2008 – Page 205

Deputy Minister of Interior and Police Roberto Lamarche says that it will be impossible to disarm the population until there is a guarantee of safety for the nation’s citizens. He acknowledged that 60% of crimes are committed at gunpoint. Owning a gun is legal in the DR and 343,044 gun licenses have been issued by …

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The Vice President’s Office and the Ministry of Public Health is working on a new structure aimed at merging hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health and the Dominican Social Security Institute. Currently, 1,215 doctors are on the payroll of these government institutions. Each of these physicians would be assigned to a single medical center, …

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Farming specialist Osmar Benitez is calling for more efforts to be made towards the signing of a free trade agreement with Haiti. Benitez says that the DR has three basic consumer markets – the local market, the tourist market and Haitian consumers, both in the DR and in Haiti. He argues that after the local …

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Trade between the DR and South Korea now stands at US$120 million per year. South Korea primarily ships appliances and motor vehicles to the country. The Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) says that trade between the DR and South Korea will triple within the next three years because certain South Korean products will be better …

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The DR and Guatemala are still holding discussions aimed at resolving ongoing trade issues between the two DR-CAFTA signatories. The conflict began earlier this year after Dominican exporters complained of unfair trade and tariff practices at Guatemalan ports. A mission of Dominican experts from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce traveled to El Salvador to …

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The popularity of gas-guzzling SUVs, locally known as “jeepetas” is declining as fuel prices climb. The Association of Used Vehicle Importers (ASOCIVU) says that in recent months 85% of the vehicles that its members have imported are low-consumption, low-cylinder types. ASOCIVU says that consumers are demanding more fuel-efficient vehicles because of the gas crunch.

The move to reduce taxes affecting airlines and travel in the DR is gathering support. Representatives of several economic sectors see it as a way of compensating for the climbing fuel prices that are forcing several major airlines to reduce their flights to the DR. American, Delta and US Airways have already announced flight cuts. …

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Former President Hipolito Mejia is denying published reports and statements by his former spokesperson Hector Guzman that he will revive his PPH (Proyecto Presidencial Hipolito) team with a view to positioning himself as a PRD pre-candidate for the 2012 presidential election. He claims that his role within the PRD party is to balance forces to …

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The residents of San Cristobal are in shock today as they come to terms with the death of a 14-year old at the hands of a child of the same age. Although names weren’t released, El Caribe reports that as the children were leaving the San Rafael school one child insulted the other. Angered by …

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The Plastic Surgery, Esthetics and Reconstructive Surgery Society (SODOCIPRE) has come out in defense of Dr. Roberto de Guerrero Daniel who is under house arrest in Puerto Rico. The doctor is accused of illegally performing a medical procedure on a patient, but SODOCIPRE denies the charge. SODOCIPRE president Jean Paul Giudecelli says that the doctor’s …

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