NEW YORK (AP) -- Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean defended his
charity on Monday in the wake of questions about its practices
while calling on the international community to enable the evacuation
of his homeland's earthquake-ravaged capital.
"Port-au-Prince is a morgue," Jean said at a Manhattan press conference,
recounting how he collected the corpses of small children and adults from
the festering streets on his recent trip. Tears streamed down his face as
he looked into the camera, speaking to his countrymen.
Residents should be evacuated to tent cities outside Port-au-Prince to
allow for aid to reach them and so cleanup can begin in earnest, Jean said,
asking for help from around the world in building encampments.
"We need to migrate at least 2 million people," Jean said, promising to
draw on his status as one of Haiti's favorite sons to aid in such an effort.
"I give you my word, if I tell them to go, they will go. But they need
somewhere to go to," Jean said.
The musician made the plea for an evacuation at the behest of Haitian
Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and President Rene Preval, said Hugh
Locke, the president of The Wyclef Jean Foundation Inc.