This article appeared in the March 1996 edition of the APJ.

INTRODUCTION

On 28 October, 1994, 27 members of the Australian International Police Monitoring Contingent (IPM) left Canberra bound for the Republic of Haiti as part of Operation "Uphold Democracy". The contingent was later to rendezvous with three members of the advance party and be deployed to Jeremie, a village of approximately 18,000 people on the southern claw of the country. The contingent's task was to 'monitor and mentor' the Haitian Public Security Force (police). The contingent returned to Australia on 22 March, 1995 after five months in Haiti.

HAITI

Haiti occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, the remainder of the island forms the Dominican Republic. Located in the Caribbean, east of Cuba and south east of Florida, Haiti is a small country with a total area of 27,750 sq. km. The capital, Port-au-Prince is situated on the Gulf of Gonave and is crammed into a narrow flood plain between the coast and the steep hills of the hinterland.

The climate is tropical with an average daily temperature of 30°C that varies little between day and night. The vegetation is also tropical, although Haiti has suffered and continues to suffer from massive deforestation and the resultant erosion and land degradation. Towards the end of our deployment we experienced what was said to be early rainy season storms. The typical tropical storms caused massive erosion with downpours washing away roads and walking paths. Erosion coupled with decades of neglect and over cultivation has left only one third of the country in an arable condition.

Although French is the official language of Haiti, only five percent of the population speak it. Creole, a localised form of French is spoken by practically every Haitian. Similarly while Catholicism is the country's official religion, ninety percent of the population practice Voodoo.

Haiti has one of the highest population densities in the world, almost 700 people per square mile, with 74% of people living in rural areas. The exact population of Haiti is not known but is estimated at around 6,000,000 people.

Almost all of the Haiti's land is held in small subsistence farms worked by family groups. Reduced production due to over-farming has led to starvation and a migration of people to Port-au-Prince and other major population centres.

The loss of productivity together with the close proximity of one family plot to the next has resulted in jealousies and conflicts between neighbours over land disputes. These types of disputes were dealt with on a daily basis by members of the contingent who were often forced to arrest people for matters as trivial as allowing a goat to stray onto a neighbour’s property.

Haiti’s demographics make depressing reading. With life expectancy of 54 years (the lowest in the western hemisphere) it is rare to meet a Haitian who is over 65 years of age. One Haitian child dies every five minutes from malnutrition, dehydration or diarrhoea, and 27 per cent of the Haiti’s children die before the age of five. More than 70 percent of the population are peasants with an average wage of US$1.35 per day.

Like people in other third world countries, Haitians have a somewhat blase attitude to death as if it is to be expected, even in young people. It struck me that Haitians never seemed to become emotional about the death of those close to them. I can only suppose that this is a result of being constantly exposed to death and misery.

The economy of Haiti was once strong, being reliant on manufacturing and tourism. Tourism in Haiti practically ceased to exist as a result of an association with the AIDS virus in the mid-1980s. Manufacturing ceased to exist as a result of the United States trade embargo of the early 1990s. There was a noticeable increase in commercial activity between our arrival and departure as the economy slowly readjusted to unrestricted trade with the US. Haiti’s currency, the Gourd, is indexed to the US dollar in that one Haitian dollar (5 Gourd) is deemed by the Haitian government to equal one US dollar. 

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. It currently faces immense political, social and environmental problems. With little or no sanitation or other social services destructive agricultural techniques political turmoil and corruption, over population and an economy that was decimated by a four-year US trade embargo it is extremely difficult to be optimistic about Haiti's future. Despite the bleak future and their squalid, depressing surroundings Haitians are a happy, friendly people who always made us feel welcome.

SITUATION

Haiti was originally occupied by indians indigenous to the area. However today's population is almost exclusively Afro/Caribbean, descendants of slaves brought to the island by French colonialists. In 1794 the slaves obtained their freedom and in 1804 Haiti was declared independent of French rule. Haiti's history since independence has been turbulent and violent with frequent bloody political uprisings.

