The newspapers are reporting on those people leaving Haiti via the Dominican Republic. These are not the refugees crossing the border on foot that have caused debate in recent days, but rather well-heeled air passengers, many of them expatriate workers in Haiti, who are leaving the country due to the escalating violence. Santo Domingo’s Herrera airport has been receiving many of these arrivals, including wealthy Haitians who have decided to move their families to the DR until the situation stabilizes. Others include foreigners who are using the DR as a stepping stone en route back to their countries of origin. The capital’s hotels have reported an increase in occupancy due to this particular influx, and many Haitian families traveled to Las Americas International Airport to board connecting flights to US, Canadian and European destinations. Many countries, most notably the United States, have evacuated their nationals from the troubled country, and have sent in a contingency of 52 Marines to protect their embassy in the Haitian capital of Port au Prince. All incoming flights from Haiti have hailed from Port au Prince, since the nation’s second city, Cap Haitien, was occupied by rebel forces over the weekend. Reports from the frontier town of Dajabon indicate that the trading activities between Haitians and Dominicans were allowed to continue with relative normality yesterday.