Fantom 509 members marching through the streets of Port-au-Prince.

70 police officers rounded up for terrorizing Haiti

Fantom 509 members marching through the streets of Port-au-Prince.

Seventy police officers suspected of being part of Fantom 509 have been questioned or had their pay withheld, a Haitian National Police (PNH) spokesperson said during a press conference Tuesday. 

Fantom 509 is a group of masked men, usually in PNH police uniforms, that have set government vehicles on fire and threatened to kill residents as part of their ongoing campaign to secure better pay.

Sixty of the officers were interrogated. Ten others had their paychecks withheld for refusing a to get interrogated. Source

Dominican Republic to give special visas to Haitian college students

Claude Joseph, Haiti’s minister of foreign affairs, speaking at an event in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican authorities will issue special visas to Haitian college students starting in 2021.

Claude Joseph, Haiti’s minister of foreign affairs made the announcement during a meeting with leaders of the Haitian community in Higuey, Dominican Republic.

The Dominican authorities are waiting for the Haitian students legal status to be finalized.

Haitian students in Santo Domingo last weekend gave Joseph a plaque of Honor and Merit because of his eagerness to help them with their problems. Source

Moïse asks Caricom countries to back new Haiti constitution

Haiti’s president Jovenel Moïse.

President Jovenel Moïse is seeking support from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) as he prepares to roll out a new constitution for Haiti.

“I call for the solidarity support of the countries of the Caribbean Community for full success of the stages leading to the adoption of the new constitution and the organization of general elections in our country to renew the political staff,” Moise posted on Twitter Wednesday. 

He didn’t specify how Caricom could support the development of the new constitution.  

The CCI, an independent advisory board tasked with coordinating the process of drafting a new ruling document, said it will submit a draft constitution to Moise Feb. 26, 2021. Residents will later choose whether they want the new constitution through a referendum vote being planned for March. Source

Email me at onz@haitiantimes.com
Onz Chery is a Haiti correspondent for The Haitian Times. Chery started his journalism career as a City College of New York student with The Campus. He later wrote for First Touch, local soccer leagues in New York and Elite Sports New York before joining The Haitian Times in 2019.

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