President Leonel Fernandez has reiterated his commitment to the strengthening of the justice system and his support for the National Judicial School's training programs, during a visit to the school yesterday. El Caribe reports that Fernandez was welcomed by the president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Jorge Subero Isa, and the school's Board of Directors, headed by its President, Henry Molina. Fernandez held an hour-long private meeting with Subero Isa. Both of them later visited the different departments where judges are trained.
Dominican Minister of Toursim Felix Jimenez met with executives from the main airlines and tour operators in Caracas, Venezuela, with the objective of getting them to increase their operations in the DR. According to Listin Diario, after a meeting with executives of Aeropostal, Turaser, Aserca Airlines, All Ways tour, Avior Airlines, and Corporacion Salta, Jimenez informed that the flow of Venezuelan tourists towards the DR had increased by 48.7% over the past eight months. He explained that Turaser alone has transported more than 13,000 passengers during that period and they confirmed that the DR has become the preferred destination for the events and conventions segment. Turaser has agreed to promote and begin operations in the northern region of the DR. Also agreed is an alliance with Aserca Airlines for the creation of the Manaus-Caracas-Santo Domingo route. Aserca has confirmed they will increase flights to the DR in the coming months. According to Jimenez, the areas that attract more tourists from Venezuela are Santo Domingo, Juan Dolio, Bayahibe and Punta Cana.
The Petro-Caribbean Agreement has started to produce benefits for the DR, reflected in a US$57 million credit for its oil bill, as announced yesterday by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Francisco Javier Garcia. He stated that this is an important form of aid from Venezuela, but that it does not solve the country's fuel supply problem. "Dominicans still need to save fuel because we are in a difficult situation with the international market", he said. The DR has asked Venezuela to consider the country's situation as part of the references they use to determine the prices of their products. Venezuela agreed to this and a clause was included stating that when natural disasters or terrorist acts occur that might affect the price of oil and its derivates, the reference taken will not be the day the purchase was made but rather the five days before and after that purchase date, which would determine a different price. Garcia stated that the Dominican Petroleum Refinery (Refidomsa) has agreed that the programming of all its purchases will be assured when it reaches 50,000 barrels of oil from Venezuela.
Dominican ambassador to the United States, Flavio Dario Espinal will be speaking on Saturday, 8 October at the Dominican American Round Table taking place in Boston, 7-9 October. "It is an immense honor to have Ambassador Espinal join us in Boston and give remarks at this important national gathering of Dominican Americans," said Cid Wilson, president of the DANR. "Since his appointment, Ambassador Espinal has been a positive catalyst in building a stronger bridge between Dominicans in the US and those in the DR."
Espinal was appointed ambassador on 26 November 2004. Prior to that, he was director of the University Center of Political and Social Studies (CUEPS) and of the Center for the Study, Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts (CEPREC) of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). He was also the director of this university's Law School. From 1996-2000, he was the Dominican ambassador to the Organization of American States.
For more information, see http://www.danr.org
The Attorney General's department is seeking a San Cristobal council member, Benito Rodriguez Jaquez, and a Dominican Municipal League (LMD) official, Ramon Caraballo Vilchez, who are at large. Diario Libre reports that arrest warrants have been issued against both men. Meanwhile, a council member from Elias Pina was arrested and detained at the National District Attorney's department jail. All cases are related to the recent official passport fraud case that was uncovered last month. Also, the former Technical Undersecretary of the LMD, Amaury Guzman, has new attorneys and this caused the suspension of the hearing of an appeal in favor of the detainee. Guzman was in charge of requesting official passports and visas at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, allegedly on behalf of false council members, and their wives and children. Assistant Attorney General Frank Soto asked the suspects to turn themselves so as not to complicate their situation any further. The AG department has requested coercion measures against 33 suspects connected to this case, seven of whom are detained in Najayo and La Victoria prisons. About 12 employees of the Technical Undersecretary Department of the LMD have been transferred to other departments to facilitate the investigation under way.
Listin Diario reports that after checking the official list of council members provided by the LMD, the Attorney General's department has detected approximately 90 impostors who obtained official passports and traveled abroad. Investigations have also found that many council members in remote communities who did not know they were eligible for official passports were used to get them the document in exchange for reporting several wives who were also issued the document. Listin Diario also found out from a reliable source that Maria Martinez Saldana was the alleged contact at the Ministry of Foreign Relations and was the person who delivered the passports to the impostors and the women who married them. According to the information gathered, Martinez was fired one and a half months ago, from her post as Assistant to the Director of the Category Passport Department, which she held since the previous administration. Listin also found out that she was fired immediately after the fraud was detected and that she will be questioned by the Attorney General's department.
