Report and statement of the Dominico Europea Humanitarian Association

Minutes of the meeting which took place on April 23rd, 2007

Place: Hotel Kari Beach. Las Terrenas

Present: 22 people present. See attendee list

Beginning of the meeting: 14h 00

End of the meeting: 16h30

AGENDA:

Election of a new Office (change of President, nomination of a new Vice President and a new treasurer)
Statement of 4 years of the Association
Statement on the drugs and medical material collection
Organisation of the next container
Statement of the 2 « Operations free Consultations and drugs delivery » in very poor barrios
Project of various humanitarian actions (Family planning – intervention of surgeons for operations at the hospital of Las Terrenas – prevention of sight problems in the schools)
Financial statement by the outgoing treasurer
Call to the willingness (humanitarian pharmacy – office-library – clothing sales)
Announcement of next meeting of the members (or of people who wishes to help): Garden Party on May 20th at 12h 00 at Mr. Serge ROUSSET‘s home in El Limon

Election of a new Office

The outgoing president, Dr. Jean Bernard BARRIE, presents his resignation motivated by his departure of Las Terrenas.
– Dr. BARRIE presents the candidature of Mr. Serge ROUSSET to which any member was opposed. The new president is appointed.
– Dr. BARRIE presents the candidature of Dr. POLANCO as Vice President to which any member was opposed. A new Vice President is appointed.
– The outgoing treasurer, Mrs. Claire BARRIE presents her resignation motivated by her departure of Las Terrenas. Mrs. Claire BARRIE presents the candidature of Mrs. Marlène BARRON to which any member was opposed. The new treasurer was appointed.
The new office is made up as follows:

President: Mr. Serge ROUSSET

Vice President: Mr. Ruben GARCIA

Vice President: Mr. Henri JOUAN

Vice President: Mr. Bernard PIRIOU

Vice President: Dr. POLANCO

Treasurer: Mrs. Marlène BARRON

Secretary: Mrs. Dominique JOUAN
Presentation of Mr. Serge ROUSSET by himself: Resident who is 66 years old, sharing his time between El Limon and Hyères in France. Creator of the Association « Provence Sahel” , he was invested during many years for West Africa with the assistance of his wife Eliane ROUSSET. He travelled in the whole world and his philosophy was always to make ” benefit » $varthe local populations from his travels.

Mr. Serge ROUSSET by accepting the Presidency of the Dominico Europea Humanitarian Association which he supports since its creation in 2003 wishes to carry on this activity while developing with the members and sympathizers a friendly and cordial environment out of any political or religious split.

4 years of the Association assessment

Dr. Jean Bernard BARRIE recalls that the Association was born on May 1st, 2003 from a formidable surge of resident of the village anxious to bring some help to the very poor Dominicans. Drugs collections were then organized in France and the drugs – thus recovered in small quantity and transported by friends in visit – were placed at the disposal of the patients to the governmental pharmacy of the hospital of Las Terrenas.
Then works of painting, plumbing, and electricity… were undertaken at the hospital under the financial help of Mr. André BOUMERICHE who was the President of the Association from May 2003 to November 2005. During this period, the first 7 containers of drugs arrived, medical material, wheel chairs, French novel books which are at the origin of the opening of the current Office Library of Casa Linda (gracefully lent by Mrs. Danièle Bizet since its opening – electricity being offered by Luz y Fuerza). Following this, the Association could finance the transport of 2 containers from France. What means 9 the total number of containers arrived to Las Terrenas in 4 years.
From this moment, the humanitarian pharmacy of our Association was open within the hospital, pharmacy in which Mrs. Anne GARNIER and her team of voluntary (Clarissa, Sabine, Hélène, Anny…) deliver the drugs to the patients who don’t have the possibility to buy them.

Mrs. Anne Garnier explains us in figure that… 5600 patients by year receive their treatment… !

Statement on the drugs and medical material collection

Mr. Bernard PIRIOU explains why our more important supplier of drugs is always PHI Humanitarian International Pharmacy. In parallel several members resident in France – Mrs. Marie Josée PICCOLO in Béziers, Dr. Alain MAYEUX in the area of Bordeaux, Mr. Jacques FOUQUET in Marseille and Dr. Paul SERVETTAZ in Grenoble – collect for Association. These 2 last are already members of HAI (hospital international assistance, French ONG) and will be charged by the president of HAI to assess our needs in material in order to provide us progressively. One of these two members is ORL and will come to help us in our actions.
In addition we are setting up a collection network in Switzerland thanks to Dr. GILLIERON and his wife and we start making contacts in Quebec.
It is necessary to continue to talk around us in order to increase our possibilities

Organization of the 10th container

Mr. Bernard PIRIOU specifies that it will be able to let going the next container at the end of August since Brives where he currently stores drugs, medical material, wheel chairs, consumable medical, school material, children’s wears, and toys for next Christmas of the children of the Barrios (whose distribution will be again organized this year by Marlène, Patricia and Mike)
Statement of 2 « Operations Free Consultations and Drugs Delivery » in very poor barrios.
Two times, one time before Easter and one time last week, we carried out this type of operations: the first time 130 consultations and drugs delivery with 4 physicians in the barrio Come Pan, last week in Los Puentes 140 consultations with 2 physicians. Our new president would develop this type of actions in the next months.

Project of various humanitarian actions

Operations Family Planning: At the beginning of 2008 another French retired physician, Dr. Alain Mayeux, will come to spend three months to LT to help us in our actions, with pharmacy and he wants to start an action Family Planning within the community of Los Puentes, helped by a new member resident in Los Puentes, Paola

Operations Surgery: We are studying an intervention of French surgeons in 2008, as performed by the American surgeons, on a purely humane basis, at the hospital of LT; Doctor Hélène Piriou is in charge of the coordination with this group of surgeons. We will keep you informed of the progress of this operation.

VISION Operations: Serge Rousset asked us to make sight controls of the children at the school of El Limon. It will be the first time and the objective is to extend it to other schools of Las Terrenas. Doctor Polanco, new vice-president of the ASSOCIATION, will bring his help while asking his ophthalmologist to come freely to take part in this evaluation. Doctor Piriou is looking for the necessary material for the control of the sight in France. We have, in France, a source of corrective glasses which will be given free to us; it will only remain to transport them.

Financial statement by the outgoing treasurer

In general our annual outcomes enable us to assume the transport of 2 containers by year. Today, the funds are sufficient for the transport of the next container at the end of August 2007.
Our receipts are the following: adhesions of the members, receipts generated by the hiring of the books in library, gifts of private people and of Associations which support us, participation of 20 pesos in each drug prescription, sale of clothing, events throughout the year (dinners, raffles and other activities whose benefits are transferred to the profit of the Association). The date of the next raffle is scheduled in December by Marlène who will need assistance for the organization.

Call to the goodwill for – ensuring 1 day of permanence or for replacements in the office – library open every day in Casa Linda from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 13 p.m.

Looking for professors to teach French at the school of El Limon. Call Dominique at 809 240 64 19

Sale of clothing for the profit of the Association. Call Patricia at 1 809 867 46 89

Distribution of drugs in the hospital by the way of the free pharmacy of the Association and in the various dispensaries of the area. Call Anne at 1 809 878 50 50

Next meeting of the members of the Association and of all the people wishing to bring a help whatever it is to the very poor Dominicans: Garden Party on May 20th at 12h00 at Serge’s house in El Limon. Inscription at the Association office 809 240 50 73 (in the morning between 10h and 13h) or at 809 240 64 19

Casa Linda. Las Terrenas. Republica dominicana Tel. (809) 240 50 73. Fax (809) 240 64 85

E-mail : humani.repdom@internet.net.do http://www.humani-repdom.com

Humanitarian Dominico Europea Association, 28.04.07

The Fundación Mahatma Gandhi has a cardiovascular project

The Fundación Mahatma Gandhi has a cardiovascular project seeking to benefit 1000 people among the poorest in the community that starts on May 1st and arts and crafts summer camps for children that will start in July. They all depend on volunteers from Las Terrenas and from other parts of the world that start arriving April 30th. We are about to finish the remodeling of a small dominican house to be used as volunteers residence. We seek your help. We would be most thankfor for any beds, mattresses, sheets, towels, night tables, cooking utensils, a small dining table, chairs, house decorations or anything of good quality that may help us in furnishing the volunteers residence and that you’re willing to donate.

