Newman: 'Anarchic' scene in Haitian capital
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CNN's Lucia Newman
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As chaos, looting and violence rage in Haiti's capital, President Jean-Bertrand Aristide vows to remain in power
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNN) -- Port-au-Prince is in chaos as armed rebels, demanding the resignation of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, claim they have surrounded the capital. As armed thugs roam the streets, Aristide remains in the city and insists he will not step down.
CNN's Lucia Newman describes the atmosphere in Port-au-Prince to anchors Suzanne Malveaux, Kathleen Hays and Maria Hinojosa.
MALVEAUX: What are you seeing? What is the situation on the ground?
NEWMAN: It's very, very tense. It's chaotic; anarchic might be the best word. Certainly yesterday there was absolutely nobody with any control of this place. There were gangs of thugs armed to the teeth in trucks riding all over the city, roaming all over, looting, robbing people, killing people, shooting them.
One man, in fact, was found castrated by a machete on the ground. Another reporter had a gun held to his head while another Haitian was executed right in front of him. This at the port, which was being looted by everyone who wanted to take whatever they could find, and the police were nowhere to be found, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Lucia, question for you: What is the likelihood, or is there any likelihood, that President Aristide will heed growing calls for him to resign or leave the country and allow the political opposition to take control? Is that likely?
NEWMAN: If you listen to what he has to say, it's not likely at all. He in fact repeated this morning on Haitian state television that he wasn't going to leave under any circumstances.
Out of the question, he said. In fact, he said that he and his government were going to be back in the palace Monday morning, back at their offices, business as usual.
But of course, as you know, nothing in this country is business as usual. It's chaotic. The rebels say that they have surrounded this city. We haven't actually seen them, but they've certainly caused havoc in the whole country. And they say that unless he gets out of the palace soon, they're going to march in and get him.
HAYS: Lucia, last week the president sent some 50 Marines to guard the [U.S.] Embassy. There was some sense that the administration might send 2,000 Marines to sit off the coast. How is that playing in the situation, and is it helping at all restore any order. And how about the Americans and other people who are kind of stuck in Haiti now?
NEWMAN: I would say that that announcement really hasn't had much of an impact at all, right here. Most Haitians probably don't even know about it.
The political opposition is kind of divided. Some say that the Americans should come in and help restore order after President Aristide resigns. Others are saying, "No, all we need is for him to resign and we'll take care of the situation ourselves. We don't need any more foreign interference." So it really depends on who you ask.
But the American citizens here are feeling very insecure, so are all foreigners, in fact. Yesterday there was despair at the airport – people trying to get out of here, but all flights have been canceled. People can't just leave here. The border with the Dominican Republic is closed, too, so people are stuck. People who want to leave just can't get out.
We saw helicopters yesterday going to the embassy of the Dominican Republic, which is very near here, where I'm speaking to you from, ferrying some foreigners out of the embassy, taking them back to the Dominican Republic, but in very small quantities. They were small Huey helicopters; they can't carry very many people. They're choosing the people who they say most need it for humanitarian reasons.
HINOJOSA: Lucia, you know we're all reporters, and we want to know what it's like to be working in a place like Haiti. And you were saying that you yourself were even held up at some point. So can you tell us, what is it like day-to-day for you as a reporter? How are you making the decision of what you are covering? And how often are you able to get out on the street when it's so dangerous at this point?
NEWMAN: It depends on the day, really. Yesterday was very dangerous. I have to tell you. We were lucky. Our crew was going down a main road and saw a truckload of these armed thugs coming towards the car. They pointed the guns, but then we swerved off and we were lucky.
But other reporters were held at gunpoint, some were robbed, bribed. An NBC car had a window broken with a rifle butt. People were very, very frightened.
The pro-government people are very, very aggressive towards the foreign media. They think that we're on the side of the opposition. We're not, obviously, we're here to report a story. But we're seen as that, so they're very aggressive towards the foreign correspondents.
A Mexican reporter, in fact, was hit on the head with a machete. Thank goodness he was wearing a helmet. You have to play it by ear, really.
MALVEAUX: Lucia, we want to thank you for your good work. Be careful.
