ARTICLE - STRIKE AND BARRICADES

STRIKE AND BURNING BARRICADES IN PORT-AU-PRINCE
(Defend Haiti) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE- Traffic was almost blocked early in the morning of Monday, April 23, 2012, on National Road No. 2, through the municipality of Carrefour. At Delmas, in the afternoon, burning barricades were placed at several locations to protest against a policeman's murder last week.

The situation was tense on Monday in several districts of the capital where burning barricades had blocked vehicle traffic. At Carrefour, south of Port-au-Prince, public transportation was very slow.

Buses from the southern departments of the country (Cayes / South Jacmel / Southeast Miragoane / Nippes and Jeremie / Grand Goave and Petit Goave) were forced Monday to let their passengers off along the way, unable to reach their destination in downtown Port-au-Prince.

This was due to relatives and friends of the policeman Walky Calixte, murdered in the neighborhood of Martissant on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 while driving his car. The first deputy of the district of Port-au-Prince, Sejour Rodriguez, is in the firing line of the slain police officer’s supporters, who are calling for the lifting of his immunity and his arrest.

MP Sejour is a member of the commission charged to study the case of the prime designate Laurent Salvador Lamothe, suspected himself of paying bribes and kickbacks for his ratification by the Senate.

Buses filled with passengers were used to block National Road No. 2, while the keys of motorcyclists - trying to reach downtown with passengers from Carrefour - were seized. In Martissant, the southern part of Port-au-Prince, stones were thrown against vehicles that dared to cross this area.

Calm returned to Carrefour in the afternoon, but the roads were still virtually deserted after the wave of protests following the killing last Tuesday of the officer Walky Calixte.

At Delmas, north part of Port-au-Prince, burning tire barricades were placed at several locations. Rumors are circulating in Carrefour that the strike could continue on Tuesday.