1996

The National Police carried out a “lightning” operation against betting shops selling numbers for illegal games such as “pale” in Santo Domingo and Santiago. Most of the shops closed in Santo Domingo are in the east of the capital along the Avenida San Vicente de Paul. Not only were the shops closed, but their owners, …

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Since the death last February of the founder and leader of the Partido Revolucionario Independiente (PRI), Jacobo Majluta, the party has been divided in two factions, one headed by Mr. Majluta’s widow Ana and the other by his brother Freddy. In an assembly recently held at PRI headquarters, both Freddy Majluta and Hector Guzman, the …

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A controversy has arisen over the cutting down of trees on the grounds of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in order to make room for the traveling amusement park known as the Feria Mecanica. The Ministry of Sports, Juan Marichal, has denied that the trees will be cut down, claiming that some are only …

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The director of the Department of “Espectaculos Publicos”, the government entity that regulates what is seen and heard on television and radio in the D.R., says that there are not enough resources available to do an acceptable job. Venecia Joaquin told television producer Freddy Beras Goico on his program “Gordo de la Semana” that Espectaculos …

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The National Attorney General, Abel Rodriguez del Orbe, ordered the transfer of 268 minors from La Victoria jail in the National District to the newly constructed prison in the province of Azua. The problem of minors imprisoned together with adults has plagued the D.R.’s prison system for years, because of the abuses committed against the …

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The director of the National Housing Institute (INVI), Joaquin Geronimo, announced a plan to construct approximately 100,000 housing units for poor families and those who have been dislodged from their homes for various reasons. Mr. Guerrero made his comments just days after President Leonel Fernandez visited poor neighborhoods in the capital, where housing is inadequate …

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The superintendent of the Puerto Rican Police, Pedro Toledo, came to the D.R. last week to hold discussions with the Dominican National Police about the detention of criminals who escape from one island to the other while fleeing justice. Better communication between the two departments is the expressed goal of Mr. Toledo and Camilo Antonio …

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With the end of the 1996 World Series of baseball in the U.S., the Dominican Republic is currently the Latin American nation that has had the most participants in the “Fall Classic”. In this year’s Series, the D.R. had only three: Rafael Belliard and Luis Polonia of the Atlanta Braves, and Mariano Duncan of the …

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The confessed killers of 12-year-old Jose Rafael Llenas Aybar were allowed to give interviews to the news media on Friday, 25 October. When questioned about the theories that there was a conspiracy involving Luis Palma, the husband of ex-Ambassador for Argentina, Teresa Meccia de Palma, Juan Manuel Moline Rodriguez said that he only agreed to …

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A large propane gas truck exploded after a leak was caused by a bump in the road in the province of Azua, destroying 17 homes. The driver of the truck, Juan Garibaldi Diaz, is credited with having saved the lives of the residents of a nearby neighborhood, warning them to leave the area before the …

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