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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 5 OctOber 2019

In this Sept. 30, 2019 photo provided by the Peruvian Production
Ministry, dried seahorses that were seized by authorities are
displayed in Callao, Peru.
Associated Press
Peruvian authorities:

12.3 million dried A demonstrator dressed in lawyer’s robes joins a protest calling for the resignation of President
Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Oct. 4, 2019.
seahorses seized Associated Press

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Authorities in Peru say they’ve detained Thousands rally against
a ship carrying 12.3 million dried seahorses with a $6 mil- embattled Haitian president
lion export value in an unprecedented operation.
Peruvian marines followed the Adonay ship for several By DÁNICA COTO
days before intercepting it about 200 miles (322 kilome- cused, including ally and former President
ters) off the Pacific coast. Associated Press Michel Martelly.
On board, authorities found 55 boxes filled with seahorses PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Thousands To protest against the alleged corruption
in what Peruvians say is the largest such capture on re- of protesters marched for miles through and a shortage of basic goods, Haitians
cord. the Haitian capital to the U.N. headquar- have taken to the streets in force.
Four crew members were also detained and face up to ters Friday in the one of the largest demon- Opposition leader and attorney André
five years in prison each. strations in a weekslong push to demand Michel said the international community
Throughout the years, the sea creature has been illegally the ouster of embattled President Jovenel should recognize the protesters’ demands
bought for use in Chinese medicine. Moïse. and blamed Moïse for the country’s eco-
But concerns about declining populations have led many At least two people were shot as police nomic and social problems.
countries to implement export bans. in riot gear blocked the main entrance to “He has plunged the country into chaos,”
Authorities announced the latest operation Tuesday and the airport and fired tear gas at the crowd, he said.
say the seahorses will be donated to investigative centers which responded by throwing rocks and Moïse’s ally, former Prime Minister Evans
and local universities for research.q bottles. Carlos Dorestant, a 22-year-old Paul, also met earlier this week with the
motorcycle driver, said he saw the man Core Group, which includes officials from
next to him shot, apparently by police, as the United Nations, U.S., Canada and
South Africa seizes protesters dismantled a barrier near the France to talk about the political situation.

U.N. office.
He has said that he believes Moïse has two
large illegal shipment “We are asking everyone in charge to tell options: nominate an opposition-backed
Jovenel to resign,” he said, his shirt stained prime minister or shorten the length of his
of lion bones with blood. “The people are suffering.” mandate. Moïse, who owned a company
The unrest on Friday came after almost four named in the investigation, has denied all
weeks of protests in which 17 people have corruption allegations. He urges dialogue
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa says an illegal ship- been reported killed, the economy has and says he will not resign.
ment of lion bones weighing 342 kilograms (754 pounds) been largely paralyzed, 2 million children Laurent Dubois, a Haiti expert and Duke
has been seized at Johannesburg’s main airport. have been kept from going to school and University professor, said there is no clear
An environment ministry statement says the bones were badly needed aid has been suspended, answer on what might happen next as the
found wrapped in tin foil inside a dozen wooden crates. especially to rural areas. The U.S., United turmoil continues.
The ministry says three people have been arrested after Nations and other important international “The thing that haunts all of this is ... is this
the discovery on Tuesday. players have yet to drop their support for going to lead to the emergence of more
It is not immediately clear where the lion bones were be- Moïse, making it appear unlikely that he authoritarian rule?” he said.
ing shipped. The statement says the cargo had been mis- will step down, despite protests that have Earlier Friday, police fired tear gas at thou-
declared. South African policy allows the annual export made gasoline, food and water scarce in sands gathered under a bridge to urge the
of a certain number of skeletons of captive-bred lions to some areas. international community to withdraw sup-
meet demand in Asia for bones, but some animal rights “We will continue until Jovenel leaves of- port for the president. Some demonstrators
groups have objected. fice,” said Sen. Sorel Jacinthe, who was were carrying guns, machetes or knives.
Conservationists say the enforcement of regulations once the president’s ally but joined the A police commander could be heard or-
governing the lion bone trade is weak and that the le- opposition earlier this year. dering officers to take up their positions.
gal market could threaten Africa’s wild lions by spurring The opposition has rejected Moïse’s call for “It’s become more than a protest!” he
demand.q dialogue and created a nine-person com- yelled. At various locations, water cannon
mission it says would oversee an orderly trucks were on hand.
transition of power, with many demanding Getta Julien, 47, said she had enough of
a more in-depth investigation into corrup- the protests and the president as she sta-
tion allegations which involve the use of bilized portions of rice, beans and vegeta-
funds from a Venezuela-subsidized oil pro- bles she had packed into foam containers.
gram. Critics say Moïse has not looked into “He has to go,” she said. “He’s doing noth-
linda.reijnders@cspnv.com the former top government officials ac- ing for the country. Nothing at all.”q