Refugee Boat to Puerto Rico

Andy B · Oct 30, 2006

This boat was towed into Las Galeras early this morning. Although the full
story is not yet known, about 300 Domincians were caught on the road to Playita Beach during the night. It seems they were brought in by a large truck that disappeared before they were caught. Also, it seems the craft was built on the north coast of the peninsula across from Samana.
Clothing can been seen on the boat and it seems many were already on board this aproximately 45' craft for the trip to Puerto Rico when police arrived.

If more information becomes available I will post it.

Andy B

Rob,
Will you please post the pic I sent? Being "Computer Challenged" as I am, the link you sent me did not post.

dv8 · Oct 30, 2006

what?

are you telling me that for dominicans it is puerto rico that is heaven on earth?

Kyle · Oct 30, 2006

yes, but PR is also the gateway to other places. remember PR is a US territory with jobs that pay 10 times more than most dominican jobs..

Andy B · Oct 30, 2006

I'll try to post the link to the picture of the boat again. Maybe it will work.

AnnaC · Oct 30, 2006

Isn't that a scary picture. Three hundred people headed to death which so sad to say is the way they end up most of the time and the people that took their thousands of dollars are never to be found.

azabache · Oct 30, 2006

dv8 said:
are you telling me that for dominicans it is puerto rico that is heaven on earth?

For some dominicans Puerto Rico IS truly heaven on earth.....so many dominicans en Santurce (PR) now that it's just like being in the DR.
Desperation and the desire to make more than 3.000 pesos a month is the driving force.

Squat · Oct 30, 2006

Get used to it, it will only get worst when the DR-CAFTA comes into action...

DominicanScotty · Oct 30, 2006

Yes it is

AnnaC said:
Isn't that a scary picture. Three hundred people headed to death which so sad to say is the way they end up most of the time and the people that took their thousands of dollars are never to be found.

The passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico is treacherous. Roaring winds, tremendous currents, sudden storms and then..if they do get to the coast of Puerto Rico and are not blown out to sea there are the rocks. If they are lucky enough to get to shore without being smashed to pieces there are the authorities waiting on the other side. Only the Lord knows how many people perish trying to make this journey.

bigbird · Oct 30, 2006

AnnaC said:
Isn't that a scary picture. Three hundred people headed to death which so sad to say is the way they end up most of the time and the people that took their thousands of dollars are never to be found.

Wow, that is scary. Is that a single outboard engine mounted on the stern?

AnnaC · Oct 30, 2006

bigbird said:
Wow, that is scary. Is that a single outboard engine mounted on the stern?

I don't know anything about boats but logic tells me it's not powerful enough to push 300 people through a storm and the first high wave would drown them all.

So sad that people think it's a joy ride to PR

bienamor · Oct 30, 2006

and the freeboard

bigbird said:
Wow, that is scary. Is that a single outboard engine mounted on the stern?

The little one has more freeboard than the on they were going to but how many on? 300 would have to be stacked on top each other. and no freeboard

dv8 · Oct 30, 2006

trip to hell.....

some folks will do anything for the hope of a new better life in paradise, sometimes is becomes an afterlife paradise quite literally.
i remember this story not too long ago about a truck full of chinese people that suffocated on the way to uk... and even if they could have made it what awaited them was a lifetime of hard work to pay off the cost of the "trip" and whatever was left after that to be sent to their families....

Andy B · Oct 30, 2006

Here's more of the story and bear in mind this is local gossip: Our afternoon maid tells us that about 100 people came from Santiago on a bus and a gua gua to somewhere on the north coast (probably the populated Nagua area where they wouldn't draw a lot of attention). They left there about dark and the captain pulled into Rincon bay before daybreak and landed them at Playita Beach telling them they were in Puerto Rico. Apparently one is dead after getting into a fight on the boat.

In the picture, the boat is riding very low in the water as it was full of water when they towed it around from Playita to Las Galeras. I don't know if it had a second outboard motor but from where the one was mounted on the side, I'd say it did. I'd take more pics but my trusty Olympus has died.

This is the second large refugee boat I've seen towed into Las Galeras, the first about 4 years ago. Anything more comes to light of this incident and I'll post it.

Robert · Oct 31, 2006

According to the news today. 3 died and the boat was carrying 31 people in total (11 woman, 2 children and 18 men).

dv8 · Oct 31, 2006

!

cildren? why on earth drag you kid along with you? adults die on a trip like that!
poverty can push you very far....

Kyle · Oct 31, 2006

and sharks. i understand that straight between DR and PR is infested with sharks. the sharks have found a constant food source there unfortunately which is why they seem to hang around in that area now.

sad...

Tamborista · Oct 31, 2006

Is that anything like a "Strait"?

Kyle · Oct 31, 2006

yes it is Tam....but this aint cards, this is real life but it's gambling for life...

actually it's called Mona Passage...

Stodgord · Oct 31, 2006

When did the coupe de stat occured in the DR? Or did a hurricane ravaged the country just recently? Was there a war that broke out and I didn't know about?

Andy B · Oct 31, 2006

Today I heard from a local and reliable source what seems to be the real story. I had asked him originally when the boat was towed in but he did not want to talk then and was very evasive about what really happened.

It seems the boat was built here locally near where it was apprehended Sunday night. It seems they launched the just-constructed boat when the passengers arrived and took off right away for Puerto Rico. The boat was leaking so badly they had to turn back and were caught when they landed on a nearby beach from where they had left. Although he didn't say, the news report of 31 passengers seems plausible. I also heard that there were pistols and machetes on the boat. That might explain the 3 persons reported dead. By conincidence this morning I was just over in the area that all this occurred and I heard a gunshot and then a little later I saw several Marina de Guerra (or police) walking down a road armed with a shotguns and pistols. Maybe the perpretrators are still at large and are being hunted by authorities. And currently, I can see the boat being dismantled with one side completely gone and the wood being loaded on a truck. Knowing the game played here, it will probably become another boat again and the saga repeated.

Refugee Boat to Puerto Rico

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