The last in a seemingly endless line of dictators was Lieutenant Raoul Cedras who ousted the democratically elected president in a military coup in September 1991. Jean Bertrand Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest, who had been elected as president in the country's first free elections seven months earlier. Aristide was exiled to the United States following the coup. As a result of political pressure from the large Haitian population residing within the US, the United Nations was pressured into imposing trade sanctions in 1993. These sanctions virtually closed down the Haitian economy causing immense hardship for the peasant population without effecting those in power. Fuel shortages caused by these sanctions left overseas aid organisations unable to distribute food and the people starved. On top of this, the military regime violently main­tained its rule. Secret police named Tonton Macoutes ruthlessly murdered those who were thought to oppose the government. 

Understandably Haitians left the country in tens of thousands, often making the hazardous 800 km journey to the United States in open boats as small as four metres. Many died attempting to reach the US and those who survived the trip were detained in refugee camps. The influx of Haitians into the US and the resultant political pressure from Haitian Americans to alleviate the plight of the refugees and those remaining in Haiti forced the American government to act. 

The result was positive action from the US to restore Jean Bertrand Aristide as president. Unable to negotiate a non-military solution, in September 1994 the American military machine moved into gear. Acting under United Nations Security Council Resolution 940 the Americans had prepared for a full scale invasion when at the 11th hour Cedras agreed to leave peacefully, for a rumoured US$65,000,000.

The invasion then turned to an occupation. The US forces went about restoring law and order and other essential services. The mission was named Operation "Uphold Demo­cracy". The Haitian military was quickly disarmed and a safe and secure environment was established. The Americans identified the massive problems with the Haitian Public Security Forces. Police and military were seen as one and the same, corrupt and brutal to a degree Australian police could not comprehend. It was clear that a new police force was required as soon as possible. In the interim close supervision of the existing police was required urgently. 

MISSION 

As a result of a request from the United States to the Australian government, 30 Australian Police were committed as members of the International Police Monitoring Force (IPM). Consisting of 850 members from 23 countries the mission of the International Police Monitors was to monitor and mentor the new and existing Haitian police force.

Australia’s commitment to overseas missions is the responsibility of the Australian Federal Police (AFP). As a result of other commitments at this time, and the large size of the contingent assistance was sought from the state police forces. Only Victoria and Queensland were prepared to supply personnel, with Victoria supplying three Senior Constables, and Queensland one Senior Constable and one Sergeant. The state members were seconded to the AFP for the duration of the mission. The contingent consisted of one Commander, two Superintendents, six Sergeants, 18 male Constables and three female Constables.

The contingent, with the exception of the Victorian members, gathered in Canberra in early October, 1994 for a three week training course which included lectures on Haiti and medical issues as well as instruction on driving 4WD vehicles, land mines, helicopter familiarisation and baton and firearm training. The Victorian members joined the contingent during the last week. Contingent members were vaccinated against every conceivable disease. The range of diseases contingent members were exposed to in Haiti was staggering. Typhoid, Cholera, Malaria, AIDS, Anthrax, Tuberculosis, Trachoma, Hepatitis, Brucellosis, Dysentery, Yellow and Dengue fevers were all present in our area of deployment. According to US Department of Defence literature – “living and sanitary conditions in Haiti are the poorest in the western hemisphere. Poverty, primitive housing and unsanitary practices, coupled with inadequate medical facilities have resulted in one of the lowest health care levels in the world.”

The pre-embarkation period was also well spent preparing the contingent's supplies. The array of equipment supplied to the contingent was impressive. Every possible situation had been considered. The expertise of members of previous Australian UN missions in Mozambique and Cambodia was put to good use and each member was well equipped to deal with any contingency. It was evident that the financial constraints that usually apply to police activities were not an issue with the preparation of the contingent.

On the 28 October, 1994 the contingent left Australia for Los Angeles. After 48 hours in LA we then flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, via Chicago. From San Juan we were bused to “Camp Santiago” a US military base in the south of the island. We spent the following six days with the US military engaging in pre-deployment preparations and training. The contingent was lectured by US military intelligence in up to the minute developments in Haiti as well as being acquainted with the ‘rules of engagement’, which were that members were only to use deadly force in the defence of themselves and others. The time in Puerto Rico was also necessary to acclimatise to the stifling heat of the Caribbean.