If you wish to volunteer for any of these projects, or to donate materials for the camps (see attachment), or if you know anyone who is interested in helping, please share the information and/or contact us. If you’re not familiar with our organization please visit us at http://fundacionmahatmagand hi.com

José Bourget 809.386.3086

Annette Snyder 809.496.0245

THANK YOU !

José Bourget, 29.04.07

Health Day in Los Puentes of Las Terrenas

The Dominico Europea Humanitarian Association in collaboration with the Town council of Las Terrenas organized a health day on Thursday April 19th in the school of Los Puentes: medical consultations and free distribution of drugs thanks to the donations received by the Association.

A physician of the Association and the physician of the dispensary succeeded in consulting 140 people, adults and children; the team of the Association, in charge of the drugs distribution at the hospital of Las Terrenas, was present to answer to the physicians request according to the pathologies.

After this second operation which received a great success near the population, the Association considers other actions of this type with regular interval.

The Humanitarian Dominico Europea Association, 29.04.07

A society behind bars

Today’s editorial in Hoy newspaper comments on how more and more Dominican families and businesses have had to install bars and security systems for self-protection, and reminisces about the old days. The newspaper points to the need for increasing Police funding, which would include better-paid policemen as a way of preventing corruption. To guarantee good work and effective surveillance with poorly paid policemen is a utopia that is costing us more than if we paid decent wages to those who need to battle the criminals, writes the newspaper. On the other hand, it is necessary to identify the weaknesses of the judicial system that seems to protect the criminal more than its victims. ” Without questioning the judiciary, somewhere in the machinery of justice the conditions are there to facilitate record time releases, writes the newspaper. It concludes: There is a widespread loss of security that has obliged our society to live behind bars, without trust and elusive, under the burden of fear and suspicions.

DR1, 02.05.07

Tourism announces the beginning of new publicity campaigns in the USA

The Tourism Secretary, Felix Jiménez, announced that from today began a new and aggressive publicity campaign and promotion on all the US markets.
Felix Jiménez informed that this campaign – under the title « Diversity of Continent » – will finish in March of the next year and is showing the beauties and wealth of the Dominican Republic tourist products.
The Tourism secretary indicated that the program where the Dominican Republic will be the favourite will be the « talk show » named « The Queen of Television » by Oprah Winfrey, program which has an audience of approximately 50 million people every week.
« Diversity of Continent » will be also visualized on CNN, NBC, History Channel, Discovery Channel, The Golf Channel, in the NBA games, and Jiménez also informed that as for middle of May will also begin a promotion campaign from the country with images, prepared by the scenario writer Juan Lasanta, where Puerto Plata, Samaná and Juan Dolio with all the restorations carried out in these tourist poles will be promoted.
Currently, the Tourism Secretary invests approximately 22.5 million US Dollars every year in international promotion and publicity.
In the case of the American market, publicity campaigns, advertisements and posters were placed in approximately 300 metro stations, 700 taxi stations, 300 subway stations and in 8 of the principal US airports, with the aim of supporting and of placing the Dominican Republic as the first class holiday’s destination on this market. In the same way, videos named « In-flights » where placed through the various US airlines where the passengers can see tourist places and landscapes of the country.

El Nuevo Diario, 03.05.07

Valentin favors a revision of the Family Health Insurance law

The president of the Deputies Chamber, Julio César Valentin, proposed a rigorous revision of the law on the Family Health Insurance (SFS), in the contributive mode, provided that it benefits the majority of the population.

Valentine recognized that there were some difficulties in the law application, after having added that with the approval of this legislation one claimed that profit will be made in various sectors in the country.
The President of the Chamber considered that it is sometimes necessary to make certain decisions which when they affect a certain determined sector, benefit the majority of the population.

El Viajero Digital, 04.05.07

The World Bank is worrying about the violence in the country

The International Community is worrying about the levels of delinquency and violence which are recorded in the country, these levels threatening the development of the economic partnership of the nation, according to a report of the World Bank (BM) diffused by the intermediary of a videoconference, since their headquarters in Washington.
The teleconference was directed by the economist of the World Bank, Gabriel Demombynes, who affirmed yesterday that if the Caribbean area could reduce by a third the current rate of homicides, it could increase twice the economic growth rate.
According to the report, Dominican Republic is one of the countries with a greater fear generalized towards the violence, especially in young people, according to the data provided by the National police force and the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Republic.

Diario Libre, 04.05.07

With an investment of 800 millions of pesos, the Board of Directors of Indotel approved the biannual plan 2007-2009

Santo Domingo – With an investment of about 800 million pesos, the Board of Directors of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) approved the biannual plan 2007-2009, by means of which it will be carried out more than 11 projects of socioeconomic development and of telecommunications, that include the Rural High Speed Service at national level, with an investment of 75 million pesos, to solve the problem of connectivity in remote provinces of the country.

The information was given by the Junior Minister and the President of Indotel, Doctor Rafaël Vargas, who also explained that works will be carried out during these two years on the installation of the Technological Park for enterprising young people aiming at promoting employers’ initiatives within the Dominican youth and in continuity with the works of the Centers of Qualification in Data processing (CCI) project, carried out with an investment of 427 million pesos.
Indotel installed more than 215 centers of data processing and plans to install 628 centers in the 32 provinces. It ensured that with these measures, the Institution guarantees to the rural and urban sectors with low incomes, the possibility of reaching a minimal and effective telephony service at accessible prices, thanks to the markets operations and the use of the mechanisms planned by the general law of telecommunications. Indotel indicated that the biannual plan of development projects over the period 2007-2009 also takes into account projects of Internet diffusion through the CATV networks or television cable, and the continuation of numerical installations in universities and training institutions.

They are also the projects of qualification in data processing (CCI) centers, of inclusion of handicapped persons in information and in technologies knowledge (TIC), projects of community technological center, of Provincial E-Health, of educational television, of Fund for Academic Excellence and of connectivity in projects of social inclusion.

As explained by Doctor Vargas, the biannual plan contains projects of development for the sector of telecommunications which Indotel will increase during the 2007-2009 period, and which will be carried out by the private sector and will be co-financed by the Development Fund of Telecommunications (FDT) that manages the regulating institution. He declared that Indotel stimulates the investment for the extension of the cover of the telecommunications public network by the implementation of projects while aiming at equipping with services the localities which need some.

The president of Indotel indicated that in a first step the institution focused in the installation of public telephones, in localities chosen on the basis of social criterion and number of inhabitants, as well as on the lack of the services mentioned. Vargas specified that in phases I and II of the project of Public Rural Telephony in the Communities with a population of more than 300 inhabitants, ” we installed approximately 2.250 public telephones in the same number of Communities.

In a second step, Indotel has proposed to obtain a suitable access to the services of telecommunications and to the necessary information for the economic and social development of the rural sector and of the communities where the private investment of the telecommunications companies is still not arrived, he said.

