Toll Up to 10 in Haiti Violence; New Strikes Demanded Today

The death toll in clashes between demonstrators and troops that have paralyzed Haitian cities rose to at least 10 Wednesday.

Sponsors declared a one-day suspension of a crippling general strike, amid calls for its resumption today and for the resignation of Haiti’s widely unpopular military-civilian government.

Organizers of the demonstrations demanded repeal of a June 22 decree by the ruling National Council of Government, led by Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy. The decree puts virtually all power to supervise future elections in the hands of the existing regime.

Haiti’s Consultative Council, an appointed body of experts who advised the elected Constituent Assembly on writing a constitution, charged Wednesday in a formal statement that the ruling council deceived them in issuing the decree.

Promise Without Details

Gen. Namphy, in response to such criticism but primarily in response to the violent strike, made a nationally broadcast speech Tuesday night in which he agreed to modify the decree. He said he would make it conform to the desires of the people but gave no details.

However, Namphy also described protesters as misguided-- which led to widespread calls for his resignation and continuation of the strike.

A similar form of pressure came Wednesday from the leader of a Haitian exile group in the United States. Father Gerard Jean-Juste, director of the Haitian Refugee Center in Miami, called for an end to more than $100 million in U.S. economic aid to the Caribbean nation until the regime resigns.

‘Duvalier Loyalists’

“The U.S. government should stop all assistance immediately to these Duvalier loyalists who are running Haiti,” Jean-Juste said, referring to Namphy aides who are followers of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, driven into exile in February, 1986.

“The White House and the State Department must pay attention to the Haitian people,” he said. “If the United States speaks, the leaders will listen.”

Jean-Juste added that a second protest of the week--about 1,000 people marched Monday--is scheduled Saturday outside Miami’s Haitian Consulate. An estimated 50,000 Haitian exiles live in South Florida, most of them refugees from extreme poverty or political repression.