Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Ten Americans
charged with trafficking in Haiti defended their plan to bus 33
children into the Dominican Republic, saying their intention was to
get them to a temporary shelter.
"We came into Haiti to help those that really had no other source of
help," said Laura Silsby, a member of the group. "We are trusting
the truth will be revealed, and we are praying for that."
The five men and five women are from New Life Children's
Refuge, an Idaho-based charity. They said they were trying to move
the children from Port-au-Prince into the Dominican Republic.
According to the group, the children did not have any
passports. Government approval is needed for any Haitian children to
leave the country. "It appears their orphanage was damaged and they
were moving the children to their facility in the [Dominican
Republic] but failed to obtain exit visas from Haiti," said the
official who was not authorized to speak on the record.
The Rev. Clint Henry, the senior pastor with the Central Valley
Baptist Church in Meridian, Idaho, told CNN affiliate KIVI that the
10 are part of a group working to establish an orphanage in the
Dominican Republic for the youngest victims of the January 12
earthquake that devastated much of the country.
Henry said some of the children had suffered physical injuries and
need medical assistance.
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Washington (CNN) -- China said Saturday it had
suspended military exchanges with the United States over
Washington's $6.4-billion arms deal with Taiwan, the
territory that Beijing claims as its own.
China's Defense Ministry said the decision to halt visits
between the Chinese and U.S. armed forces was made "in
consideration of the serious harm and impacts on Sino-U.S.
military relations" brought about by the arms deal,
according to a report on the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua did not immediately provide further details on the
visits.
"China will make further judgments as appropriate," the
agency reported.
China had already complained to the United States about the
deal, announced Friday by the Obama administration.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei called it a "rude
interference in China's internal affairs, severely
endangering China's national security" and said China
expressed its "strong indignation."
The arms sale includes 60 Black Hawk helicopters, totaling
$3.1 billion; 114 advanced Patriot air defense missiles; a
pair of Osprey mine-hunting ships; and dozens of advanced
communications systems.
The deal with Taiwan -- which neither China nor the United
States recognizes as a sovereign nation -- does not include
F-16 fighter jets, which China has vehemently opposed.
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