El Nuevo Diario, 06.05.07

Danilo Medina admits that President Leonel Fernández is the winner of the primary elections of the PLD

In a short speech of five minutes, the pre-presidential candidate of the PLD, Danilo Medina, admitted yesterday evening in front of his campaign team that the President Leonel Fernández won the internal elections of this party.
With the sentence the state imposed itself Medina put an end to the hopes that he would make a speech.
Since we started the process I was aware that it will be a competition with the Dominican State and the State imposed itself. By the results of the preliminaries, which we received this evening, it is clear that the re-election was imposed and that the number is in your favor, we want to recognize in front of you that the number is in your favor, he said.
He warmly thanked « the army of courageous persons » $var who approved him throughout the campaign. I want to congratulate them for their moral interest, their capacity to sacrifice themselves and their personal value. I am proud of you and I am proud to know that a so vast group resisted to what occurred in these internal elections.

Listin Diario, 06.05.07

Leonel Fernández with 71%

The President Leonel Fernández moves for the third time towards the presidential candidature of the PLD, by obtaining a triumph in the elector congress of his party, as indicated by the projections presented by the second bulletin emitted yesterday evening by the Electoral Commission.
Beforehand, his internal adversary Danilo Medina affirmed that « the State imposed itself » in the process of yesterday, and announced that he will carry out a complete evaluation of the results during the course of this week.
The second bulletin was known at midnight in the PLD National House with 855 calculated tables, which constitute 36.37% of the totality. In this moment, with a total of 216.903 valid votes, Fernández accumulated 154.991 votes, meaning 71.46%, and Medina had 61.912 votes that are equivalent to 28.54%.

After having read the bulletin, César Pina Toribio emphasized that according to the projections, more than 700 thousand people voted in the internal elections of yesterday.

Diario Libre, 07.05.07

Coordination of the Police forces of Las Terrenas

The work of the Municipal Police force continues with the National police force of the highways departments, in coordination with Staff Sergeant Ramirez, to supervise the application of the one way. Four radios were already given to the highways departments and four new radios will be given to the municipal police officers to help to communicate from a checkpoint to another at the time of the arrests.
The authorities thus equipped received the order to stop all the contraveners, all the drivers having a dangerous driving, all the provocative drivers with noise pollution and to confiscate their vehicle at once.

Editorial staff, LTL, 09.05.07

74% for Leonel Fernández in Las Terrenas

With 74% in Las Terrenas for the President Leonel Fernandez, and taking into account the national results, we can think that the elections of the next year are already played and that the entire country tends towards stabilization.
This tendency will certainly be felt with regard to the foreign investments and with a second mandate of Leonel Fernandez, the Dominican Republic will become one of the surest countries regarding investments with Venezuela and Brazil and we could count on an index of progression of 10% compared to the last year.

Editorial staff, LTL, 09.05.07

Yesterday the Air Dominicana company was set up

Santo-Domingo – The airline company Air Dominicana was set up yesterday with an initial capital of ten million dollars and a participation of the shareholders of the Dominican State of 40%, and a presence of the Spanish capital of 32%.
The President of Globalia, Juan José Hidalgo, will preside over the new air line, in which he will have a participation of 25% on a purely personal basis, while the presence of the Dominican State could be reduced in a future immediate to 25 or 30% of the shares, explained in a press conference the Tourism Minister Felix Jiménez.
The company will operate from Punta Cana, one of the principal tourist centers of the country, and will also have offices in Santo-Domingo.
Air Dominicana will start to operate, according to the forecasts, in April of the next year, indicated Hidalgo.

Diario Libre, 10.05.07

Red alert in Province of Dajabón

Santo Domingo – The Emergency National Commission (CNE) of Dominican Republic issued yesterday the red alert in the province of Dajabón, at the north-western border with Haiti, affected the day before by one surprising tornado which left 36 wounded and 600 evacuated persons.
The alarm was given because of a cloudy band which affects the zone by causing strong winds and electric storms.
For the provinces of Montecristi (north-western) and Elías Piña (south-western), the organization emitted a yellow alarm.
For the same reasons it was issued a green vigilance for the provinces of Puerto Plata and Sánchez Ramirez, in the northern part, and for María Trinidad Sánchez, in the North-East. This cloudy band is located between Cuba and Haiti, as informed the National Office of Meteorology.
The province of Dajabón was affected the day before yesterday by a tornado which caused wounds to 36 persons, left 606 persons without housing and caused damage to houses, according to the authorities. This tornado was recorded around 17:30 o’clock standard time (21:30 GMT) and was accompanied by strong rains and hail.
The Dominican President, Leonel Fernández, put in place yesterday the delivery of 10.000 rations of food and the repair of all the residences which were affected by the tornado, as the provincial authorities informed.
The wife of the mayor of Dajabón, Sonia Mateo, indicated that 30% of the residences and the commercial places of the city were affected by the weather phenomenon.

El Nuevo Diario, 10.05.07

Las Terrenas in the Top ten world destinations for this summer

Long-haul trips to the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico and Thailand are among the top emerging holiday destinations for summer 2007.
That is according to new research from TripAdvisor, which finds Las Terrenas in the Dominican Republic is the top emerging travel hotspot based on searches and postings on its website.
The fishing village is an ideal Caribbean getaway, offering long white sandy beaches to explore that are not overrun by resorts.
Also in the top three was Breaux Bridge in Louisiana – one of the American state’s culinary capitals.
Famous for its crayfish (known in Louisiana as crawfish) and Cajun cooking, Breaux Bridge is also ideal for an active holiday – with the Atchafalaya Basin the place to go for walks and canoe trips where you can see cypress trees, water lilies, beavers, wading egrets and alligators.
In third place was the much better known top world destination of Bali in Indonesia. Seminyak in particular was a travel hotspot. The resort is known for being one of the most exclusive and priciest areas of Bali.

http://www.travelbite.co.uk/newsbrief/caribbean/dominican-republic/top-ten-world-destinations-this-summer- $473239.htm

Travel Bite, 11.05.07

Government will fight the infantile abuse

The Office of the First Lady, Doctor Margarita Cedeño, the General Attorney of the Republic, the National Council for Childhood (CONANI), and the Information and Communication Technologies of Presidential Office (OPTIC) signed a collaboration agreement to fight in team the infantile abuse.
The collaboration agreement was signed by the First Lady, Doctor Margarita Cedeño de Fernández; the General Attorney of the Republic, Doctor Radhamés Jiménez Galet; the CONANI president, Kirsys Fernández de Valenzuela and the OPTIC director, engineer Domingo Tavárez.
The authorities authorized the Line 700 of the Prevention and Attention against the Infantile Abuse, which can be called freely from any telephone.
Denunciations on the various types of abuse: physical, psychological, sexual, work exploitation, negligence, induction to the delinquency or antisocial activities, abandoning, begging and commercial sexual exploitation could be received through this telephone line.

El Viajero Digital, 11.05.07

This time the aggressors were filmed

Las Monday in Las Terrenas, faces discovered and dressed up as police officers, these two men would have taken part in several hold-ups and robberies, they violently attacked the manager of the residence-hotel Pino de Austria in Playa Bonita, where they were filmed, and they wounded a woman with a shotgun. If you have any information that might help us please contact us:

moc.liamtoh@airtsua_ed_onip

Editorial staff, LTL, 14.05.07

The airport tax will go up to 8 dollars in June

The five dollars paid by the companies by passenger to enter and to leave Dominican Republic by airway, as well as in regular flights as in charter flights, will be increased to eight as from June in order to improve the tourist development of the country.
The increase of three dollars is equivalent to 60 percent in relative terms. According to a decree, emitted on last April 19th, three of them will be intended for the promotion of the tourist image of the Dominican Republic, one dollar is intended to support the international tourist destinations and four will be for the funds of the Executive Committee of the Tourist Zones Infrastructures.

