A general strike has been called for the city of Bonao starting today and will continue indefinitely until strikers’ demands are met, say its organizers. The strike is organized by a community group calling itself the Dignity Bloc of Monseñor Nouel Province (Bonao is the provincial capital, located northwest of Santo Domingo along the highway to Santiago). Among their demands are the completion of some 60 public works paralyzed due to central government nonpayment to contractors, the completion of construction of the UASD extension campus in Bonao (Centro Universitario Regional del Cibao Central CURCE-UASD), and the delivery to the province of the RD$125 million it was supposed to get when shares were sold in Falconbridge Dominicana by the Balaguer Administration in 1994. Representatives of the national government traveled to Bonao last Friday to "seek solutions" and avert a strike, but strike organizers belittled the effort as too little, too late. Contractors were paid some 10% of what the Public Works Ministry owes them, so they are unwilling to re-start construction on the halted projects. Anticipating trouble, the National Police (PN) yesterday sent hundreds of its members into the city, making surprise arrests of some 70 people (so far, none of the Bloc leaders), seizing firearms and clearing the streets of anything that might be used as a protest instrument (such as used tires that might be set afire).