Spanish authorities have repatriated another four people with irregular documentation, including two with official passports issued by the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Relations. A report in Diario Libre indicated that those affected are Joan Miguel Cruz Vinas, Francisco Martin Cruz, Isabela Cristina Beltre Silverio and Ramon Esmelin Pimentel Ortiz. The latter two were traveling with official passports. They flew to Spain on Air Europa flight 688 from Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo. During the last three weeks, immigration authorities in Spain, Italy, France and other European and North American destinations have returned 19 persons traveling illegally who managed to get past Dominican migratory controls at Las Americas and Puerto Plata airports. Beltre Silverio and Pimentel Ortiz, although traveling with official passports issued in June 2005, were returned because they did not have visas from the Spanish embassy in Santo Domingo. Cruz Vinas and Martin Cruz were traveling with false documents.
As a result of the official passport fraud scandal in the DR, Italy has again begun to require visas on official and diplomatic passports from this country. The information was provided by Italian Ambassador, Giorgio Sfara, during an interview with Diario Libre. He said the measure became effective on 20 September 2005. The diplomat stated they could not control traffic because the false council members would enter Italy without a visa, but when someone pointed out that there were 40 or 50 arriving on each flight, they became suspicious and shortly after that the scandal was revealed. Sfara does not have the official number of impostors who entered Italy as council members or their wives, but they may have been one or two hundred.
El Caribe opinion columnist Manuel Quiterio Cedeno, writes about the city of Higuey which will soon celebrate the 500th anniversary of its foundation. The writer complains that the city had never received adequate attention from the government until 1984 when the international airport was built and tourism started to develop in La Altagracia Province. A community of 21,000 with a depressed economy, Higuey went on to become a city of 141,000 with practically no unemployment and with enormous development perspectives. La Altagracia became the third most prosperous province in the country thanks to its natural resources and local and foreign investment. The government, however, has only bothered to collect taxes. Now a new tax of US$5 per tourist is supposed to be invested in the infrastructure of tourist zones. The budget of the first group of projects that has been approved is UD$76 million. But even though La Altagracia province will produce half of those resources, it will only receive the investment of US$3 million in infrastructure. Quiterio states that the province has as many problems as any other tourist zone and proposes that it should struggle to become an autonomous region and manage its own resources and taxes, thus avoiding the irresponsibility and blindness of the central government which is taking away its opportunities for progress.
Specialized School Police agents found knives and tubes for the manufacture of "chagon" rifles and other objects during a search at Politecnico Francisco Antonio Batista Garcia, in Bonao. Meanwhile, groups of students protested at the incursion of police troops that searched all the school's students and classrooms. El Caribe reports that the search was authorized by Education Minister Alejandrina German, at the request of School District 16-04. Scissors, daggers and gang necklaces were found. Three individuals in school uniform, who were identified as members of a gang, were arrested. The search was conducted by 43 police agents from Santo Domingo and Bonao after teachers and students had complained about the presence of arms and drugs in the school.
Throughout this year, the National Drug Control Department (DNCD) has arrested 839 people in 2,538 operations performed in different areas of Santo Domingo. A report in El Caribe says that during that period, 362 searches were performed in the National District and Santo Domingo Province. Among those detained are 107 minors, including 24 young girls arrested in Capotillo, Gualey, Guachupita, Villas Agricolas, Villa Consuelo, Villa Juana, Las Canitas, Villa Maria, Villa Francisca, Colonial Zone, Herrera, Los Alcarrizos, Villa Mella, Villa Duarte, Los Mameyes, Los Mina, Sabana Perdida, Ensanche La Paz and Ensanche Ozama. During the last three months, 12.878 kgs of cocaine, 2.417 kgs of crack, and 27 pounds 11.23 ounces of marijuana were seized in these operations.
This year's Atlantic hurricane season has been declared the second most active since records began, together with 1995, after the formation of tropical storm Tammy to the East of Florida. This new storm brings 2005 closer to breaking the historical record of 21 named storms in 1933, considering that the season continues until the end of November.
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