Unlike other overseas missions Australian has been involved in, members in Haiti were armed with Glock 9mm pistols and had the authority to enforce the law. Members on previous UN missions have had a monitoring role only. 

EXECUTION 

On Saturday the 5 November, 1994 we boarded a US Army C130 transport plane for the 110 minute fight to Port­-au-Prince, Haiti. Looking out the window of the aircraft the first thing that struck me about Haiti was the shipwrecks in the bay surrounding Port-au­-Prince. Then as we neared the airport the extent of the poverty the people of Haiti faced became apparent. The slums of Port-au-Prince are in and along the sprawling mud flats near the main city. The houses, if you can call them that are nothing more than makeshift shelters, not fit for human habitation. I wondered then and still do now how people can stand to live in such conditions. To Australians, existence as a Haitian would be nothing short of a living hell.

After leaving the aircraft we were greeted by the military. The striking thing about the airport was that it was surrounded by 'concertina wire' (a cross between razor and barbed wire) and no-one but military personnel could be seen. In fact, at this time there were in excess of 20,000 American soldiers in Haiti and one could not walk down the streets of Port-au­Prince for more than a few hundred metres without seeing military pers­onnel. Machine gun bunkers, manned by Bangladeshi soldiers also surround­ed the airport. We were loaded onto the rear of open air transport trucks and driven through the streets of Port­au-Prince to "Villa May" in the suburb of Pensionville. It was an amazing journey with thousands of Haitians lining the streets, waving and yelling encouragement as we drove by. Throughout our stay in Haiti the people always made us feel welcome.

In the following days we walked the streets of Port-au-Prince (PAP) trying to come to terms with the country that we were going to live in for the next five months. Port-au-Prince is a filthy place, there are no sanitation services, rubbish is thrown in the street or onto vacant land. When it rains sewage is washed into the streets. Thongs are definitely not recommended during a rainstorm. The air in Port-au-Prince is putrid, like Bangkok or Los Angeles the city is crowned with a brown haze that hovers overhead. The haze is a combination of exhaust fumes and dust thrown up by the vehicles that clog the streets. The thought that the human excreta swept onto the streets by the rains then dried and was blown into the atmosphere with the dust was some­thing we tried to put to the back of our minds. 

Whilst in Port-au-Prince the necessary arrangements were made for transport of the contingent and equipment to Jeremie, a village of 18,000 people on the far southern claw of the country.

We also spent some time patrolling with Haitian Police in the Pensionville area. On one occasion, members, including myself were deployed with US Army Military Police. There had been a politically motivated drive-by shooting in the main part of the city and roadblocks were established by the military at a number of intersections as a show of force. I was deployed at an intersection to supervise two Haitian police who were present. There were approximately 15 soldiers present and the intersection was over­looked by two personnel carriers with M60 machine guns mounted on the roof. The corporal in charge of the team made it clear to his men that no risks were to be taken during the operation and when a vehicle fitting the description of the vehicle wanted in connection with the shootings drove by I found out what that meant. The vehicle was stopped at gun­point by several Gls and the bewildered driver removed from the vehicle whilst in the sights of a number of Ml6s. Having been in the country no more than two or three days, and not knowing what to expect next, I put my ballistic vest on after that episode. The driver of the vehicle was later cleared of any connection with the shooting. 

During our stay in Port-au-Prince we experienced a tropical storm that caused the loss of over 1000 Haitian lives and considerable damage to property. Following the storm we drove into the slums and were confronted with incredible sights that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Hundreds of people were scavenging in the tip, I can only assume for food, while tens of thousands walked the streets in knee deep mud. The wretchedness of the situation defies description. That the people of Haiti survived these natural disasters which made their already horrible living conditions even worse is a tribute to their resilience. Thankfully it was the responsibility of the military to collect the bodies.

On 22 November we were transported to Jeremie by a US Army Chinook helicopter. The contingent was housed at the hotel "La Cabane," the only hotel in the village. By Australian standards the accommodation at La Cabane was extremely poor, however it was a thousand times better than that the Haitians enjoyed. The rooms were claustrophobic and filthy with cold showers that ran intermittently at best. In the first three weeks of our occupation of La Cabane the showers did not run at all and it was necessary to collect drums of water each day for washing. 

