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Expulsions Anger Haitian President
.c The Associated Press
By MICHAEL NORTON
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - President Rene Preval on Sunday condemned the expulsion of more than 2,000 illegal Haitian residents from the Dominican Republic over the past 10 days.
He accused the Dominican government of expelling the Haitians without allowing them fair hearings or allowing them to collect their belongings.
``We have already protested officially to the Dominican government,'' Preval said, before flying to Cuba to attend the Ibero-American Summit. He said he was demanding that deportations be carried out ``in conformity with international norms.''
The increased expulsions began Nov. 5, said Haitian National Migration Office director Carol Joseph, in an interview with The Associated Press.
Until then, the average weekly number of expulsions was about 200, he said. The Dominican military said it had sent reinforcements to the border to stop illegal crossings, but denied it had planned a sweep of Haitians residing illegally in the country.
Most of the Haitians had been recruited in December and January to work on Dominican sugar plantations. Accused of overstaying, they were rounded up in towns not on plantations.
Many are Haitians who do not have citizenship papers, but were born and raised in the Dominican Republic by illegal immigrants, Joseph said.
The expulsions follow a report issued by the Inter-American Human Rights Commission two weeks ago condemning the treatment of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic.
On Friday, more than 1,100 Haitians were expelled at Ouanaminthe, an official expulsion point on the northern border, Joseph said.
AP-NY-11-14-99 2032EST
.c The Associated Press
By MICHAEL NORTON
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - President Rene Preval on Sunday condemned the expulsion of more than 2,000 illegal Haitian residents from the Dominican Republic over the past 10 days.
He accused the Dominican government of expelling the Haitians without allowing them fair hearings or allowing them to collect their belongings.
``We have already protested officially to the Dominican government,'' Preval said, before flying to Cuba to attend the Ibero-American Summit. He said he was demanding that deportations be carried out ``in conformity with international norms.''
The increased expulsions began Nov. 5, said Haitian National Migration Office director Carol Joseph, in an interview with The Associated Press.
Until then, the average weekly number of expulsions was about 200, he said. The Dominican military said it had sent reinforcements to the border to stop illegal crossings, but denied it had planned a sweep of Haitians residing illegally in the country.
Most of the Haitians had been recruited in December and January to work on Dominican sugar plantations. Accused of overstaying, they were rounded up in towns not on plantations.
Many are Haitians who do not have citizenship papers, but were born and raised in the Dominican Republic by illegal immigrants, Joseph said.
The expulsions follow a report issued by the Inter-American Human Rights Commission two weeks ago condemning the treatment of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic.
On Friday, more than 1,100 Haitians were expelled at Ouanaminthe, an official expulsion point on the northern border, Joseph said.
AP-NY-11-14-99 2032EST