The Ministry of Defense (Mide) provided details on the border fence and facilities that would be built at the Malpasse land crossing near Jimaní. The Ministry says that the fence would be part of an integrated border management post that would be erected similar to the one already in operation further north on the border at El Carrizal in Elías Piña. The fence is to better control the area and regulate cross-border trade, migratory movement, ensure sovereignty in the territory and create an adequate framework for collaboration between Dominican and Haitian authorities.
He said the border facility also benefits Haitian authorities by helping them regulate trade, collect taxes and prevent informal trade, smuggling of goods, narcotics and weapons.
It indicates that in El Carrizal, in addition to the physical facilities and modern technological equipment of the Integrated Border Management Post, an eight-km fence with cyclonic mesh was needed to cover the area, precisely establish the dividing line and recover a wide strip corresponding to the country known as “No Man’s Land”, used by smugglers and traffickers.
He says the plan is to replicate this “positive experience” with the design of the buildings for Malpasse and the perimeter fence to stretch 10 kilometers to cover a larger area of operations and commerce. The fence will be 6 feet high and will have trench wire at the top.
The Ministry explained that the Integrated Border Management Posts are part of the inter-agency collaboration in border management implemented by the government under the coordination of the Ministry of Defense. Other posts are located in Jicomé, Los Pilones, Copey, Enriquillo and El Carrizal. A sixth post will be soon put into service in Estero Hondo, Puerto Plata. The Malpasse post will be added in the first months of 2020.
As reported, a Customs Agency tender indicated the fence would have an extension of 17 km, making it much longer than the Carrizal fence. The Dominican border with Haiti is 376 km long.
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Listin Diario
Listin Diario
10 December 2019