Our food initially supplied and prepared by the hotel. This proved unsatisfactory as the standard was poor and quantity insufficient. Also, many On 22 November we were transported to Jeremie by a US Army Chinook helicopter. The contingent was housed at the hotel "La Cabane," the only hotel in the village. By Australian standards the accommodation at La Cabane was extremely poor, however it was a thousand times better than that the Haitians enjoyed. The rooms were claustrophobic and filthy with cold showers that ran intermittently at best. In the first three weeks of our occupation of La Cabane the showers did not run at all and it was necessary to collect drums of water each day for washing. 

Our food initially supplied and prepared by the hotel. This proved unsatisfactory as the standard was poor and quantity insufficient. Also, many members of the contingent refused to eat the locally supplied meat after it was learned that there had been cases of anthrax in local livestock. Anthrax infected meat can be fatal if eaten by humans. 

After some considerable time a local chef, affectionately known as "mum-ma" was employed to prepare meals and all supplies were flown in by helicopter. The only road to Port-au-Prince was in such a state of disrepair that road transport was not practical. The meals that "mum-ma" prepared with the primitive kitchen she had to work in were simply amazing and after her employment the meals were always good.

La Cabane was also the IPM communications centre, dubbed "Skippy Base". Radio communications with IPM patrols was only possible within approximately 10km of Jeremie depending upon location. This made our frequent long-range patrols hazardous because of the possibility of attack, breakdown or sickness. Communications with Port-au-Prince was via HF and VHF transceivers which were at all times very effective. Communication with Australia was via a portable satellite telephone brought from Australia by the contingent, this was also very effective. The mail system was at times shockingly slow and the frequent address changes for the contingent frustrated both those in Haiti and in Australia.

Our area of responsibility covered 2500sq km Jeremie and the Avant Post (small police post) at Bae (three kilometres from Jeremie) were the only police stations in the region. A large proportion of this area was inaccessible to vehicles, even more so in the wet when it was only possible to travel a short distance from the Jeremie township. The security of the area, known as the Grand Anse region was the responsibility of the US Military. Two 15-man teams of Special Forces soldiers (green berets) were permanently deployed in Jeremie. The Special Forces (SF) were equipped with the weaponry and the expertise to cope with any foreseeable situation that may have developed in our region. The professionalism of these men instilled confidence in the contingent and an overall felling of security. 

Initially the Haitian 'police' in Jeremie were soldiers who performed a policing function, if any real function was performed at all. Known as FAD'H, none had formal police training and many in fact had no desire to be police. The Special Forces had disarmed them to a large extent leaving only sufficient firearms to defend themselves. The Haitian government had decreed that Haiti would no longer have an army of any description. Thus there was a situation where as many as two or three hundred of FAD'H officers that were attached to Jeremie required assessment and, if they were found to be suitable, retraining. 

The Australian IPMs responsibility lay with the supervision, assessment and training of the Haitian police and issues that would normally be dealt with by police in Australia. 

Supervision meant ensuring Haitian police complied with human rights standards and that the law was administered in a fair and just way. No human rights violations were committed by Haitian police during the duration of the mission. Supervision did not mean making sure that they turned up for work, which they often failed to do, or interference with the general running of the police station, although the payment of wages was scrutinised. Many Haitian police did not work for the simple reason that for long periods of time they were not paid at all. At one stage they were not paid for two months. The situation became so desperate for the Haitian police that many IPMs began to give them food if they bothered to go to work. 

Assessment meant a report on an officer's aptitude, attitude, motivation, communication and other essential skills required by all police. Some members of the old regime were vetted very early when IPM vehicles were mobbed by the public claiming the Haitian police officer inside was a murderer, a situation that occurred many times. Many of the Haitian police we first encountered would not leave the confines of the police station alone or unarmed for fear of the public. 

If FAD'H officers were found to be suitable, and it was somewhat of a hit­-and-miss proposition to identify those who were, they were sent to Port-au­Prince for a six day training course.