El Viajero Digital, 15.04.07

Meeting yesterday evening with Mrs. the Ambassadress of France on the topic of the security in Las Terrenas

Yesterday evening in the Atlantis hotel, took place the meeting organized by Mrs. the Ambassadress of France in Dominican Republic, Cécile POZZO di BORGO, to which the residents of Las Terrenas were invited.

After a summary of the situation of the French people abroad by Senator André FERRAND and Nicole DOMINO, Gerard PRYSTASZ, Honorary Consul in Las Terrenas, tackled the subject of the security in the village by establishing an assessment of the situation.
According to him, to have met and have informed the authorities on the most elevated Interior level, the Police force, Politur and the Attorney General of the Republic, two possibilities are offered to fill the lacks of means of the government.
Or to call upon a group specialized universally in the security of the tourist zones for 50.000 US $ per month or to join together more consequent funds within the local Association for the Security to help with the financing of the needs of the National police force of Las Terrenas, which has to date only one small Jeep and a motor bike for 24 men, and no financial assistance on behalf of the government.

After debate and interrogations, the majority of the French residents present yesterday evening agreed to take part financially, as well as the Italian and German communities, also concerned with the insecurity and whose participation would be possible.

To have taken an appointment with President Leonel FERNANDEZ tomorrow Thursday, Gerard PRYSTASZ plans to make him the following proposal: if the vehicles are provided by the government, the Association would ensure the maintenance and to provide the necessary fuel.
Mrs. the Ambassadress committed herself on her side to begin the debate in the next days and supporting an awakening to her European counterparts on their participation to fight against the insecurity in Las Terrenas.
This meeting allowed a very positive and sincere exchange when the victims of the various aggressions, for the first time joined together, expressed their testimony with a lot of frankness to the Police force Colonel, present yesterday evening.
He answered also in a very open manner and he explained why an internal investigation of the services is currently taking place and that it would determine as soon as possible the complicity or not of some of his men in the last robberies and aggressions.
He also affirmed that the persons filmed at the Residence Hotel Pino de Austria in Playa Bonita did not belong to the services of the Police force of the North-eastern area of the country.

It results a will of everyone to put a term at this increasing insecurity in the following days, before the consequences are really dramatic.

Editoriall staff, LTL, 15.05.07

Las Terrenas and the promise of the terrestrial paradise

In November of the last year, the experience was disastrous because the way which goes to the Playa Bonita beach was full of craters and there at the end, in the hotel Atlantis, the owner, an Italian mistrustful and badly educated ruined the weekend. Thus, on this occasion, I thought never again I will come back over there.
But Martín Carreras, the famous Argentinian chief, third in the world at the end of the Eighties, who cooked for kings and presidents at the time of world summit conferences and universal trade fairs, stove companion of Ferrán Adría and recognized by specialized magazines such as « El Rey de la Cocina Global » , while being pioneer of the « Nouvelle Cuisine Française » in Latin America – has just opened there the restaurant « Martín Pescador » what started to make change my point of view on the village.

There is just to cross Las Terrenas, where 8 000 souls are living, including 3 thousand foreigners, and where cohabit 80 of the most varied restaurants, and to go at the seaside, for -, in front of the Atlantic Ocean « enormous, blue, democratic » as Nicolás Guillén described it, – finding the restaurant and bar « Martín Pescador » , covered with Cana, with outdoor tables and under the roof, the inevitable Argentinian parrilla for the grills.

It should be known that there is no competition between a chief and another Here, there is no stress, they are possibilities for everyone. When the high tourist season arrives, we work like crazy ones, and during the low season like now, one can sit down and wait, but without fear said Martín.

The Pescador Street

This zone is the « Rose Zone » . A few meters of commercial exploitations, ones stuck to the others, coffees, lounges, night clubs, discotheques, which are reminiscent of the famous Calle del Pescado in Sitges; good music and a lot of charm.
If someone enters in the bar « El Mosquito » , which seen of outside seams to be a humble and small fisherman house, he will discover not only good taste in the design and effective cocktails, but also a special taste for the design. Since there, each one can go away, by paying the price, with any part of the decoration, from the ashtray to a lamp.
The owners of « El Mosquito » are – Alex, a Spanish guy – and Véronique, a Frenchwoman – who also publishes a small luxury review on what occurs in the area -, they also are the owners of one of the best conceived restaurants in the area, very close to the « Martín Pecador » , the « Mambo Social Club » .
In front of the « El Mosquito » you will find the « Café Atlantico » ,%2

Diario Libre diffuses the picture of the aggressors of Las Terrenas

An article of Diario Libre of today takes over the information by diffusing the picture of one of the two attackers of the Residence Hotel Pino de Austria.
For reading: http://www.diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx ?id=105775

Editorial staff, LTL, 16.05.07

They transfer the Major of the Police Force of Las Terrenas

SANTO-DOMINGO – The Chief of the Police force, lieutenant general Bernardo Santana Páez, transferred the major of Las Terrenas, Samaná and reinforced the police force equipment, with more agents and with more motorized units, in order to resist to the delinquency wave which strikes this tourist zone. The chief of the police force named lieutenant colonel Everaldo Brea Díaz, to replace lieutenant colonel Pedro Cuevas Valenzuela, this one remaining without function for the time being.

During the last eight days several attacks and robberies occurred in Las Terrenas, maintaining the hotel zone in high stress level, and endangering the tourists who visit this part of the country.
In addition, yesterday Ricardo de los Santos Mejía, 27 years old and Wimer Andrés Montilla Medina, 32 years old, who are presumed to have organized a shooting on the avenue John Kennedy Tuesday afternoon, were arrested.
The supposed delinquents were traveling in a green Toyota Camry car, year 1997, license plate A-427208, with other unknown persons who succeeded to escape.
A police report informs that when the group realized that they were agents, the delinquents shot, this is why it was necessary that the agents retaliated against the aggression.

Three cellular phones, a 9 mn Parabellum gun, with its charger containing eight bullets and two keys type T, being used to force the vehicles were requisitioned during the arrest of the presumed guilty persons.

http://www.diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx ?id=105841

Diario Libre, by Adonis Santiago Díaz, 16.05.07

The Special Forces in Las Terrenas

The police actions will be coordinated with Tourist Police staff and with agents of the DNCD.
Santana Páez explained that the police reinforcement looks to improve the working of criminal prevention which has to be made in Las Terrenas. He also guaranteed that this community, just like all the country, will be protected, indicating that the delinquency will not gain ground during its management by the Police.
He informed that from the first hours of yesterday, Colonel Frank Félix Amonte, of the Direction of Criminal Investigations, which is managed by General Rafael Bencosme Candelier, was sent to Las Terrenas for a staff control so that he can immediately works on pending cases to solve.
He said that from the Special Operations dependency, Captain Fortunato Abad was sent to control a special force equipment to put to rights the delinquency and to realize preventive operations.

The AMET sent Colonel Raymundo Hernandez, to the front of personnel who allows reinforcing the traffic control.
Whereas in POLITUR he transferred the colonel of the Dominican Air Force, Nelson Miguel Checo, who was the supervisor, and in his place, Captain Jose Calderón was designated; whereas Major Jose Abreu Peña, of the Army, who occupied the charge functions, was replaced by the captain Roberto Soto, of the same institution.

Sylvain MAUFRAIS, LTL, 17.05.07

Dominicans in Paris deny the slavery of the Haitians in Dominican Republic

The Dominican consul in Paris, Antonio Abreu, informed yesterday that the Dominicans and the Haitians rejected in the French capital the exhibition of pictures and the contents of a conference in which the Dominican Republic is presented as a country which uses the Haitians as slaves.
He announced that the Dominicans are prepared to protest against the presentation in Paris, today Friday, of a video which, as he affirmed, aims to show the slave system of the Haitians in the Dominican sugar refineries.

