2003 – Page 76

El Caribe newspaper gives prominence to a report that says the proposed reform of electricity subsidies would grant subventions to the most disadvantages consumers only. The rest should see their bills increase after January, according to Power Superintendent George Reynoso. It is widely expected that the increase will be 50%, but Reynoso was not able …

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Edwin Croes, general manager of the Ede-Norte and Ede-Sur power distributors now under government control, told Hoy newspaper that collections fell RD$1.2 billion in November. He attributed the decline to a mafia operating within the distributors’ structure, as well as to the increased blackouts and the suspension of the fraud control police operation (PAEF). Following …

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President Hipolito Mejia joked with reporters who asked him for his opinions on last Sunday’s PRD primary election. The voting was won by re-election opponent Hatuey De Camps, beating out Ramon Alburquerque and Rafael Abinader. “No-one saw it, it was an abstract affair, held in familiar intimacy,” said the President. He added that all the …

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Diario Libre reports that the Central Electoral Board (JCE) seems to be taking its sweet time to sort out the PRD dispute in which two primary elections are being held, and which will result in two Presidential candidates both claiming to represent the same party. The newspaper also reveals that the JCE phone lines have …

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When the government chose to take over large areas of the Mirador del Este park to build Olympic standard facilities for the August 2003 Pan American Games, protests were widespread. Visionaries said that the trees were being torn for what would become a park of white elephants. The critics of the construction pointed to the …

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Tropical storm Odette that lashed the southwest of the country on Saturday night, has caused extensive material damage, reports Listin Diario newspaper. The provinces of Barahona and Baoruco were worst hit, with damage to crops totaling just short of RD$294 million. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that as much as 85% of the plantain crop …

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Dominican airline Aeromar, which ceased its operations earlier this month due to severe financial problems, has left 6,000 travelers with paid tickets but no flight home for Christmas. El Caribe reports that many were not given any warning of the predicament and are now unable to obtain alternative flights. With little hope for immediate refunds …

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The head of the National Association of Sweets Industries (Asodulces) told Hoy newspaper that the recent 37% increase in the cost of sugar supplied by Dominican manufacturers curtails export possibilities. Atahualpa Dominguez, director of Asodulce, said marmalade producers are no longer competitive. He urged the authorities to revise the disproportionate price increase. Sugar prices are …

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The National Human Rights Committee (CNDH) claims that the police have killed 230 people in what they term as “extra-judicial killings”, and what the police describe as “exchanges of fire”. Chief of Police, Major General Jaime Marte Martinez denies the charge. CNDH president Virgilio Almanzar told journalists that “the police has agents who only know …

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A report circulating this morning on the child sexual exploitation of children says that 65% of those who exploit minors in this way are Dominican, not foreigners. UNICEF says that although the perception is that tourists are the main culprits, it is mainly local people who exploit children for sexual purposes. Penalties for this offence …

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