Sometime into the mission the first of the true interim police force, were deployed in Jeremie. These trainees had been given six weeks training at the Guantanamo Bay US Military Base in Cuba and in comparison to the FAD'H officers were competent, enthusiastic and generally a pleasure to work with. Training, or more precisely retraining was generally on-the-job although classroom instruction was given by Australian IPM's. 

The police station at Jeremie was a dilapidated hulk of a building. Most of the FAD'H officers and all of the Guantanamo Bay trainees who came from outside the district lived in the building. The conditions they lived in were disgraceful by Australian standards. By Haitian standards it could be said that at least they had a roof over their heads. The toilets at the police station were unusable, so when nature called it was necessary to return to La Cabane. As there was no sewage system in Jeremie the 18,000 people in the village simply went 'to the toilet' when and where the urge took them. I never got used to seeing people defecate in public. 

The Haitian police had few resources. Their only vehicle was used by the commander of the district. All patrol duties conducted were done in IPM vehicles. The contingent was supplied with approximately eight Chevrolet Blazer 4WDs that were terribly unreliable but served the purpose for which they were intended. There was one ambulance as this was also a responsibility of the police but generally it did not run, or if it did, was out of fuel or the keys could not be found. They possessed no stocks of pens, paper or other supplies necessary to run a police force. They did have one ancient typewriter that was used to type the daily roster on paper that was procured from places unknown. For some time the power to the police station was disconnected as they could not pay the bill and only towards the end of the mission was the telephone connected. 

The roads around Jeremie were dusty and in a shocking state of disrepair. This, coupled with the intense heat and the general depressing nature of the surroundings made the working conditions arduous at best. As a result, the contingent generally worked two six hour shifts, morning and afternoon. As few Haitians spoke English, interpreters facilitated communication with local police and the public.

Long range ‘patrols’ often requiring walking up to five or six hours on foot through rivers and in very steep terrain, were frequently conducted.

THE HAITIAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM 

Haiti's judicial system is based on the Napoleonic code, whereby a victim of crime obtains an arrest warrant for the suspect directly from a magistrate or Judge de Paix. In developed countries the judiciary would first investigate the crime and establish if there was sufficient evidence for the issue of a warrant. In Haiti however the judiciary is extremely corrupt. All warrants are paid for by the victim, with the money going directly to the issuing magistrate. As the magistrates are as poor as the rest of the population they were prepared to issue a warrant under any circumstances. From the IPM perspective this was an unworkable system.

IPM's were constantly required to arrest, and more often than not gaol people without the slightest hint of evidence. Not only this, but the system in which we were forced to operate institutionalised paybacks and vendettas. It was not unusual to arrest an individual one day and then several days later arrest the original complainant on a warrant taken out by the previously arrested person. 

On one occasion I arrested the mother of a five-year-old boy who had apparently struck another five year old boy with a rock. I later ensured that she was released rather than be lodged in the prison over the Christmas period. 

On another occasion several people were arrested in relation to a double murder. A preliminary hearing was conducted in a similar fashion to the Australian system and the defendants were committed for trial in a higher court which was also located in Jeremie. The defendants were represented by a criminal lawyer who, following the committal proceedings was appointed as judge of the higher court. He simply discharged the accused men without further hearing. Despite airing grievances with respect to the nature of the judicial system nothing was done. Rather we were told that it was not possible to interfere in the Haitian legal system. Of course without the proper resources no legal system, no matter what or where it is, will ever work. This is why I feel that the Haitian legal system will, in all probability, never improve. 

The court itself was quite something to behold. It could only be described as complete chaos with opposing parties screaming at each other in front of the Judge de Paix (magistrate). On one occasion the Judge de Paix requested more security in the court after he had been assaulted. 

Sympathy was felt for some offenders who were committed to the Jeremie prison. The government did not supply prisoners with food and if a prisoner did not have family who could support him whilst incarcerated he starved. Toward the end of the mission there was a near riot at the prison when the prisoners demanded money for food because they were starving.

CRIME 

Crime in the Grand Anse area consisted mainly of domestic disputes, though there were several murders where robbery was a motive. These involved relatively organised groups of criminals targeting individuals who possessed substantial amounts of money. The victims were usually murdered in their home with automatic weapons. 

