Haitians riot, at least five killed

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of protesters in Haiti demonstrated Friday against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, with at least five reportedly killed by police.

The demonstration was one of the largest in a decade, with some estimates placing the number of marchers at 50,000, the Miami Herald reported.

Schools and businesses closed as the student-led protest moved through the capital, stopping near the Presidential Palace and the offices of the Organization of American States.

In Gonaves, a local radio station reported that police shot and killed anti-Aristide protesters, with five confirmed deaths and at least 12 injured. There was no independent confirmation of the casualties.

There were no confirmed reports of deaths in Port-au-Prince.

At the Presidential Palace, riot police fired warning shots and tear gas at demonstrators. Police also fired machine guns and handguns in the air, causing panic.

When protesters passed in front of the state telephone company, where several well-known pro-government activists receive paychecks, marchers demanded that salaries to the chimere, or thugs, be stopped.