World Notes HAITI

He is feared and reviled as the former Minister of the Interior and Defense under the exiled dictator Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier and the onetime head of the dreaded Tontons Macoutes, but when Roger Lafontant arrived in Port-au-Prince from exile in Santo Domingo last week, he was given a VIP reception despite orders from the government not to admit him. Lafontant's unwelcome return came only a few days after the arrival of another exiled Duvalier associate, Major General Williams Regala.

A one-day general strike called by the Unity Assembly on Wednesday to protest their return brought the country to a standstill. But it remained unclear whether President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot has the will or the power to act against the two, who presumably hope to derail the elections set for Nov. 4. Meanwhile, an alarming rumor was circulating that other Duvalierists were coming back to be on hand for the return of Baby Doc himself.