The pictures exhibition is entitled « Slaves in the Paradise. Contemporary Slavery in Dominican Republic ». The photographs are from the Peruvian artist Céline Anaya.

According to Abreu this exhibition was presented by Father Pedro Ruquoy. In telephone conversation with Hoy, the Consul Abreu expressed that the exhibited pictures and the conference carried out yesterday at the University of Paris received a firm rejection, not only on behalf of Dominican but also of the Haitians who attended the activities.
Abreu specified that the presentation of the exhibition was presented by Ruqouy, and by the priest Christopher Harley, who was transferred from Dominican Republic by their congregations, the first in Africa and the second in New York.
He informed that in the University of Paris, the intellectuals of France and of Haiti discussed on the subject, but that the rejection was such as Father Ruquoy tried to leave the audience, but that he was obliged to stay there.
He explained that there were approximately 200 persons, in majority Dominican and Haitian and that the immigrants of the two Caribbean people refuted that the Haitians were treated like slaves in the sugar refineries.
Dominican and Haitians stood up and affirmed that in Dominican Republic it does not exist slavery, and that the problems affecting the Haitians in this country are the same ones as those affecting all the immigrants in any country in the world, he exposed.
Everyone was convinced that the priests are liars and that they have a hatred campaign against the Dominican Republic, he underlined.
He considered that the campaign of Ruquoy and Harley does not have any objective except to create confrontations between the Dominican and the Haitian people, who share the same island.

As for the pictures, entitled « Slaves in the Paradise », they show more than 40 photographs dramatizing the life in several sugar refineries of the country. The pictures show the poverty, precariousness, depressed faces, under-nourished bodies, children eating the sugar cane and abandoned old persons.

The pictures exhibition will remain in Paris until June 15th and takes part of a series of events which are about the same subject « the Slaves in the Paradise ».

Hoy Digital, 18.05.07

28 new men for the Police force of Las Terrenas

Around fifty men of the various Police services have just arrived and start their 3rd working and investigation day in Las Terrenas.

The Consul Gérard PRYSTAZ, Cécile POZZO di BORGO Ambassadress of France in the Capital, Oscar ORSINI of the Alianza, José ALEXIS Mayor of Las Terrenas, General Luis DOMINGUEZ and Lieutenant General Bernardo Santana PAEZ had secretly prepared this operation for one week, to have time to convene and to coordinate the various teams of the National police force, the DNCD, the Police force of Criminal Investigations, Politur and Amet.
Meanwhile unfortunately the robberies and aggressions continued.
But the morning following the meeting in the Atlantis with Madam the Ambassadress of France, Lieutenant General Bernardo Santana PAEZ gave the green light asking that the image of the Police force is changed quickly in Las Terrenas.
The call radiated in all the country, since we could see official vehicles coming in support from Santiago and La Romana yesterday in the streets.
A first assessment describes the complete change of the Police force team, meaning 28 people.
Sergeant General Osiris Alcántara RODRIGUEZ, from San Francisco de Macoris, will also bring his logistic and material assistance within ten days and will come to make the point on the situation once a week in Las Terrenas.

The Security Committee of Las Terrenas will communicate soon to the various Communities a report of this exceptional deployment which answers the general request.

Sylvain MAUFRAIS, LTL, 18.05.07

The National Park Los Haitises will be declared as protected zone

The authorities of Medio Ambiente and Recursos Naturales were committed with popular organizations to declare as protected area the source of the Comate River and to restore the degraded areas of Los Haitises.
The secretary of Medio Ambiente, Max Puig, met on last Saturday with about 150 representatives of popular organizations, which include drivers, teachers and the Catholic church of Bayaguana, to decide solutions to the demands of municipalities on environmental matter.
The civil employee decided with the representatives of the Comité de Lucha de Bayaguana, to declare as protected area the source of the Comate River, to reinforce the equipment and the vigilance personnel of the fragile zones of Los Haitises, where the aquifers are born and are supplying the six provinces of the Eastern region.
In addition, they were committed to sign an agreement to execute together (Government and communitarian organizations) the plan of restoration of the areas degraded by deforestation and cultures.
The Medio Ambiente was also committed to issue a resolution that includes within the National System of Protected Areas the source of the Comate River that concerns the communities of Valle Grande, El Guano, La Lomita, Guazaral, Los Valles, La Deseada, Monomojao, La Cueva y Palmalisa.

Diario Libre, 21.05.07

The Ambassadress moves away the French government from the scandal

Cécile Pozzo di Borgo explained that the Mayor of Paris is independent of the central government and that he is socialist, this is why this dependence is handled in margin of the government.

Diario Libre knew that Cécile Pozzo di Borgo clarified with the deputies who visited her to solve this discredit and slandering campaign which is carried out against the Dominican Republic, that her government does not make part of this campaign.

She stressed that Christopher Harley and Pedro Riquoy, promoters of the campaign, are of Spanish and Belgian nationality, this is why France should not be responsible for the actions of these groups which promoted and which exhibited the documentary « The price of sugar » .

The representing of the French government in the country received a commission of deputies directed by the reformist Víctor, who delivered a copy of the resolution to the discredit and slandering campaign which is carried out against the Dominican Republic, is propelled by a group of people and nongovernmental organizations, national and foreign, through which one wrongfully accuse the national sugar industry of slavery practices with the Haitian immigrants who work in the cut of the cane.

The resolution was approved, unanimously on last Tuesday by the deputies.

Bisonó, author of the resolution, was accompanied by Agnès Contreras, the spokesman of the PRD Cristian Parois, Angel Gomera of the PLD and Rafaël Abreu.

The movement asked the Dominican government to support in a formal way the actions of the national sugar industry to avoid the exhibition of documentaries and the serious consequences that this could produce on our tourist industry and sugar exportation.

Diario Libre, by Socorro Arias, 20.05.07

Blue Panorama starts with Charter flights El Catey – Milan

The Italian Airlines company Blue Panorama created in 1998 and pertaining to Franco Pecci, will set up a new line Milan – El Catey Samaná every Sunday in the coming weeks.

We are waiting for the actualization of their official Website http://www.blue-panorama.com/ for more details.

Sylvain MAUFRAIS, LTL, 22.05.07

106 thousand toxic toothpastes on the market

From now it remains on the market about 106 thousand units of the dental pastes Excel and Mr. Cool which were introduced into the country from Panama in an illegal way, and which contains a toxic substance causing renal disease and being able to go until the death.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health informed that more than 10 thousand units of the toothpaste were still in the country, while the authorities identified the responsible persons having introduced the smuggled products, as revealed yesterday by the Director of Environmental Health, Luis Felix Roa, who did not want to reveal the names of the persons in charge after having clarified that is pertains to the competence of the General Customs Direction (DGA) and of the Armed Forces to offer these details on the carried out investigations.
But the DGA press department informed that there is no innovation with regard to the case and that they are waiting for the report of their investigations.
The seized pastes were found in commercial markets of the provinces of Jimaní, Elías Piña, Barahona, Azua, Samaná, Distrito National and the province of Santo Domingo.
Roa said that in every province one seized more than two thousand units of toothpastes. The civil servant expressed that the local authorities alerted the Haitian State of the situation since they have information that the product will be sold on this market because some labels of the product are written in Creole.

Diario Libre, 22.05.07

For the fastest, today the flight costs 4 US $

The Airline company JetBlue Airways Corporation (Nasdaq: JBLU) announced yesterday a special sale « Four days, Four dollars » for travels from Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic to the International John F Kennedy airport (JFK).

