The investigating committee set up by the armed forces to examine the tragic case of 16 Haitian nationals found dead at different points in the south-western border regions last month believes that “no criminal hands” were responsible for the deaths. It was originally suspected that the Haitians, believed to be illegal immigrants, had either been murdered or left to die in remote areas by unscrupulous people traffickers. Attorney General Victor Cespedes Martinez has revealed that at this stage of the investigation it appears more likely that the latter was the case, and that the 16 people, including two children, had died of starvation and exposure. One of the survivors is a witness to the fact that they were left to their fate, but El Caribe reports that some questions remain, such as why one of the bodies – that of a 19-year-old woman – was found unclothed. It is also believed that the corpse was set alight after it was initially discovered. Local residents of the remote area claim that the appearance of dead bodies in the region is a regular occurrence. There are two suspects in this latest case, both of whom are believed to be people traffickers, and for now have absconded from justice. The investigation has been delayed and complicated by the logistical difficulties of operating in the remote mountainous area, explained the Attorney General, who compared the plight of illegal Haitians to the Dominicans who suffer hardship and often perish on the flimsy barges to Puerto Rico. El Caribe’s main editorial describes the case as a “shameful tragedy” and asks why a team of television and press journalists was able to access the area with relative ease, while no state institution has apparently been able to do so? The writer calls for a more coherent government policy on the issue, and for the activities of “los buscones” (people traffickers) to be halted once and for all.