POP and Sosua Unrest?

We heard more shooting than normal, Friday night into early hours Saturday morning, in Puerto Plata. By more than normal, I mean it isn't unusual to hear a couple of shots at nighttime - usually, police telling protestors (over blackouts) to go home. The Friday night shooting was in excess of the normal - I was told it was a protest that went on until about 3 am. I have no information about military taking over civilian property in Puerto Plata. Saturday night we reverted to the norm - I heard one shot only, but my part of PP did have power last night. Everything seems very quiet now.
For the benefit of people who have been PMing & emailing me, & to say it publically - this is not the start of a miltary coup, in my humble opinion. Much more localised, has different feel to it. Relax folks.
Of course, other people's experiences could be different...............!

Lambada said:

For the benefit of people who have been PMing & emailing me, & to say it publically - this is not the start of a miltary coup, in my humble opinion. Much more localised, has different feel to it. Relax folks.

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I agree, Lambada.

Are people actually worrying about a military coup? Imaginations are running wild, it seems.

MaryS said:

"These attempted raids were not limited to just Cabarete.

DRSol has learned in the last few hours that military raids against civilian properties were attempted in Sosua and Puerto Plata as well. Sources in Sosua indicate that the Sosua attempts were centered around the construction at the so-called "city park" between Taxi Sosua and the Five Star Sosua Bay and Victorian resorts. Eye witnesses indcate that the raids were repulsed by Dominican residents with firearms. Developing ..."


This was posted on another board. Did I miss something about these incidents on DR1?

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I missed it, too, and I live a block from the park. Have heard absolutely nothing about it and life is very normal here today. As calm and normal as things are in Sosua today, and were yesterday, it is impossible for me to believe there was an armed confrontation a block from where I live. The whole town would be buzzing if something like that happened.

Barbara and I will be going to La Roca soon for our usual Sunday dinner from the menu for residents. I'll see whethert John, the owner, and other residents eating at the same time have heard anything about the "excitement" or whether they missed it, too.

There are only two houses between the taxi stand and the hotel. They belong to the Kircheimers, father and son. Senior Kircheimer was one of the Jewish immigrants that came to Sosua in the late 1930's to escape the Nazis. Even harder to believe there was trouble considering who owns the property. They live in the houses and have for many, many years. The father's house looks like it has been lived in since he got here. in the 1930s.

Sosua

MaryS said:

Thanks Ken and Lambada, voices of sanity.

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My understanding is that the vendors who own casetas on the beach got to speculating that the Cabarete event was a precursor to the government coming in and tearing down all the casetas. There has been talk and rumours about it for years and it doesn't take much to get these people all excited and ready to fly off the deep end.
As it happens, early that morning, there were a couple of big trucks and a bulldozer near the entrance to the beach, getting ready to do some work in the park/casino.
The vendors must have thougth that they were there to bulldoze them down.
As for POP, I have heard nothing.
As for a military coup, heck, don't they know that Texas Bill will take them all on?
It ain't going to happen.
PS: Perhaps this report stems from not having any news to report, so they manufacture it.

Hahaha, DRSol is such a joke. I spent some time right where it was reported to be problems watching them winch up the biggest concrete beams to the third floor of the new building that is going to be a Casino and Convention Center. Needless to say there was nothing going on at all. I was chatting with some of the fellows that work there and they said another 4-5 months to complete the project. Since the same people that are building this own the beach where all the squatting casetas are located I would look for the dismantling of them after completion of the big project and not before. I give it till Spring before there is a problem on the beach with more removal of squatters.

Scott and Rocky are right. The past couple of days very long trucks have been delivering very long precast beams to the site of the construction of the casino across from the hotel. Manuevering these trucks through the streets of Sosua has been a major challenge and a number of police were involved in controlling traffic and helping the drivers get to and from the construction site on streets that were never meant for trucks like that.

Only on DRSol would you find a report that the police were present because they were taking over the property of the people who live across from the hotel.

Small point of fact

In the DR nobody owns the beach. It is, by law, public property.

What might be objected to would be the casetas that were more or less permanent. I can see where a resort would not like to have their guests battle with pesky caseta owners every day.. Makes sense.

Of course yellow journalism just get things all hot and bothered (in the bad way)....no need for that, either..

Glad to here there is calm..

HB

It's laughable!!!

Do a search for Sosua Park Development??? Now it's gonna be a casino!!!
Didn't we just know it?

I just came back from after spending 4 days in Puerto Plata and the people seem to be (besides the constant blackout which makes it look like a ghost town at night) more fed up and growing restless with the major crisis than people from Santo Domingo. For POP it is really growing chaotic with those extended 20+ hours blackouts, and tourism revenue outside the AI's is turning into s^%T. I just hope Hipolito and his PPH band of delinquents get their asses busted when new government takes on command.

Peter & Alex said:

Do a search for Sosua Park Development??? Now it's gonna be a casino!!!
Didn't we just know it?

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So far what they are doing is no different than what is shown on the big plan that has been posted on the fence since before work began.

Regarding the casino/convention center, it could be very good for Sosua and Cabarete. Especially the convention center if the promoters are able to attract conventions.

People are tired of the long blackouts. They get restless from time to time and do what they've always done - burn tires in the streets, shoot a couple of shots, drink lots of cerveza and ron and fight with one another, the military, the police and any gringo that happens to go by.

Things will settle down when Fernandes takes over the leadership role.

This report is inaccurate and well, why don't I just say it clearly - plain wrong!

I think there will be more evictions of squatters as property on the North Coast is booming - so, people that did not worry too much about what they had before, are now trying to sell. It is a real estate gold rush at the moment.