The price for a journey from Santo Domingo to New York will be of 4 US $, more the international taxes, meaning a price going up to 72 US $ for a round trip ticket.
The travel to New York must be performed within the four days between Thursday May 24th and Sunday May 27th.
The special sale is valid for the travels from Santo Domingo.
The special sale « Four days, Four dollars » is available only for the purchases carried out today, as long as there will be available seats.
The customers of Santo Domingo can buy their flight in JetBlue by visiting the Tickets sale office of the city located in the Avenue Winston Churchill, Place Las Americas (Esq: Paseo de Locutores, 2º Level Suite # Et 16-B) or while calling the 1-200-9898. The office will be open from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. and the customers can also visit the Tickets sale office of JetBlue directly in the airport of Santo Domingo located at Las Americas, 2nd Level, Punta Caucedo.
The special sale of 4 US $ can also be acquired by visiting www.jetblue.com or while calling the 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) if the customers are calling from the United States.

The direct daily flights of JetBlue between JFK Airport of New York and Santo Domingo begin on this Thursday May 24th.

El Viajero Digital, 22.05.07

Meeting tomorrow Thursday 24th at 10:00 A.M. in the Aligio Hotel

The person in charge for the command of the north-eastern area, whose headquarters are in San Francisco de Macoris, Sergeant General Osiris Alcantara Rodríguez organizes a meeting with the members of the Alianza de Servicios Turísticos de Samaná Inc. with the purpose to continue the work and to listen to the complaints relative to the last changes occurred in the Police force of Las Terrenas.

This meeting will take place tomorrow Thursday 24th at 10:00 A.M. in the Aligio Hotel. We count on the presence of everyone to have the necessary force to apply the corrections to the problems which are harassing us.

Transmit the message and call your friends who do not have an Internet conexion. We are waiting for you.

La Alianza de Servicios Turísticos de Samaná, 23.05.07

First meeting with the new authorities in Las Terrenas

The police authorities in place went to the meeting organized by the Alianza, yesterday morning, in the Aligio hotel and of which the goal was to continue the work and to listen to the complaints relative to the last changes which have occurred in the Police force of Las Terrenas.
In front of about sixty people, José Oscar Orsini started by introducing the various actors of the negotiating table, Sergeant General Osiris Alcántara Rodríguez, of San Francisco de Macoris in charge of the operations, Colonel Frank Felix Amonte of the Direction of Criminal Investigations, Captain Ventura Calderón of Politur as well as Major Escolastico from Samaná.

Then the moderator handed over to General Alcántara Rodriguez who explained that this long work of investigation could not be done correctly without the assistance and the support of the whole community of Las Terrenas. He also pointed out that if the population was in order with the identification forms and the vehicle at the time of controls, there are no reasons to enter in a system of corruption by giving money to the police officers to escape from an arrest or from a confiscation of the vehicle.
Then, he spoke about the lack of radio operator material and of the only Jeep available for the Police force of Las Terrenas to work correctly, explaining that more means would be essential for the benefit of everybody.

The corruption and the delinquency are the responsibility of everybody he said.

Then he invited the participants to ask their questions.

First question: Since it was known that all the police officers were going to be changed, why 10 of them among the old ones are still there ?

Answer of General Alcántara Rodriguez: It is the beginning of an investigation process but we ensure you that all the police officers will be changed.

Second question: When everybody knows that there is a lot of work to be done, don’t you think that a staff of more dynamic police officers would be necessary to ensure the security, because when we pass in front of the police station they always sat instead of patrolling in the streets ?

Answer of José Oscar Orsini: The vehicles are missing as we said previously. Currently the expenses are of 100.000 RD $ per month at a rate of 30.000 RD $ for the gasoline, 20.000 RD $ for the food and the various expenses like repairs. We are currently working on the realization of a Website to help us to collect the good ideas of everyone. I think that the expenses for private security means as the purchase of a weapon or the wages of a guard do not help in this situation; on the other hand the need for an institutional form avoids the corruption and makes it possible to finance the assistance and the support. It is necessary to avoid ups and downs of the participation and of the delinquency and to regularize everything.

Third question on behalf of a representative of the Dominican storekeepers: I have a very good knowledge of the village since many years, its inhabitants, its delinquents and here there were always soldiers, but there were always robberies. Why to maltreat the honest people at the time of the last arrests ? Why to maltreat the elderly ? Why to maltreat the people who are in order with their identification forms when one knows that there is a majority of good people here ? Las Terrenas does not produce fruits, Las Terrenas does not produce vegetables, Las Terrenas does not have industries, no, Las Terrenas produced tourism of quality and needs a good reputation for the comfort of its vacationers. This is why the things should be made correctly, to put the culpability on the people who deserve it. We paid vehicles for the Police force which were destroyed for lack of care and maintenance. Then now the past it is the past and it is necessary to work correctly for the future without maltreating the people who are in order.

Answer of the General: The Dominicans do not like to be arrested, it is a fact, but we have to get used with the face of the people. Let the Police force to have time while respecting its authority. We work with the aim of giving back the quietness in Las Terrenas. As you said, the past it is the past, now we work for the future.

Intervention of Pédro Catrain: Drug is an important problem here and all this is related to the stealing. This is why the coordination of the different authorities is necessary.

Question of a Dominican: The Police force should take an interest in knowing where all the portable computers which were stolen to Europeans are. Then, I cannot explained how a robber who was arrested after a theft on the beach the day before yesterday, then sent yesterday to Samaná, was seen yesterday evening in Las Terrenas and with a gun.

No answer.
Question of a hotel manager: My hotel was victim of an attack of robbers and one of my security employees was killed. To date I still do not have a follow-up regarding this case which occurred in front of several witnesses. Everyone knows that the Police force works with the robbers, the dealers, and the proof is the story of the robber who was released and about whom the man spoke before. Now the words are not useful anymore, we need acts !
To reach my hotel on foot there is necessary to pass in a zone where it is no light at all, why Mr. Orsini doesn’t put light in the streets ? I pay lightings and him the electricity if he wishes it.

No answer.

Observation of the new district attorney: The village of Las Terrenas is complicated and complex, we need a strong team and an effort from everybody with a work respectful of the law. A victim must have a lawyer and the guilty party too to present itself in front of the Judge. If we take the case of the « Vipa” , the process was correctly followed, with recovery of all the stolen objects and the witnesses. Once sent to Samaná, nobody went to the trial because the witnesses received death threats and were afraid to testify. Conclusion the » $varVipa » $va ris free. There are mechanisms and appeals for a work well done. Even if we must work 24h/24 on a file it should be done until the end. Unfortunately here very often the small cases make waste time on the more important files.
Answer: The excess of arrests is not good when there is lack of evidence. The new Penal code will give its good results quickly.

Question: Concerning the Penal code there is a new law concerning the evidence, in particular the pick up of the fingerprints. Will be a team of Police force of this type in Las Terrenas ?

Answer of the General: Yes you will have a service of investigation to pick up the evidence of this type in Las Terrenas. Not only concerning the robbery of computers but all the robberies will be investigated. We know that the oldest police officers know everything that will help us.

Question of a Dominican woman representing all the moms of Las Terrenas: We rely on Calderón, but what we would like is a little of quietness, especially when our children are going out in the evening. A police officer can work and ask somebody for his identification forms but in a decent and respectful way.

Testimony of a Dominican woman who’s his pregnant and who was maltreated, taken to the police station without being asked for her papers and without being authorized to make a phone call.
Another Dominican: Las Terrenas is the economic Capital of the Peninsula. The robberies, the attacks, the drug are currently the only problems of this municipality. You can count on the total support of all the community. So the appeals have to be used for these very specific problems.

