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Haitian President René Préval speaks to the press in Port-au-Prince.

It's a small sign but given the devastation throughout Port-au-Prince having a proper communication centre certainly helps the government look legitimate.

In the days following the earthquake, Haitian cabinet ministers, including President René Préval, took up shop at a police station near the airport. Many ministers mulled around the parking lot and gave impromptu press conferences under a mango tree.

This week everything changed. Someone donated supplies for a proper stage, podium and a giant flag of Haiti. There's a booming sound system, spot lights along the roof and a row of tables with Internet access.

It's still an open air venue, next to the mango tree, but it operates 12 hours a day and offers a constant parade of briefings. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance gave a rundown on an agreement with the Dominican Republic and offered news about banks forgiving interest payments on loans for the month of January. Earlier this week, various aid organizations made a few comments, and one U.S. Congresswoman talked about hard she has worked for Haiti in Washington.

Just down the road from the police station is the sprawling United Nations compound. It rivals almost any Canadian military base in size, and almost any government in bureaucratic speak. Yesterday, spokesman Vincenzo Bugliese said the UN was trying to find a solution to complaints about a lack of coordination among various governments and non profit organizations. The solution is a new "Joint Operations Tasking Centre", a term even he had trouble saying a few times.





Mr. Bugliese also defended the use of tear gas and rubber bullets by UN soldiers. Troops at several food drops have fired shots into the air to calm crowds or used tear gas. Mr. Bugliese said these incidents were bound to happen. He added that the soldiers "are trying to keep the situation as calm as possible."

Meanwhile, the Red Cross said it was still receiving reports of people alive under the rubble. The agency said it got a call late Tuesday that three people were alive under a house in one part of the city. The organization dispatched a team, which found no signs of life.

The UN has also started hiring local Haitians to help clean up the streets. The "Cash for Work" program had been in existence before the earthquake, but the agency now hopes to employ up to 100,000 people for various clean up and reconstruction projects. Workers receive 150 Gourdes per day (about $4.00 US), which is close to the national minimum wage. They also receive some food rations. The UN is looking for donations for picks, shovels and gloves, and it is trying to find ways of recycling the concrete and metal debris.

The project currently employs about 11,500 people, says co-ordinator Adam Rogers, who is from Whitehorse.

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