<p>These people not only lost their homes and cars in the devastating January 12 earthquake of magnitude 7.0, but also the money they had in the banks which too collapsed in the tremor, the worst to hit the tiny Caribbean nation that claimed an estimated two lakh lives.<br /><br />They had presented Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shashi Tharoor, with a written demand for compensation when he visited Port-au-Prince two weeks after the earthquake.<br /><br />"They (Indian officials) listened, they promised but nothing has happened," said Eddy Handal, the honorary consul for the Indian government.<br /><br />Tharoor said he was deeply sympathetic about the Indians in Haiti but the purpose of his visit had a broader mandate of expressing solidarity with Haitians, grieving the loss of UN personnel and boosting the morale of Indian peacekeepers engaged in relief work in the aftermath of the quake.<br /><br />"I had a four-fold mission," he said.<br />Officials familiar with the matter said presently there was no provision for financial help to Indians in the event of a natural disaster abroad. Further, changes to existing system would need examination by several arms of the government.<br />Another problem for Indians here was getting back to their native country. <br /><br />Some of the Indians wanted a return ticket back home, but the government said that it could only allow repatriation.<br /><br />This was not an option that appealed to many people since it involved cancellation of one's passport on arrival and paying for a new passport, which is issued only after the cost of the ticket has been reimbursed.<br /><br />Without the repatriation option, the Indians, who wanted to leave this country, could not do so because they were unable to get into the neighbouring Dominican Republic -- the only way out of here since there were no direct commercial flights in and out of Haiti.<br />Several Indians living in Haiti have a US visa, which allows them to get to the Dominican Republic without the country-specific visa. However, persons with an Indian passport and Haitian visa cannot get into Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic without the country's visa.<br /><br />"The embassy of the Dominican Republic in Haiti was just not accessible," said Sanjay Paul, an engineer who was trying to reach Santo Domingo. "My wife was very afraid and wanted me to come back but I could not leave."<br /><br />Presently, Paul is out of work since his office building collapsed in the quake and cannot afford the visa to Dominican Republic which costs around USD 200.<br />Indians here asserted that in difficult circumstances, visas should have been provided free and expeditiously.<br /><br />Honorary Consul Handal, a Haitian businessman, noted that while Indian government had provided USD five million for relief efforts, it had not extended any monetary help to its own citizens here. "Why not also provide for your own people"?</p>
<p>These people not only lost their homes and cars in the devastating January 12 earthquake of magnitude 7.0, but also the money they had in the banks which too collapsed in the tremor, the worst to hit the tiny Caribbean nation that claimed an estimated two lakh lives.<br /><br />They had presented Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shashi Tharoor, with a written demand for compensation when he visited Port-au-Prince two weeks after the earthquake.<br /><br />"They (Indian officials) listened, they promised but nothing has happened," said Eddy Handal, the honorary consul for the Indian government.<br /><br />Tharoor said he was deeply sympathetic about the Indians in Haiti but the purpose of his visit had a broader mandate of expressing solidarity with Haitians, grieving the loss of UN personnel and boosting the morale of Indian peacekeepers engaged in relief work in the aftermath of the quake.<br /><br />"I had a four-fold mission," he said.<br />Officials familiar with the matter said presently there was no provision for financial help to Indians in the event of a natural disaster abroad. Further, changes to existing system would need examination by several arms of the government.<br />Another problem for Indians here was getting back to their native country. <br /><br />Some of the Indians wanted a return ticket back home, but the government said that it could only allow repatriation.<br /><br />This was not an option that appealed to many people since it involved cancellation of one's passport on arrival and paying for a new passport, which is issued only after the cost of the ticket has been reimbursed.<br /><br />Without the repatriation option, the Indians, who wanted to leave this country, could not do so because they were unable to get into the neighbouring Dominican Republic -- the only way out of here since there were no direct commercial flights in and out of Haiti.<br />Several Indians living in Haiti have a US visa, which allows them to get to the Dominican Republic without the country-specific visa. However, persons with an Indian passport and Haitian visa cannot get into Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic without the country's visa.<br /><br />"The embassy of the Dominican Republic in Haiti was just not accessible," said Sanjay Paul, an engineer who was trying to reach Santo Domingo. "My wife was very afraid and wanted me to come back but I could not leave."<br /><br />Presently, Paul is out of work since his office building collapsed in the quake and cannot afford the visa to Dominican Republic which costs around USD 200.<br />Indians here asserted that in difficult circumstances, visas should have been provided free and expeditiously.<br /><br />Honorary Consul Handal, a Haitian businessman, noted that while Indian government had provided USD five million for relief efforts, it had not extended any monetary help to its own citizens here. "Why not also provide for your own people"?</p>