Intervention of Valerio, Commander of the S.W.A.T: To have already worked here I feel like a child of the village. We all have interests and family in Las Terrenas and we were called by the authorities of the Police force, in this sense you can be sure that we will do our work. In the same way, to prevent and intervene quickly, it is obligatory to quickly install police stations in La Ceiba, La Bonita, Jabacoa and Naranjito and to allow us the use of vehicles.

The moderator Pédro Catrain concluded this meeting with these words: We assisted today to an asserted will of what makes the beautiful reputation of Las Terrenas, this great cultural value because of its mixing people, and we must preserve it by stabilizing it and by tranquillizing it.

The appointment is given by General Alcántara Rodriguez : In one month with an evaluation and an assessment in order to give the results and to notice the credibility of the Police force.

Sylvain MAUFRAIS, LTL, 25.05.07

The First Lady launches a plan against cancer

SANTIAGO – The First Lady, Margarita Cedeño directed yesterday in Santiago the launching of the Prevention Campaign against the Breast Cancer which will benefit to thousands women from the Northern area.

The activity was developed at the Oncology Institute of the Cibao, located in the Pedro Francisco Bono street of this city, in which also took part oncologists physicians and other hosts.
The campaign seeks to offer to the women with scanty resources, old of more than 35 years, the possibility of free evaluations of cancer detection.
Those interested to carry out mammography examinations and ultrasound mammography in the Oncology Institute of Cibao, must take appointment by telephone by marking * GOB (* 462) or coming personally to the assistance center.
During the activity, the doctor Cedeño de Fernández said that the program will benefit to women from all the Cibao area who do not have sufficient resources to go in a private clinic. We want to give to the women of the area the possibility of taking prevention measures necessary to detect the disease in time, indicated the First Lady.

Were also present at this conference the president of the Cibao Employers of the Fight against Cancer, the company director Luís María Piter Solano, and other directors of the humane organization.

Diario Libre, by Cornelio Batiste, 28.05.07

Department of Interior and Police will seize the weapons whose licenses are out-of-date

The Secretariat of Interior and Police announced to the owners of 60.597 firearms that if within ten day they did not renew their out-of-date licenses, a procedure of seizure will be launched. In a space paid in the press, the Secretariat directed by Doctor Franklin Almeyda, explained that the time limit took effect on this Monday May 28th.
He informed that he would take measures in accordance with article 27 of Law 36, on the Commerce, Carrying and Possession of firearms.
He specifies that the weapons whose licenses are out-of-date and those which are not renewed in the time indicated will have their authorizations cancelled in an automatic and electronic way.
Then, these firearms would become the Dominican state-owned property, as established by the Law.
The Secretariat of Interior and Police placed a list of the 60.597 out-of-date licenses in its electronic page (www.seip.gov.do) and in the Call Center (* 788), so that the interested parties can check their status.

El Viajero Digital, 27.05.07

Every family will have right to only one medical insurance

Vice-president Rafaël Alburquerque affirmed yesterday that the benefits that the Health Family Insurance (SFS) offers are vaster cover and of better quality that those that currently receive the insured employees and he insisted on the fact that the preliminary variations to their implementation have their origin in an economic clash of interests.
He reminded that in December there was a consensus between the various actors of the system and that nobody presented the objections that are rising now.
He said that the implementation of this law, approved by the Congress in 2001, was agreed since April 2006 when President Leonel Fernández convened at a summit all the actors of the system.

He also reminded that on December 19th, 2006, during a ceremony in the headquarters of the Católica Madre y Maestra University, the National Council of the Private Business, the Medical College and the groups of affiliated trade unions, in the presence of Cardinal Agripino Núñez Collado, signed a document in which there was a consensus in favor of the implementation of the law.
In this document, all the actors assumed the compromise that this system will start to be invoiced as from May 1st, and that as from June 1st it is started with the medical services, he said. At this time, neither to the President of the Republic, neither to Cardinal Núñez Collado, nor to me it was said: “Wait, we don’t want this entry door, we don’t agree with these fees, said the vice-president interviewed by the journalist Manuel Jiménez in the program « En 1 Hora » produced on Sunday by Channel 27.

As for the benefits offered by the new system, Alburquerque quoted as example that currently no medical insurance accepts a person which is more than 60 years old or having suffered from a catastrophic disease like cancer, cardiac diseases, etc, But this will not occur with the new health system, the insurances will be obliged by law to register these people.
He explained that in the SFS, 16 high-risk complexity diseases are covered, however while limiting the cover to 192,800 RD $ per year for each disease. If you suffer from two catastrophic diseases, you will receive 300,000 RD $ during one year, he added.
Currently, any health plan offers this service for the catastrophic diseases, unless you are paying additional sums , affirmed Alburquerque. Moreover, he emphasized that a worker will be able to insure « his companion of life » even if they are not linked by a matrimonial contract, thing which does not exist today. Currently, he said, You insure yourself, but you must pay additional costs for the spouse and each child registered. With the new system, you will be able to insure your spouse and the quantity of children you want by a fixed quota, equivalent to 2.5% of your wages, ensured the vice-president of the Republic.
Concerning the children, they will be able to benefit from the insurance until they are 18-year old, but if they follow a university career, the use of the family insurance will be extended until they are 21 years old. If they are handicapped, they will be insured for all of their life, he added.
But he clarified that every family will be entitled to only one medical insurance, although if the husband and the wife are both working, the quota of 2.5% will be deducted from their both wages because they are two workers.
Another advantage quoted by Alburquerque is the case of a young single person who recently starts to work in a company and is pregnant. She loses the insurance automatically because she’s not married, but with the new Health Family Insurance this young person will preserve her insurance cover.
He explained that one of the critics formulated about the new system is that it offers only a double room in a private clinic, but he stressed that this offer is of 1,000 RD $ per day. Currently, the average cost for a single room in a private clinic is of 1,200 RD $, this is why the policy-holder should only pay the difference. Alburquerque also rejected the versions, according to which, the middle class would be the most affected by this system. It is not truth, the middle class will receive better services and will pay less , he said.

Diario Libre, 28.05.07

Official statement of the Security Committee and of the Alianza de Empresas Turísticas de Samaná

Summary of the work and of the action [AND CLARIFICATION] of the Security Committee and of the Alianza de Empresas Turísticas de Samaná during these last weeks.
Above all I would like to specify that this work is performed by voluntary people, in an atmosphere more difficult than in the other « more honorable » associations, that this work in this country is long and tedious, dangerous, and that it is IN THE INTEREST OF EVERYBODY that security and quietness improve in Las Terrenas.
We should be helped, be supported, (in speaking with everybody and especially with the other communities). We try to do our best; the accounts of the association are transparent, visible by everybody and held by an accountant.

Don’t give too much money directly to the police force, this complicates all our work. Your gifts are very important for our committee.

Many thanks to everybody whose is continuing to help us and to those we will help us.

I take the opportunity to give you the address of the new office of the Alianza – premises in the ground floor of Casas de Doumé, (Calle principal – Calle Carmen corner) where there will be a secretary who will work everyday at your service.

Help for the procedure in the event of a denunciation, of a robbery or of an aggression. Help to obtain a certification. Help to call voluntary translators, etc…

The public meetings are very important – moreover there is every time more Dominicans – and make possible to control the work of the authorities. These last weeks: the police equipment was changed; the police officers who remained will leave thanks to our request, a colonel of investigation pronounced the name of the wanted people (very rare), etc…. The police force works better than 15 days ago and starts to obtain results.

Thank you to those who are able to attend the meetings….

It is very important that the information circulates and that all the interested people send quickly an email to micheldelaluz@yahoo.fr with their telephone number (we will try to make a telephone network and the sending of mini messages, much faster), speak to your friends – too much people say to me that they were not informed of this network – and often the meetings must be organized quickly.

