Haiti a Timely Appeal

To Haitians who endured the 28-year rule of the Duvalier dynasty, it was a vivid replay of an old nightmare. A sudden police fusillade two weeks ago outside Port-au-Prince's Fort Dimanche, once a prison and torture center of the feared Tonton Macoute, killed eight marchers protesting Duvalier-era atrocities and wounded 20. The violence sparked demands for the resignation of the National Council of Government that has ruled since President-for-Life Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier fled in February. Last week the military- backed junta, which has been criticized for its plodding efforts at reform, took steps to mollify the volatile mood of its countrymen.

In a nationwide radio and television address, delivered partly in folksy native Creole, Council President Lieut. General Henri Namphy acknowledged that there was widespread discontent. Said he: "If you think it is grave now, I tell you it could be a lot graver if people don't return to work and lift the country out of the impasse it is in." Three days later Justice Minister Francois Latortue announced that an unnamed Swiss bank had agreed to freeze a $367 million account belonging to the Duvaliers. The Haitian government hopes to recover the money, which is part of the fortune that Baby Doc is believed to have amassed during his presidency.

The council is also acting to bring several Duvalier henchmen to justice. They include Suspected Murderer Frank Roumain, a former mayor of Port-au- Prince, and Luc Desyr, who served as chief of the Duvaliers' secret police. Desyr is believed to have tortured a former leader of the Haitian legislature in 1967.

Namphy last week repeated his pledge to hold elections for a civilian government as soon as possible, but said the time was not yet right. One recently returned opposition politician described the country as a "rudderless ship drifting from one crisis to the next." Despite the council's positive gestures last week, many Haitians still wonder whether their current leaders should remain at the helm.