD President of the Central Executive Committee of AMHE ****************************************************** EN MÉMOIRE DES ARRAWAKS ET TAÏNOS D’HAÏTI www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/defamed3.html#arawaks À la radio et à la télévision canadienne, depuis quelque temps, on ne parle que de l’île Hispaniola ( alors que le nom de l’île est Haïti) partagée entre la République d’Haïti et la Dominicanie. Aujourd’hui encore 1er novembre 2007, l’annonce entendue sur les ondes d’une station de radio a attiré mon attention. L’insistance, la fréquence de ces annonces me portent à croire qu’il ne s’agit pas d’une banale méprise, vu que cela coïncide avec la reprise de la propagande “Haïti : le chaînon manquant dans la transmission du Sida aux U.S.A et à travers le monde”. Ce qui me surprend surtout, c’est l’indifférence et le silence absolu entourant ces faits. S’agit-il de la relance d’une nouvelle campagne de dénigrement d’Haïti et de ses ressortissants et d’une tentative de rayer Haïti de la carte du monde? Je veux croire que non! Toutefois, la vigilance s’impose. Cette autre forme de colonialisme qui voudrait dépouiller l’île de son nom amérindien Haïti pour le remplacer par Hispaniola doit être dénoncée. Haïti ou Ayiti, dans la langue des Arrawaks et des Taïnos (totalement décimés par les espagnols*) signifie Terre de hautes montagnes. Le Fondateur de la Patrie haïtienne, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, ancien esclave lui-même, analphabète pourtant, mais doté d’un fort sens de la Justice, estimait que l’Île méritait de conserver son nom originel, façon de perpétuer le souvenir de ces Amérindiens victimes de génocide. Ainsi, lors de la proclamation de l’Indépendance le 1er janvier 1804, le nom St-Domingue que lui avaient attribué, à leur tour, les pirates français fut immédiatement remplacé par celui d’Haïti. Ce nom amérindien de l’île “Haïti” constitue un Legs (Haïti, premier pays colonisé du Nouveau Monde, premier pays du Nouveau Monde à connaître le génocide, premier pays du Nouveau Monde à briser les chaînes de l’esclavage). Cette tentative par les néo-colons et autres acculturés du même acabit de revenir à un nom imposé par les génocidaires constitue une insulte à la souffrance et au calvaire des Amérindiens. L’Amérique entière a un devoir de mémoire! * En 1492, à l’arrivée de Cristobal Colon (père du colonialisme), l’île d’Haïti comptait plus d’un million d’indigènes. En 1503, il ne restait plus que quelques centaines. La main d’œuvre gratuite vint à manquer; alors, sur l’insistance d’un moine dominicain, Bartolomeo de Las Casas, on fit venir d’Afrique les premiers Noirs et ce fut le début de la traite négrière et son cortège de malheurs avec Nicolas Ovando, gouverneur de l’île. Jean H. Philippe Email : jhphilippe@yahoo.fr Nov. 7, 2007 * See also: – Dessalines three Ideals – “…In the sixteenth century, Europeans insisted that syphilis originated in Haiti, and was brought back by Columbus’ sailors. (the converse now appears to have been the case.)”Excerpted from: The Uses of Haiti (1994, updated 2005) —by Paul Farmer Media rights advocate under threat in Haiti | Haiti Support Group press release, 7 November 2007 (From: haitisupport@gn.apc.org) Web site: www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org The British solidarity organization, the Haiti Support Group, is extremely concerned about the death threats and possible assassination attempt against Guy Delva, head of SOS Journalistes, and chair of the recently-created independent committee looking into the unsolved murders of journalists in Haiti. Delva, who works as a correspondent for Reuters, the Caribbean Media Corporation, and the BBC Caribbean service, received two calls to his cell phone on 26th October. The anonymous callers warned the journalist that he should be careful, that they knew where he was, and that they were going to “get him.” The anonymous calls threatening his life continued, and then, on the night of Monday, 5th November, Delva reports that he was the subject of what appeared to be an assassination attempt. At around 10.45pm, while driving through the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petionville, Delva noticed that he was being followed by another car. Delva described what happened next: “The vehicle followed me everywhere, so I decided to enter a gas station, which has a snack bar which is usually very crowded at all times in the night. I said to myself I could be safe there, but when I stopped, the occupant or the occupants of the vehicle also stopped and stationed their car nearby, as if they were waiting for me to leave. Then I saw a man with a green T-shirt coming from the direction of the stationary vehicle — which in the meantime had been joined by another car which took position right behind it — coming toward my car. He went around my car, looked at me, and then went back to the direction of the two cars.” Fearing for his life, Delva drove at full speed to the Petionville police station. There he made a declaration and filed a formal complaint. He also spoke on the telephone with the Haitian National Police force chief, Mario Andresol, who ordered a heavily armed police patrol to accompany Delva home. The following morning, Delva left the country. While the identity of the person or persons behind the death threats and the possible attempt on Delva’s life are obviously unknown, Delva himself suggest there may be a link with Senator Rudolph Boulos, a member of the rich and influential Boulos family. In October, Delva, who also hosts a morning news show on the Port-au-Prince-based Radio Melodie FM, reported information about Senator Boulos having US citizenship. According to the Haitian Constitution someone who holds a US passport cannot be a Senator. In addition, in his capacity of chairman of the journalists’ commission tasked with overseeing investigations into unsolved murders of Haitian journalists, Delva has also recently criticized the attitude of Senator Boulos, who has refused to answer questions from the investigating judge appointed to work on the case of the murdered journalist, Jean Dominique. Boulos has refused to respond to Judge Fritzner Fils-Aim’ request to answer question in the framework of the investigation into Dominique’s murder, saying that as a member of the National Assembly (Parliament), he is covered by immunity. Commenting on this issue, Delva said, “Senator Boulos has to appear and has to cooperate with the judge for the advancement of the case, despite his immunity.” He added, “Of course, I understand such stands may cause me and other members of the commission trouble, but we are determined to push for a conclusion and the end of impunity in the cases of journalists killed in Haiti – that’s the mission of the commission that I have the privilege to preside over.” The Haiti Support Group has worked closely with Guy Delva over a number of years in connection with his tenure as head of the Haitian Journalists Association. More recently, in May 2006, he travelled to the UK as a guest of the Haiti Support Group and the International Press Institute (IPI) to participate in the IPI annual congress in Edinburgh and for meetings in London. The Haiti Support Group commends the prompt action to protect Guy Delvas life taken by police chief Andresol, but is now calling on President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis to make clear and unequivocal public declarations denouncing the intimidation and threats against Guy Delva. It is vital for the preservation of the recent improvement in the state of media freedom that Guy Delva feels safe enough to return to Haiti, and that the commission which he heads is able to help make progress with the judicial investigations into the murders of Dominique, Lindor, Roche, and other journalists who have lost their lives in Haiti. Dessalines three Ideals |
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