On another occasion a policeman performing duties at Bae Avante Post was attacked by a group of offenders who tied him up, lashed him to a beam and indicated that they were going to set fire to him. Luckily for the officer the offenders were disturbed by a neighbour and they ran off, but not before taking several automatic weapons from the police station. 

A national event in Haiti is the annual 'Carnival'. This involves several days and nights of festivities where the population forget their misery and enjoy themselves. During this time one offender was arrested for indiscriminately stabbing members of the public with barbed fish spikes. One victim whom I dealt with was stabbed in the chest with a ten-centimetre spike. The spike having penetrated the skin by several centimetres required minor surgery to remove it. This was conducted by a Haitian doctor as I held a torch for lighting. The victim having had the spike removed from his chest then returned with us to the festivities and identified the offender. On the same night another offender was arrested for stabbing a victim in the chest with a screwdriver. 

One of the more gruesome incidents I encountered was when a mentally disturbed offender attacked another man with a machete almost severing his left forearm. The offender was then severely beaten by the villagers. As the medical facilities in Jeremie were not suitable for conducting the major surgery the victim required he was driven to Les Cayes, a larger town, eight hours drive along rough roads without pain killers. To this day I do not know if the man survived. 

The majority of crime however was a result of domestic violence between family members or neighbours following land disputes. It was a daily occurrence for victims to attend the police station with blood streaming from open machete wounds. Often the victim would not go to hospital because they were not able to pay for medicines. I recall one woman whose index finger was swollen to four times its normal size and appeared as if would drop off at any time after being bitten by another woman. She was unable to get medical treatment because she could not afford it. Relatively minor injuries such as this could be life threatening in Haiti because of the lack of medical facilities, or the victim's inability to pay for what is available. The Jeremie hospital was hopelessly under equipped and unhygienic. Medical waste such as syringes and bloodied bandages were thrown into the open-air courtyard in the centre of the hospital. 

One of the more bizarre incidents was when Detective Constable Sharon McTavish of the AFP was confronted by a complainant who claimed he had captured a 'vampire' who had tried to suck blood from a child's neck. She was later led to a woman who had been bound, dragged along the road and severely beaten. The complainant maintained that the woman flew around at night, often landing on roof tops. 

On another occasion an elderly man collapsed in the street. When police arrived, the local undertaker and helpers were just lifting him into a coffin. When examined by an Aus­tralian IPM he was found to have a pulse. By the time he was conveyed to hospital he had made a remarkable recovery, was conscious and quite lucid. 

PERSONNEL AND LIFESTYLE 

Health considerations were of the utmost importance to members of the contingent. As previously stated we were exposed to many exotic diseases. Despite this the contingent was remarkably healthy although several members, including myself contracted Dengue Fever. Almost every member of the contingent lost weight in varying amounts during our stay in Haiti and most were fitter from making the seven kilometre walk to the beach from the IPM compound.

Boredom was a problem as there was almost nothing to do in the way of organised entertainment. The contingent was issued with a TV/VCR and approximately six new films were flown in each week with the food supply. There were no sporting facilities, bar or shops worth visiting. Despite the complete lack of facilities we managed to stay occupied. Everyone had their own way of coping with the boredom, I personally studied Spanish and did a lot of running and reading. Perhaps one would expect that in an environment such as Haiti and living in such close quarters to the other members of the contingent personality conflicts and in-fighting might be a problem. I am pleased to say that this was not the case, in fact there were relatively few problems of this nature. Christmas was a difficult time with many members being separated from wives and children.

CONCLUSION 

I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to participate in the Haiti mission. The mission concluded one month earlier than planned when the United Nations' mission commenced. Our brief was to monitor and mentor the Haitian Police Force and this we achieved despite the frustrations of the judicial system, difficult working conditions, lack of resources and the hopeless financial and economic sit­uation of the country as a whole. I benefited greatly for having had the experience of living in Haiti, I always knew, but perhaps did not appreciate fully, that Australia really was the "lucky country." I certainly do now.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

When he wrote this article, Detective Senior Constable Glen Askew was attached to Morwell, C.I.B, Victoria.