POSTCARD FROM LES CAYES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000866

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR
S/CRS
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR
INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA)
WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ASEC SNAR MARR HA
SUBJECT: POSTCARD FROM LES CAYES


1. (U) Summary. Poloff traveled to Haiti's South Department
capital of Les Cayes, near the westernmost end of Haiti,s
"southern claw" (peninsula),to observe the final round of
parliamentary elections. The Les Cayes region is more
prosperous and orderly than Port-au-Prince, though drug
trafficking contributes to that prosperity. Les Cayes enjoys
a dependable supply of electricity and good local
infrastructure. The region has been and continues to be calm
and stable. The Haitian National Police (HNP) and MINUSTAH
troops are visibly present, and local authorities promptly
handled minor election-related incidents on election day.
Travel to Les Cayes serves as a reminder that Haiti is not
uniformly destitute and that there are potential loci for
development away from Port-au-Prince. Beneath the calm,
however, there remains potential for instability resulting
from illegal drug activity, as traffickers will certainly
resist serious efforts to root out the influence of drugs on
Haiti's southern coast. End Summary.

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Geography
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2. (U) Les Cayes is a seaside community of roughly 180,000
located on the southwestern coast of Haiti. Surrounded by
rugged mountains on 3 sides, Les Cayes lies in a fertile
valley approximately 20 miles wide and extending 10 miles
inland. The nearby mountains, with the rain they capture and
hold, help to provide a constant source of water. The lowland
area is verdant, with small well-ordered farms (some
irrigated),tree-covered hills, and stunning scenery. It is
a beautiful setting, free of the heat and dust of Haiti,s
central plains and the congestion of Port-au-Prince, and with
access to beautiful beaches and islands.

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Infrastructure
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3. (U) A modern highway in good condition connects Les Cayes
to the smaller city of Aquin, roughly forty miles to the
east. This highway continues on to Port-au-Prince, but is
in poor condition between Aquin and Grand Goave, where it
passes through the mountains to the northern side of the
southern claw, limiting surface traffic with Port-au-Prince
and the larger part of Haiti. The highway from Les Cayes to
the coastal town of Port Salut, about 15 miles to the
southwest, is also in good condition. All other roads in
this part of Haiti, including the road to the major city of
Jeremie to the northwest, are rugged and poorly maintained.
However, rural roads are mostly covered with rock and gravel
and appear to be passable even in inclement weather with
four-wheel drive.


4. (U) Because of the difficulty of surface travel outside
the region, Les Cayes, principal contact with the rest of
Haiti is through the air link to Port-au-Prince. Les Cayes,
airport has a paved runway and a new and comfortable
terminal. Domestic air carriers provide several flights a day
in small one and two-engine aircraft. Les Cayes is only a
40-minute flight from Port-au-Prince.


5. (U) Most of the main streets in Les Cayes are paved,
clean, and in good condition, but residential streets are
rough and poorly maintained, with limited street lighting.
The city,s level terrain is conducive to travel by bicycle
and motorbike. Public transport to nearby communities is
readily available on Haiti,s ubiquitous privately-owned and
brightly-painted buses. Outside of Les Cayes, travel and
transport by horse and donkey is common.


6. (U) Power from the nearby hydroelectric facility in Sault
Mathurine combined with the city,s generating plant provides
uninterrupted electricity. A trash collection system is
obviously in effect as there are few abandoned car chassis or
piles of garbage on city streets (unlike Port-au-Prince). The
city pumps potable water to neighborhood distribution points.
A system of irrigation canals, including some built in the
late 1700s, provides water for agricultural purposes.

PORT AU PR 00000866 002 OF 002




7. (U) The environment is generally healthy for a tropical
area with little development, and basic health care is
available in a relatively large, well-equipped public
hospital. However, being a wet coastal zone, malaria is still
a serious problem in the region.

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The Economy
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8. (U) The economy of the surrounding region is supported by
farming, fishing and some tourism. It also receives an
economic boost from the transportation of illegal drugs.


9. (SBU) According to DEA and MINUSTAH, there is a
significant amount of drug traffic which enters the southern
coast of Haiti by plane and boat from points originating in
Jamaica and South America. An FSN who was a former resident
of the area related how, after a major drug shipment arrives,
there is a noticeable upswing in local home improvements as
homeowners add levels or rooms to their homes, which are
typically in a state of perpetual construction.


10. (U) Unlike Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes does not have
sprawling slums. The city center is commercially active and
relatively clean, though buildings and sidewalks are not
always in the best repair. Outside the city center, roadside
stores and street vendors are busy. At the city,s main
highway intersection on the edge of town (called
"Quatre-Chemins,") where the coastal highway splits off
toward Jeremie to the northwest, there is bustling commercial
activity and a consistent traffic jam as dozens of buses and
trucks stop to pick up and unload cargo and passengers. The
neighboring towns are clean and well ordered, with small but
active commercial areas, and decent infrastructure (though
not quite as good as Les Cayes). There are numerous small
sailing vessels engaged in fishing and transport on the
surrounding coastal waters. The nearby island of Ile-a-Vache
boasts two well-equipped and relatively modern resort hotels.

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Security
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11 (U) The HNP are visibly present in Les Cayes and in
surrounding communities. MINUSTAH also has 558 troops from
Argentina and Uruguay, armored personnel carriers and
helicopters stationed in the area. The good highway along the
coast enables MINUSTAH to promptly deploy forces to the
region,s larger coastal towns if necessary.


12. (SBU) According to DEA and MINUSTAH, drug trafficking
into the area via boat and plane is common. Recently,
MINUSTAH troops discovered an illegal airstrip constructed
for that purpose. Residents also assume that corruption and
complicity in drug trafficking among HNP officers is
widespread. Though illicit drug activity is common in the
area, there is little drug-related violence. The regional
security chief of MINUSTAH believes that may be due, in part,
to the reluctance of drug traffickers to draw
attention to themselves and to figuratively "fly under the
radar."


13. (SBU) Comment. By Haitian standards, Les Cayes and its
surrounding area is prosperous, tranquil and pleasant, and
distinct from the image of sprawling urban squalor and
attendant crime and instability commonly associated with
Haiti. Indeed, like much of the country outside of
Port-au-Prince, the South Department remained calm and free
of the crime and instability that plagued Port-au-Prince
during 2004 and 2005 and would appear to hold promise as a
focus of investment and development. Drug interests play a
role in maintaining the prosperity of the region, however,
and any serious efforts by the Preval government to root out
the influence of drugs in the area will likely generate
resistance throughout local government, business, and
security circles.
SANDERSON