President Mejia said he will explain about the purchase of 11 US-made helicopters and 120 all-terrain vehicles for the Army. Journalists sought an explanation for why the government did not tender the purchase procedure for the helicopters. President Mejia returned earlier than announced yesterday, arriving at 5:25 pm from his trip to Taiwan. He said he would instruct the Minister of the Armed Forces, Jose Miguel Soto Jimenez, to give an explanation on the matter. Reportedly, Eximbank is financing the US$10.3 million purchase. El Caribe newspaper ran the story on this contract and comments on another major purchase by the government for the Navy. The Navy recently announced the government is borrowing US$23 million to purchase coast guard patrol boats and speed boats to improve patrolling of Dominican coasts in the fight against drug trafficking. The editorial writer of El Caribe says it is ironic that at a time when the US coast guard is reducing the scope of their patrols, the DR is taking up the cost of this effort. The editorial writer says the US should provide the equipment so that the DR Navy can patrol the territorial waters since the fight against drug trafficking is motivated by high US consumption. The editorial writer argues that the cost of this fight should not come out of the Dominican budget. Regarding the cost of patrolling the Haitian frontier, the editorial writer of El Caribe says it would be cheaper to increase the penalties on Dominican employers making it less attractive for them to hire illegal Haitians.