Thank you for speaking about this list to all your friends.
Friends of the committee created a forum for the security www.ltforum.fr.nf which will be very helpful in our action. It will enable us to know the concerns, robberies and aggressions in an anonymous form. VISIT IT…….

In the event of an urgency, call Sr Riquelme (secretary of the governor) 809 223 88 71 who will quickly transmit your problem to all the authorities.
In the event of a cellular phone stealing, please don’t change immediately the chip, call before Sr Riquelme.

It is recommended to all the employers to create an employee’s « notebook », with picture, business name, employee name, ID Number, telephone number of the employer, dates, to help the work of the police force who arrest people during the night.

Greetings to everybody and we will try to keep you informed every week via our Internet list, our forum, our office, LT7, 2vouzamoi and Canal 10.

Michel de la Luz, 29.05.07

JetBlue starts a daily flight from Santo Domingo

The airline company JetBlue Airways Corporation based in New York started a daily service without stopover from the International airport John F Kennedy to the International airport Las Americas Santo Domingo.
As from June 1st, the airline will continue its expansion in Dominican Republic by adding a second daily flight without stopover between the two cities, in A320 with a capacity of 150 passengers, as informed the sales manager of Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom), Ken Hassard.
In the same way, by greeting the return of JetBlue Airways Corporation, the civil servant explained that among the flights which connect the United States with the Dominican Republic, New York – Santo Domingo is one of most used; this will allow major options at a smaller cost to the travelers. Thanks to their good prices and the excellent reputation of the service, we can hope that the number of passengers flying to this destination will significantly increased as a direct result of the presence of JetBlue, Hassard said.

The inauguration, carried out in the International airport Las Americas José Francisco Peña Gómez, took place in the presence of executives and of the crew of JetBlue, Aerodom, as well as of passengers who would like to travel in this first flight to New York. Santo Domingo is a popular destination full of history, beauty and enchantment, we are proud to bring high level service, style and value waited by the JetBlue clients to the capital of the island, said Peter Díaz, Manager of Blue Cities Airlines.

El Caribe CDN, 30.05.07

The Peninsula of Samaná in yellow alert

Because of the torrential rains of these last days, the Civil Defense maintains the yellow alert for the area of Samaná-Sánchez with risks of floods and landslides.
According to the authorities and to the Civil Defense, 1400 families were evacuated temporarily and eight Provinces are in situation of imminent danger.
The area of Cibao is the most affected with five damaged bridges, landslides, river’s overflowing and the flood of 935 houses in the sector of Santiago, La Vega, Puerto Plata, Valverde and Espaillat.

Listin Diario, 29.05.07

Leonel will submit three law projects to reduce taxes; SFS will be implemented in 90 days

In the coming days, President Leonel Fernández will send three projects of law to the National Congress in order to reduce the taxes and he announced, during his speech of yesterday evening, that the Family Healthcare System (SFS) will be implemented within 90 days, as from June 1st.

On the basis of these projects, we will reduce, first the AD-VALOREM tax on the products derived from the alcohol from 15 to 7, 5 percent, and the tax on the tobacco products from 100 to 20 percent, and consequently we aspire to decrease the impact that the increasing prices of these products caused in the capital of work required by the retail trade, he said.

Moreover, We will reduce the tax on the companies incomes, on the physical people and on businesses with single owner, from 29 to 25 percent, and consequently we will accelerate the process of progressive leveling which had been considered for this tax, and which was supposed to finish in 2009.

Finally, we grant a tax amnesty in favor of the taxpayers, and consequently, by regularizing the payment of the taxes of the last fiscal year, as much as physical people as legal people will be exempt of paying the previous years, announced President Fernández.

Regarding the SFS, the President announced that during the 90-day period, efforts would be made to install mechanisms to avoid vertical integration between service managers and providers, avoid monopolies that impede citizens from exercising their right to choose the service producer, ban the sale of pharmaceuticals in hospitals (with the exception of government pharmacies) and create a fund to cover traffic accident victims. He also announced that the supplemental health plans that are sold need to offer different services, and not those already covered by the SFS plan.

We will guarantee to all the current users with acquired rights, the free access to the doctor they have today, by paying the fees which are perceived today , the President said.

Listin Diario, 30.05.07

46 years ago fell the Trujillo dictatorship

The dictatorship of Rafaël Trujillo, who reigned during 31 years, fell one day like today in 1961, at a moment when the regime was most repressive, most sanguinary and pretended to have obtained the complete abolition of its adversaries.

The conspiracy occurred between regime adversaries and collaborators, but whom for a reason or another rebelled. Amado García Guerrero, a lieutenant of the Army, member of the Trujillo escort, was the key man to have passed the notice to the group who was waiting for him on the pier, in the section which is called today May 30th Avenue, in the surroundings of Ciudad Ganadera.
Modesto Díaz, Salvador Estrella Sahdalá, Antonio de la Maza, Manuel (Tunti) Cáceres Michel, Juan Tomás Díaz, Roberto Pastoriza, Luis Amiama Tió, Antonio Imbert Barrera, Pedro Livio Cedeño and Huáscar Tejeda were waiting in their cars the passage of Trujillo. García Guerrero was supposed to inform the escort when Trujillo would leave the National Palace but he didn’t do it this day, and consequently he communicated with the group who was waiting for him this night for the execution.

Almost disarmed, the group decided to face Trujillo, even if they were not completely sure that he was not escorted.

Trujillo died of several bullets in the body. His driver, Sergeant Rufino de la Cruz Disla, was wounded and succeeded to escape. Cedeño was wounded as well and was transported to the International private clinic to be cared, and where he fell in the hands of the regime henchmen. After the fall of the dictator, his sons Ramfis and Radhamés Trujillo, who were in France, arrived in the country. Immediately they began the elimination of the adversaries. A group received a travesty of justice but they finally were assassinated in November 1961 when Trujillo was expelled by the popular pressure against the remainders of the dictatorship.

From whose who took part at the action of the night of May 30th, only Luis Amiama Tió and Antonio Imbert Barrera survived, because the group maintained a total silence in spite of cruel tortures to which they were subjected.
Much later, the names of some people who took part to the conspiracy to eliminate the dictatorship were known. Among the rebels there were some Spanish, like Manuel de Ovín Filpo, Miguel Angel Bissié y Venancio Alzaga.

García Guerrero died on June 2nd by facing the members of the Intelligence Military Service (SIM) when they went to arrest him at his house of the San Martin Avenue in Santo Domingo. Doctor Robert Reid Cabral, who protected Antonio de la Maza and Juan Tomás Díaz, committed suicide in order to protect his family when the SIM arrived at his house. Maza y Díaz fell on June 4th during a confrontation with the « sicarios » in the corner of Bolivar Avenue and Julio Verne.
The following days were assassinated Mario and Bolívar de la Maza in the prison of La Vega; Rafael Augusto Sánchez and Segundo Imbert, in La Victoria; Ernesto de la Maza in the prison of the 40; Pirolo de la Maza and Tomasito Díaz in the prison known as of the 9.

WITHOUT COMPASSION

A blood and fire regime

Trujillo had been imposed after having conspired and having obtained the overthrow of his protector, President Horacio Vásquez in 1930.

After the fall of Vásquez, after an uprising in Santiago, Trujillo, even while being General and Commander of the Army, took part as candidate to the presidential elections of May 1930. He won by absolute majority. Meanwhile his « sicarios » destroyed any opposition.

Even before assuming the Trujillo government, he showed his tendencies for the repression and the physical elimination of his adversaries. Little by little, he was imposed by terror. He then assumed the government and those who tried to be opposed by the legal way or by subversion means were eliminated without commiseration or had to escape in exile. His regime survived to three armed expeditions from the outside.

Listin Diario, 31.05.07