The government expropriated the beach areas between Laguna de Oviedo and Playa Pedernales, in the southwest. This includes the areas known as Laguna de Puerto el Medio, Punta San Jose, Playa Blanca, Playa Larga, Playa Chiquita, Cabo Falso, Playa Caliente, Punta Chimanche, Bahia de las Aguilas, Cabo Rojo and Guanave. Decree 273-01 establishes tourism projects will be developed there. The announcement was made by the government during a government council held over the weekend in Barahona. Listin Diario mentions that 2,400 hotel rooms will go up in a first phase. The government created a commission presided by Major General Antonio Imbert Barreras who will be in charge of planning, promoting and developing the expropriated lands. Other members of the commission are the legal advisor of the Executive Branch, Guido Gomez Mazara, Minister of Tourism Ramon Alfredo Bordas, Senator for Pedernales Angel Perez, Governor of the province Juana del Socorro Sanchez and architect Luis Eduardo Delgado. El Caribe newspaper protested the practice of the government of authorizing the development of areas banned as per the new environmental development law. The government announcement came together with promises for RD$1,500 million in investment in the social and economic development of the southwestern frontier provinces of Pedernales, Bahoruco, Barahona and Independencia, among the poorest in the nation. The projects include an integral sustainable agriculture development project for RD$530 million. (26 February 2001)
